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A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which science or technological research, , and measurement may be performed. Laboratories are found in a variety of settings such as schools, universities, privately owned research institutions, corporate research and testing facilities, government regulatory and forensic investigation centers, physicians' offices, clinics, hospitals, regional and national referral centers, and even occasionally personal residences. (2026). 9781489977922 ISBN 9781489977922
Scientific laboratories can be found as research room and in and university, Private industry, government, or military facilities, and even aboard and spacecraft.
Despite the underlying notion of the lab as a confined space for experts, the term "laboratory" is also increasingly applied to workshop spaces such as Living lab, Fab lab, or , in which people meet to work on societal problems or make , working collaboratively or sharing resources. This development is inspired by new, participatory approaches to science and innovation and relies on user-centred design methodsISO 13407:(1999), titled Human-centred design processes for interactive systems, is an ISO Standard providing Guidance on human-centred design activities throughout the life cycle of interactive computer-based systems. and concepts like Open innovation or User innovation.Von Hippel, E. (1986). Lead users: a source of novel product concepts. Management Science 32, 791–805.Chesbrough, H.W. (2003). Open Innovation: The new imperative for creating and profiting from technology. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. One distinctive feature of work in Open Labs is the phenomenon of translation, driven by the different backgrounds and levels of expertise of the people involved.
The emergence of Big Science during World War II increased the size of laboratories and scientific equipment, introducing particle accelerators and similar devices.
In the 1885 painting of Louis Pasteur by Albert Edelfelt, Pasteur is shown comparing a note in his left hand with a bottle filled with a solid in his right hand, and not wearing any personal protective equipment. Researching in teams started in the 19th century, and many new kinds of equipment were developed in the 20th century.
The classical equipment includes tools such as and as well as specialty equipment such as operant conditioning chambers, , hematology analyzers, , , spectrophotometers and , Glucose meter, incubator.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States, recognizing the unique characteristics of the laboratory workplace, has tailored a standard for occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories. This standard is often referred to as the "Laboratory Standard". Under this standard, a laboratory is required to produce a Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) which addresses the specific hazards found in its location, and its approach to them.
In determining the proper Chemical Hygiene Plan for a particular business or laboratory, it is necessary to understand the requirements of the standard, evaluation of the current safety, health and environmental practices and assessment of the hazards. Many schools and businesses employ safety, health, and environmental specialists, such as a Chemical Hygiene Officer to develop, manage, and evaluate their CHP. Additionally, third party review is also used to provide an objective "outside view" which provides a fresh look at areas and problems that may be taken for granted or overlooked due to habit.
Inspections and audits like also be conducted on a regular basis to assess hazards due to chemical handling and storage, electrical equipment, biohazards, hazardous waste management, chemical waste, housekeeping and emergency preparedness, radiation safety, ventilation as well as respiratory testing and indoor air quality. An important element of such audits is the review of regulatory compliance and the training of individuals who have access to or work in the laboratory. Training is critical to the ongoing safe operation of the laboratory facility. Educators, staff and management must be engaged in working to reduce the likelihood of accidents, injuries and potential litigation. Efforts are often made to ensure laboratory safety videos are both relevant and engaging.
Research labs featuring energy-intensive equipment use up to three to five times more energy per square meter than office areas. Major contributors to this high energy consumption are . Fume hoods put a significant load on a buildings heating and cooling systems, as they remove high volumes of conditioned air from a lab when in use. Sensors, automatic shutoff systems, and awareness campaigns to close the sash window on fume hoods have been used to decrease the energy consumption of these devices.
Normally, ULT freezer are kept at . One such device can consume up to the same amount of energy as a single-family household does in a day (25 kWh). Increasing the temperature to makes it possible to use 40% less energy and still keep most samples safely stored.
Minimizing the consumption of water can be achieved by changing from water-cooled condensers ( Dimroth condenser) to air-cooled condensers ( Vigreux column), which take advantage of a larger surface area to cool. Ovens used to dry glassware can consume a lot of energy. Employing timers to regulate their use during nights and weekends can reduce their impact on energy consumption enormously.
The disposal of chemically/biologically contaminated waste requires a lot of energy. Regular waste requires much less energy and in some cases can even be Recycling. Not every object in a lab is contaminated, but often ends up in the contaminated waste, driving energy costs for waste disposal. A good sorting and recycling system for non-contaminated lab waste can allow lab users to act sustainably and correctly dispose of waste.
The laboratory itself is a historically dated organizational model. It came about due to the observation that the quality of work of researchers who collaborate is overall greater than a researcher working in isolation. From the 1950s, the laboratory has evolved from being an educational tool used by teachers to attract the top students into research, into an organizational model allowing a high level of scientific productivity.
Some forms of organization in laboratories include:
There are three main factors that contribute to the organizational form of a laboratory :
Other forms of organization include social organization.
Through Ethnography studies, one finding is that, among the personnel, each class (researchers, administrators...) has a different degree of entitlement, which varies per laboratory. Entitlement can be both formal or informal (meaning it is not enforced), but each class is aware and conforms to its existence. The degree of entitlement, which is also referred to as a staff's rights, affects social interaction between staff. By looking at the various interactions among staff members, we can determine their social position in the organization. As an example, administrators, in one lab of the study, do not have the right to ask the Locator where the researchers currently are, as they are not entitled to such information. On the other hand, researchers do have access to this type of information. So a consequence of this social hierarchy is that the Locator discloses various degrees of information, based on the staff member and their rights. The Locator does not want to disclose information that could jeopardize his relationship with the members of staff. The Locator adheres to the rights of each class.
Social hierarchy is also related to attitudes towards technologies. This was inferred based on the attitude of various jobs towards their lab badge. Their attitude depended on how that job viewed their badge from a standpoint of utility, (how is the badge useful for my job) morality (what are my morals on privacy, as it relates to being tracked by this badge) and relations (how will I be seen by others if I refuse to wear this badge). For example, a receptionist would view the badge as useful, as it would help them locate members of staff during the day. Illustrating relations, researchers would also wear their badge due to informal pressures, such as not wanting to look like a spoil-sport, or not wanting to draw attention to themselves.
Another finding is the resistance to change in a social organization. Staff members feel ill at ease when changing patterns of entitlement, obligation, respect, informal and formal hierarchy, and more.
In summary, differences in attitude among members of the laboratory are explained by social organization: A person's attitudes are intimately related to the role they have in an organization. This hierarchy helps understand information distribution, control, and attitudes towards technologies in the laboratory.
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