5 Factors to consider when setting up a Laboratory

February 17, 2022

How to get started in setting up your new laboratory

Starting a new lab is an exciting venture, full of promise, creativity, and new discoveries. It’s also not the easiest thing to accomplish. Considerable deliberation goes into starting a lab, including mountains of paperwork and countless decisions that you need to make. Here are some factors to consider when starting a laboratory that can help it become more productive, efficient, and above all, successful.

1. Organization

A new lab’s first decision should be how to organize its workflow, inventory, notebooks, and results analysis. In order to avoid additional time and human resources, implementing a clear-cut system as soon as possible is essential. Switching systems later could be difficult for the lab. In this case, you want to choose a system that suits your research’s needs. There are several types of software that can be used as organizational systems, including a laboratory information management system (LIMS), which can manage workflow, inventory, and analyze results, usually through a secure cloud-based system. Electronic notebooks can also be used in place of classic handwritten notebooks to keep detailed lab notes while integrating seamlessly into most LIMS. The combination of a LIMS and an electronic notebook provides a much more consistent process than traditional lab notebooks, as each step is verified by barcodes or radio-frequency identification (RFID).

2. Lab Space

Whether you’re inheriting space within an institution or designing a lab from scratch may affect how much space you have for your research. It’s important to assess what your workflow will look like over time, regardless of your situation. Ideally, you should design your lab space to maximize efficiency and to encourage collaboration between areas that require it. Concepts for open labs are excellent for encouraging the exchange of ideas and equipment. However, the design of your facility must also maximize the available space and address your staff’s needs in order to maximize efficiency.

3. Lab Equipment

The major equipment purchases will undoubtedly differ from lab to lab, based on research needs. Still, it’s also useful to collaborate with others and identify things like confocal microscopes and other specialized equipment shared across labs. When it comes to the essentials, it’s worth covering as many bases as you can, even if there isn’t an immediate need.

4. Lab Safety

When evaluating lab space, workflow, and protocols, take the time to identify potential hazards and safety issues immediately. The last thing anyone would want is a premature work stoppage because a hazard went unaccounted for or, in the worst case, because an accident has occurred. Ensuring everyone is set up for mandatory safety training is necessary, as is making sure you outfit your lab with the basics, like a fire extinguisher, fire blankets, a first-aid kit, and emergency showers.

5. Maintenance

In order to ensure the performance of your network service, you will need to maintain it regularly. Sometimes server support and networking service can be quite complicated and it takes a lot of time to diagnose problems. So, it’s better to get your server support services from business IT experts like Business Works to help you out with all your needs.

Interested to set up your own laboratory?

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Article reference from Labtag – Dr. Alexander Goldberg

https://blog.labtag.com/6-factors-to-consider-when-starting-a-laboratory/