P3, M3 unit 2 assignment 1
DESIGNING A SCIENTIFIC LAB
When building scientific labs, there is a lot of planning, building, rebuilding due to science
changing every day. Science is advancing and technology is always developing, so new
machinery has to be installed in a lab to test for new things. A lot of money and resources
are spent, as it is a complex structure where it must facilitate scientist and technicians to
carry out their work. Labs need to meet certain requirements to carry out experiments in
schools, colleges and organisations. The way labs are built are special, as specific building
materials are needed so that they are not affected by chemicals in the lab. We interviewed
our chemistry teacher Rupsana and Christoper, who is a senior technician.
They commonly use a laboratory so we asked some questions on how to improve the labs to
make them more efficient and useful. One of the most fundamental point conveyed by both
people was that the labs should be easy to navigate around; it should not be compact, but
open so that chemicals and equipment can be carried in and out of the lab safely to avoid
any accidents. It should also allow students, teachers and lab technicians to move around
freely. In case of emergencies, people could get out quickly from the lab due to the space
available to move through efficiently. Storage space is also needed so that chemicals and
equipment can be stored safely. There should always be services available at all times, like
water, gas and electricity so that experiments can be conducted. Ventilation is another
important key factor; adequate fresh air is needed so that toxic substances are kept away
from people. However, this should not be released into the environment, unless it is safe to
do so. Colleges have fume cupboards, which get rid of harmful gas by sucking up the air.
Labs have a lot of equipment around such as fume cupboards, ovens, incubators and
glassware, which are used frequently when experiments are carried out. The equipment
needs to be maintained properly so that it can be used in the future; it should be kept clean
so that there is no cross-contaminations.
Health and safety is always a priority, but sometimes accidents and injuries may occur, so
there are key equipment present in most labs in case of emergencies. For example, first aid
kits are present in all labs if someone cuts their skin or any other basic medical attention.
Due to the OSHA regulations, eye wash stations must be present in labs just in case
something like acids gets inside the eyes or face of someone, so that it can quickly be
washed off. Fire extinguishers and fire blankets are present just in case there is a fire
emergency. In most labs or technicians’ office, mineral absorbents can be found, which help
absorb liquids if spilled; however, they are not required by law.
