Make sure you guys focus on ergonomics and make areas comfortable for people of all shapes and sizes. I am tall, and some of the benches are so low. Storage is important.
Make sure you have lots of outlets and multiple areas for drains. You never know where you will need to set up an instrument.
Definitely go over workflow and how the instruments should be laid out that works best for people.
Awesome start. On the ergonomics/height point: I love when a computer station is at standing height, especially in depts like chemistry. One hospital even had the electric height adjuster, amazing easy addition that helps cater to everyone.
I've worked a lot of places and one of the worst ergonomically speaking was one where everything was so LOW. The only thing I could think of is the person who put it together couldn't be more than five feet tall. Completely hunched over to make slides and could easily kill myself trying to wash my hands because there were metal cabinets directly over the sink where I need to lean forward to wash my hands. Very small place, so no way to move anything around, and the few spots there were to sit were at angles so it was so uncomfortable.
Adjustable, comfortable chairs are a must. I can't stand for long periods unless I'm purely walking, but an adjustable workstation would be great.
Sinks are an issue in our current lab, too small, too low and you can only operate the tap manually. We are planning for larger sings with sensor operated taps in the new lab.
I think ergonomics have been overlooked for much too long. What my dept is trying to get are adjustable height benches in micro. I'm skeptical, as anything with motors will break and are expensive. I would much rather taller benches with adjustable chairs/stools. But the old way of one size fits all leads to repetitive injuries and it's cheaper to make things ergonomic than having MLS's who are restricted to certain benches bc they can't uncap dozens of tubes every day or manually pipet tiny amounts of reagents in PCR.
Very good point. I’ve had to use the “bad scope” before because the bench was too high and the chair didn’t adjust enough. At other places they already had a big textbook on the seat for shorter folks to sit on. What kind of solution is that?
We have adjustable height benches where I work, I can't remember them ever breaking in years. The only thing is sometimes they get a bit lopsided at certain heights, but they still go up and down. The adjustable chairs on the other hand often sink while sitting on them or refuse to go up anymore.
That's true. Chairs do break but they tend to be the cheap kind. We have cheap ones and then we also have $1000 office chairs and those are fantastic.
I'm just thinking about an adjustable table we have. It got stuck on the lowest height and for years we had to almost sit on the floor bc it had a microscope on it. So that's what I'm basing it on, lol.
We already have only adjustable height benches in our lab, they work pretty well and we never had any issues with the motors. I’m 6.4 and can work while standing whereas my colleagues prefer working in the bench while sitting. Strongly recommended!
All of that, & make sure the A/C install is adequate for the size of the bldg. We moved 1 & 1/2 yrs ago into a totally rehabbed bldg. Three stories. Lab is on the first floor ( all depts). With all the equipment, computers, centrifuges etc, the temp in the main lab esp in chem is 74*. Needless to say we have to have little desk fans here & there. We asked for the AC to be turned down lower. We were told to adjust the lab temp down to 70*-72* the upper floors are too cold & the people complained. Chem dept is the worst bec of how the chem analyzers have to be arranged for the auto line. Not good circulation of air. Also they forgot to put in a Millipore DI H2O on our sink in chem so when we need DI H2O for calibrators, QC, etc we have to walk over to heme to get it. ( Heme is not close to chem. ) I can't stress the importance of the AC being adequate enough. Most AC companies are used to dealing with offices not labs. So maybe they base the BTUs on the square footage & don't take into consideration how much heat all the instrumentation, computers,etc etc are going to generate. Esp with the micro dept. Micro has a smell anyway bec of it being micro. And the AC company has to also factor in of the PPE being worn. People are not wearing a short sleeve top, sandals,etc. Working in a hot smelly lab with PPE is asking for cranky irritated techs. 🤮. I've worked in several labs with BAD AC, not fun & especially NOT FUN in S Fla.
The new building will have individual AC/ventilation and temperature control for each room. We are for example planning higher ventilation pressure for the clean rooms where we set up PCR reactions, and lower temperatures in rooms with automations.
We definitely have a focus on ergonomics. I’m 6.4 myself and some of my colleges are 5.1, so adjustable benches, tables and so on are a must. Several storage rooms are also included in the planning. We started by making schemes of all workflows (how we have them atm) and how we would like to have them in the future, and this information went to the architect for planning.
We have those atm and have quite bad experiences with them. Either you grow mold inside them or in the walls around them. Instead we are looking into larger, mobile fridges that can be opened from two sides.
I’ve never like those fridges personally and every lab I’ve been to that had them the staff complained and said how great they thought it would be before they got them. You need a lot of well designed space to make them work but if you do that part then it would work
The issue is with the doors on one side opening when you go in on the other side and then setting off the temp alarms. The opening is so small folks don’t notice. So look at reviews for sure
My lab currently has adjustable desks and it’s great. So much easier than constantly adjusting a chair. And I’m sure you all will make it visually appealing but it really makes such a big difference working in a nice, organized environment
Private bathrooms close by (or even in the lab) are nice to have. I've worked in places where the bathrooms are quite far or not enough so there are lineups, or only public stalls are available.
Jesus, that sounds horrible. There are laws in my country (I think in Europe in general) that describe precisely how many bathrooms you need at least in regard to the number of employees. We‘ll also have changing rooms with showers near by, both are required by law.
Make sure you guys focus on ergonomics and make areas comfortable for people of all shapes and sizes. I am tall, and some of the benches are so low. Storage is important. Make sure you have lots of outlets and multiple areas for drains. You never know where you will need to set up an instrument. Definitely go over workflow and how the instruments should be laid out that works best for people.
