Introduction

Applying safety in a modern research laboratory is the personal responsibility of each researcher, as well as the collective responsibility of the entire research community in any given laboratory setting. Modern research laboratories offer a complex environment with inherent safety, health, and environmental risks. However, these risks can be greatly minimized by good laboratory design, careful pre-planning of each research project and daily integration of good science and safe work practices.

New Trends in Laboratory Design

Planning, designing and constructing a new or renovated laboratory in today's ever-changing research environment is no simple task. Open, flexible and generic labs are among one of the key trends in modern lab design (Exhibit 1). The open design concept is desirable because it can:

  • Support multiple types of research experiments within the same space

  • Accommodate large numbers of researchers

  • Allow customization of individual bench spaces due to interchangeable and mobile components

  • Sustain both long-term and short-term research projects

  • Provide an ergonomically sound work space due to adjustable benches and casework

  • Promote greater collaboration among researchers

The safety challenges posed by these spaces may include:
  • Greater risk of cross-contamination or incompatible chemical experiments being conducted simultaneously when bench space is shared among different researchers over multiple shifts

  • Increased likelihood of blocked exit routes, electrical panels, safety showers, eyewash stations and fire extinguishers, due to the mobility of casework and equipment

  • Fire safety considerations relative to the quantity, use and storage of flammable liquids in the large open lab

  • Increased need for routine and reliable preventive maintenance of shared equipment, such as centrifuges and autoclaves due to the increased hours of uninterrupted use

Exhibit 1. Open, flexible and generic lab spaces are a new trend in modern research labs.

(available in full paper)

Exhibit 2. A laboratory entry niche with blackboard and small break area for professional collaboration among researchers.

(available in full paper)

Professional collaboration among researchers is an integral part of the success of research projects. Many new laboratory designs include spaces such as lab entry niches (Exhibit 2) that promote casual interaction among researchers. A minor safety risk posed by the design in Exhibit 2 is the proximity of food and beverages to the lab. Aside from the risk of taking food or drinks into the lab, careful cleaning and maintenance of this area would be necessary to avoid microbial growth or pest infestation.

Separate, dedicated support zones that adjoin the primary lab space and house large equipment, such as upright freezers, liquid nitrogen cylinders, centrifuges, ice makers, incubators, autoclaves, glassware washers and other specialized equipment are generally included as part of the open design concept. Separate support zones can also be dedicated to high-risk or sterile operations, such as tissue culture work in Biological Safety Cabinets, potent drug ingredient work in isolators, or work with toxic, corrosive, reactive or flammable substances in chemical hoods.

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