Laboratory Bench Hygiene
Hygiene is always essential in a lab environment, where work is conducted around sensitive materials, controlled experimentation, and testing. To ensure that your lab maintains its own standards, as well as the criteria of any clients, consider these suggestions on maximizing hygiene in your lab environment.
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Disinfect With Bleach Germicidal Wipes
Consider placing multiple bleach-infused germicidal wipes containers on or near every lab bench to encourage frequent mini-cleanups and to remind workers of the importance of hygiene. Regular use of these wipes by lab workers can help to maintain a sterile surface in between commercial cleaning appointments.
Keep the Air Pure
In a lab where caustic or noxious fumes may be formed, the air should be cleaned as well. Install fume hoods as needed over relevant workstations that are specially designed to work against things like radioisotopes, acidic vapors, and fumes. Fume hoods provide a potent secondary protection for your workers beyond personal headgear.
Make Shoe Cover Booties Mandatory
A multitude of bacteria is commonly brought indoors on the bottoms of shoes. To reduce the dirt and bacteria on lab floors, consider making the wearing of shoe cover booties mandatory for anyone entering the lab. This one simple practice will greatly diminish the number of contaminants introduced into the lab from outside sources.
Use Modern Lab Casework and Cabinets With Internal Hinges
Another often-overlooked source of bacteria is on cabinet hinges. Traditional hinges are rife with dirt accumulation and bacteria for the simple reason that they are located on the outside of cabinet doors.
It’s impossible to thoroughly sterilize them, and even more impossible to put them back together if you tried to disassemble them for cleaning. All of OnePointe Solutions’ lab casework and cabinetry feature hinges that are set inside the doors. This keeps hinges clean and free of dirt and bacteria.
Maximizing hygiene in your lab is a combination of keeping contaminants out, regular sterilizing and cleaning, extracting air-borne contaminants, and considering every detail where bacteria can hide. Our lab designers can help you design an optimal laboratory and supply easy-to-clean lab benches to ensure a hygienic work environment.
Call (866) 612-7312 to speak get a quote on your lab design project. We offer complimentary on-site and detailed drawings with all price requests.