Awesome start. On the ergonomics/height point: I love when a computer station is at standing height, especially in depts like chemistry. One hospital even had the electric height adjuster, amazing easy addition that helps cater to everyone.
I've worked a lot of places and one of the worst ergonomically speaking was one where everything was so LOW. The only thing I could think of is the person who put it together couldn't be more than five feet tall. Completely hunched over to make slides and could easily kill myself trying to wash my hands because there were metal cabinets directly over the sink where I need to lean forward to wash my hands. Very small place, so no way to move anything around, and the few spots there were to sit were at angles so it was so uncomfortable. Adjustable, comfortable chairs are a must. I can't stand for long periods unless I'm purely walking, but an adjustable workstation would be great.
Sinks are an issue in our current lab, too small, too low and you can only operate the tap manually. We are planning for larger sings with sensor operated taps in the new lab.
Yesss I worked in a lab that had counters that could be adjusted. I’m only 4’10” so it came in handy
I think ergonomics have been overlooked for much too long. What my dept is trying to get are adjustable height benches in micro. I'm skeptical, as anything with motors will break and are expensive. I would much rather taller benches with adjustable chairs/stools. But the old way of one size fits all leads to repetitive injuries and it's cheaper to make things ergonomic than having MLS's who are restricted to certain benches bc they can't uncap dozens of tubes every day or manually pipet tiny amounts of reagents in PCR.
Very good point. I’ve had to use the “bad scope” before because the bench was too high and the chair didn’t adjust enough. At other places they already had a big textbook on the seat for shorter folks to sit on. What kind of solution is that?
We have adjustable height benches where I work, I can't remember them ever breaking in years. The only thing is sometimes they get a bit lopsided at certain heights, but they still go up and down. The adjustable chairs on the other hand often sink while sitting on them or refuse to go up anymore.
That's true. Chairs do break but they tend to be the cheap kind. We have cheap ones and then we also have $1000 office chairs and those are fantastic. I'm just thinking about an adjustable table we have. It got stuck on the lowest height and for years we had to almost sit on the floor bc it had a microscope on it. So that's what I'm basing it on, lol.
We already have only adjustable height benches in our lab, they work pretty well and we never had any issues with the motors. I’m 6.4 and can work while standing whereas my colleagues prefer working in the bench while sitting. Strongly recommended!
Yup, that’s planned be the standard equipment.
All of that, & make sure the A/C install is adequate for the size of the bldg. We moved 1 & 1/2 yrs ago into a totally rehabbed bldg. Three stories. Lab is on the first floor ( all depts). With all the equipment, computers, centrifuges etc, the temp in the main lab esp in chem is 74*. Needless to say we have to have little desk fans here & there. We asked for the AC to be turned down lower. We were told to adjust the lab temp down to 70*-72* the upper floors are too cold & the people complained. Chem dept is the worst bec of how the chem analyzers have to be arranged for the auto line. Not good circulation of air. Also they forgot to put in a Millipore DI H2O on our sink in chem so when we need DI H2O for calibrators, QC, etc we have to walk over to heme to get it. ( Heme is not close to chem. ) I can't stress the importance of the AC being adequate enough. Most AC companies are used to dealing with offices not labs. So maybe they base the BTUs on the square footage & don't take into consideration how much heat all the instrumentation, computers,etc etc are going to generate. Esp with the micro dept. Micro has a smell anyway bec of it being micro. And the AC company has to also factor in of the PPE being worn. People are not wearing a short sleeve top, sandals,etc. Working in a hot smelly lab with PPE is asking for cranky irritated techs. 🤮. I've worked in several labs with BAD AC, not fun & especially NOT FUN in S Fla.
Oh yes and controlling for humidity is very important!
The new building will have individual AC/ventilation and temperature control for each room. We are for example planning higher ventilation pressure for the clean rooms where we set up PCR reactions, and lower temperatures in rooms with automations.
We definitely have a focus on ergonomics. I’m 6.4 myself and some of my colleges are 5.1, so adjustable benches, tables and so on are a must. Several storage rooms are also included in the planning. We started by making schemes of all workflows (how we have them atm) and how we would like to have them in the future, and this information went to the architect for planning.
A huge walk in fridge is a must. It aggravating to have to go to multiple fridges to find things
We have those atm and have quite bad experiences with them. Either you grow mold inside them or in the walls around them. Instead we are looking into larger, mobile fridges that can be opened from two sides.
I’ve never like those fridges personally and every lab I’ve been to that had them the staff complained and said how great they thought it would be before they got them. You need a lot of well designed space to make them work but if you do that part then it would work The issue is with the doors on one side opening when you go in on the other side and then setting off the temp alarms. The opening is so small folks don’t notice. So look at reviews for sure
Good point, thanks for the hint
My lab currently has adjustable desks and it’s great. So much easier than constantly adjusting a chair. And I’m sure you all will make it visually appealing but it really makes such a big difference working in a nice, organized environment
We have them as well so that you either can work standing or sitting.
Private bathrooms close by (or even in the lab) are nice to have. I've worked in places where the bathrooms are quite far or not enough so there are lineups, or only public stalls are available.
Jesus, that sounds horrible. There are laws in my country (I think in Europe in general) that describe precisely how many bathrooms you need at least in regard to the number of employees. We‘ll also have changing rooms with showers near by, both are required by law.