The Challenges of Working in a Lab

The Challenges of Working in a Lab

The Challenges of Working in a Lab

Posted on the 22nd of Aug 2019 by Westlab

Challenges Scientists Face in the Lab


Cross Contamination. Normally this is the outcome of trivial incidents of carelessness or oversight, or conversely, unavoidable mishaps. Nevertheless, without careful attention to the task, it is surprisingly easy to unintentionally combine an alien substance/s with a specimen, or accidentally soil an otherwise sterile substance. Oversight can result in the loss of thousands of dollars’ worth of research, alteration of results and can overall change lives for the worse. Yes, it’s serious business. Avoid these common mistakes to avoid cross-contamination:

  • Using unsterile water
  • Poor air quality or ventilation
  • Letting air pollutants like smoke or exhaust—this can cause the result to be compromised
  • Not using a new set of gloves for the task at hand—a tiny sample falling off your used glove into a testing substance will not work out for you.

Accidents in your lab are often unavoidable, but if you exercise attention to detail and thoroughness, you further contribute to the excellent reputation of our labs and your research integrity. Lab managers should exercise standard procedures for cleaning, clothing and PPE and should comply with all regulations and legislations.

Quality Assurance can prove tedious and taxing. This can be approached in every situation with the famous PDCA cycle (plan, do, check, act) which is an excellent methodical approach to achieving quality. However, the lab is a setting wherein there is a complex system which presents obstacles in terms of simplicity in the QC and QA processes. For example, if a client requests a simple percentage and is given a PPM (parts-per-million) measurement, they may receive unanticipated and unwanted costs, or an irrelevant answer. Conversely, if a customer needs a PPB (parts-per-billion) measurement and is given a PPM measurement, it can waste time and require higher costs to the lab. The lab should therefore research a lot on the quality system and invest in systems and roles which can assist in keeping the reliability and effectiveness of the lab.

The balance between integrity and turnaround time. It is often difficult to certainly decide what your balance is: do we work flat-out to satisfy the customer, or do we take the time needed to ensure that the customer receives a highly reliable result? Westlab decides. Our journey has left us with a solution which is a buoyant means with which to float your boat: high levels of discipline in a workplace plus commitment and diligence equals fast turnaround. We have achieved a guarantee of same-day dispatch and an average of an 8-hour turnaround with your lab design needs. This has enabled us to spend more time addressing your interests, yet the team has a certainty of unmatched quality delivery. We say this is possible and evident in the laboratory setting. Some tasks definitely and undisputedly require long periods of time to provide any degree of accuracy and the mitigation of error, but all things are relative.

Expensive lab equipment is also a complaint of many laboratory workers. Indeed, equipment will always ultimately be expensive, especially for specialist labs and clinical laboratories. Equipment can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and require thousands of dollars of maintenance, upkeep and running.

Lab safety is heavily regulated. A few fundamentals: you must have:

  • An eye-wash station
  • Appropriate signage
  • Fire provisions (extinguisher, blanket, smoke alarms etc.)
  • Dangerous goods/hazardous materials labelling
  • Dangerous goods cabinets
  • Appropriate hardware (tap handles, gas connections, ventilation, sink specifications, the list goes on…)
  • PPE (personal protective equipment)

That said, there is a lot to go through and it is essential that these regulations and the conformity to the said regulations are documented and clearly rehearsed. There are three clear classes to the safety and cleaning requirements that should be borne in mind: physical, biological and chemical safety. Probably the most important safety aspect is covered, however, by common sense. The world of WHS practices is a huge one, and only intensified in the laboratory. It should not be considered a challenge, however, but an opportunity which makes the laboratory an effective workplace. It is a protocol that not only protects you from hazard and harm, but one which ensures high quality standards also.

Avoid Lab Bloopers!

 

  • Eyewash stations should be flushed weekly, tagged and documented—just like a fire extinguisher. This makes sure you have the assurance you are not going to further hurt your eyes if you do need to use the eyewash station and makes sure it actually works. It might save your eyesight, and indeed, your career.
  • Clearly label chemicals/containers and maintain the labels. Replace old, deteriorated labels. You don’t want to muddle up your research with something as trivial as this.
  • Indeed, clearly label chemical waste. Make sure this also is maintained, and that the waste tag remains on the container at all times. Redditor Blackday44: “There was a communication issue, and someone threw out about $20,000 worth of samples.” Don’t let this be you!
  • Segregate chemicals properly according to classification. Use chemical cabinets with the appropriate labelling to store whichever dangerous goods you possess.
  • Keep your chemical waste containers closed.
  • Wear appropriate PPE in the lab: no open-toed shoes or shorts when in the presence of hazardous materials.
  • Have appropriate spill supplies ready for any incidents.


Conclusion


Working in the lab is very challenging, as you can see. What is important is to embrace the challenges, see them as opportunities and make every effort to make the lab the best place to work. You will love every minute of it.

2019-08-22 01:56:00
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