Laboratories have expensive and frequently fragile equipment. It is critical for higher education research centers with limited finances to keep their equipment operating at peak performance for as long as feasible. Well-maintained laboratory equipment produces more consistent and trustworthy data, which improves your lab’s productivity.
Without the right training, maintaining the equipment in higher education lab research facilities might be difficult. Hiring professionals to keep your equipment in good working order is an important element of ensuring the quality of your facility.
Lab equipment must be adequately maintained in order to provide accurate results for studies. Faulty equipment is not only inconvenient for study, but it can also be hazardous to one’s health and hygiene. The expense of lab equipment maintenance might be rather considerable. Nonetheless, it should be done on a frequent basis. Here are some helpful hints.
Keeping the lab clean and orderly
Cleaning the equipment is the responsibility of the lab technicians. They’re also in charge of keeping the lab organized and labeling all of the equipment. All of the lab supplies should be adequately sanitized. There will be no cross-contamination, and the results of the studies will be correct.
It is necessary to sterilize the workplace. Detergent must be used to clean the lab’s glassware. It is preferable to allow it to dry naturally. When using paper towels to dry, pollutants can be left behind. As a result, it is preferable not to utilize it.
To remove dust, you should wipe the exterior of all lab equipment every day. You must clean the equipment properly once a week. Cleaning particular equipment, such as a microscope, should be done according to the manual’s cleaning instructions.
Calibration
Your laboratory equipment should be calibrated on a regular basis. If you don’t, you’ll get inaccurate results. Preventive maintenance is recommended. Advanced accuracy verification is another option for ensuring that the equipment will produce correct results.
Repairs
You should repair any broken equipment as soon as possible. Faulty equipment may abruptly stop working, causing your experiments to be hampered. You should inspect your equipment on a regular basis to ensure that it is in good operating order.
Replacements
If a piece of equipment can’t be repaired, it should be replaced with a new one. Even if an item is in good working order, it should be replaced if it is very old. You can’t rely on the outdated equipment’s results.
However, there are a few things you can do yourself to keep your lab functioning smoothly in terms of daily care and maintenance of lab equipment and supplies. To ensure that all of your science equipment is in good operating order, lab maintenance is crucial. It will ensure that you are able to carry out experiments correctly. Managing a laboratory is a difficult task. Cleaning and maintaining lab equipment is sometimes ignored in the midst of budgeting, organization, storage, and meetings with numerous departments.