LAB CONSTRUCTION Edition 2
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2021
INSIDE GREENLIGHT CLINICAL CASE STUDY PAGE 2-3 INFECTION-SAFE LABORATORY DESIGN AND TRENDS 2021 PAGE 4-5 OPTIMISING YOUR LAB DESIGN PAGE 6-7
Enriching the World of Science
RECENT
PROJECTS
Greenlight Clinical Sydney, New South Wales
OVERVIEW
INDUSTRY
Industry & QA SERVICES
Benchtops Bench Frames Design and Consultation Joinery Package Laboratory Equipment Laboratory Stools Modulab Connect® Portable Workbenches Safety Hardware Service Spines Shelving and Trolleys Sinks and Bowls Storage – Chemicals
GreenLight Clinical is a global, full-service CRO supporting a range of therapeutic indications. Their company is established and run by a team of highly-regarded physicians and researchers with a multidisciplinary skillset, and a proven track record in delivering highquality research output to our clients. The Westlab projects team worked closely with the team at GreenLight Clinical and the architect to design, manufacture and install a complete laboratory at their Sydney location. Key aspects that assisted with GreenLight’s decision to work with Westlab included our core design capabilities, workflow assessment, material suitability and flexibility of the Modulab Connect system.
The aesthetics of the space takes a cue from GreenLight Clinicals global brand as well as the company values. It is a carefully considered laboratory, which is bright, transformable and importantly connects people! The outcome achieved was a stateof-the-art laboratory with quality and flexible benching system using the proprietary Modulab Connect that can be further adapted in the future for the changing requirements.
Storage – Consumables Storage – Under Bench Taps and Turrets
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INFECTION-SAFE LABORATORY DESIGN AND TRENDS IN 2021 Infection prevention is one of the largest motivators for the post-COVID laboratory design changes, this extends to the use of equipment in a different way.
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oing forward, 2021 labs will inevitably have measures taken to prevent infection over and above previous cautionary measures. COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed most things. Laboratories will be as likely to suffer the same exposure levels as other areas, if not more.
Layout Changes As seen with retail stores and the likes, professional advice led to the use of a single and separate entry and exit. Laboratories with defined processes will likely use this flow, where employees enter in specific areas and exit through the other end. This traffic flow is helpful for tracking employee numbers in the areas and will assist in further measures such as prevention of cross-contamination. Facilities such as an entry and exit foyer will allow employees to safely dispose of PPE and to use whatever infection prevention methods necessary to maintain disease and cross-contamination safety. PROJECTS.WESTLAB.COM
The capacity of a laboratory will also likely undergo changes. To take the greatest measures possible in the field of infection prevention, social distancing will almost certainly have its’ say. To accommodate for essential numbers of staff, social distancing will likely take a place in the considerations when designing a new laboratory. This also has its advantages, as improved working space for laboratory users ultimately will increase efficiency, productivity and overall capacity.
Touchless Equipment Infection prevention is one of the largest motivators for the post-COVID laboratory design changes, this extends to the use of equipment in a different way. Touchless faucets will be a key consideration where it is a genuine safety consideration rather than a luxury as previously considered in many directions. A tap handle on average contains around 600 times more microorganisms per square inch than a toilet handle, which justifies the use of a
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touchless faucet.
Digital Registers
Rather than re-contaminating your hands by turning the tap off via the handle you just used, a simple wave, voice command, or a timed closure means you can maintain laboratory-grade hygiene practices. Other ‘touchless’ methods include a knee- or foot-operated tap, reducing contact, and enabling full infection prevention.
The use of QR and bar codes in 2020 dramatically rose. With public venues requiring registration via an app and extending to the use of QR codes for touch-free payments, this is set to become a much-used tech feature.
Other touchless equipment likely to be used is common touchpoints such as lights, dispensers, doors, and other equipment. Touchless dispensers allow adequate doses of consumables such as sanitisers, while maintaining the prevention of cross-contamination. Touchless doors (common in commercial areas but not in laboratories) allow for safe entry and exit while facilitating convenience for all workers. Furthermore, requirements for a laboratory such as an airlock or internal air pressure requirements can be easily facilitated with reliable elimination of human error.
Touchless Interfaces
Applications in the laboratory for QR codes make sense: registration and tracking of samples, automatic handling of samples by QR scanning, consumables and storage tracking, employee registration and processing. A no-brainer for both efficiency of systems and prevention of infection, QR codes are an effective means by which to manage the lab.
Get Expert Help Who knows what 2021 will bring? If 2020 is anything to go by, unpredictable is perhaps the most fitting description. By following the design trends focussed on key principles of efficiency—safety, sustainability and flexibility—the laboratory has the best chances of safety and success and will give a competitive advantage in the long haul.
Touchless screens/interfaces have also advanced particularly over the pandemic period. As a solution to the contaminative user-interaction with capacitive touch screens, ‘hover screens’ allow the user to interact without physically touching the screen, as seen with Jaguar Land Rover and the University of Cambridge. High-definition sensors behind the screen allow pointing and gestures to control functions in the same way one would use a touchscreen. This is a crucial step towards infection prevention and will likely take a more commonplace in public venues, and likely in the laboratory. Elimination of touch in the laboratory could be a crucial step in the handling of equipment and controlling of functions. By not having to touch equipment interfaces, the laboratory can totally eliminate touch-related cross-contamination.
INFECTION-SAFE LABORATORY DESIGN AND TRENDS IN 2021
2021 EDITION
Westlab’s team of experienced specialists will provide free quotes and initial designs for your benefit.
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OPTIMISING YOUR
LABORATORY DESIGN
D
esigning and building your own laboratory is no small thing. It is perhaps the greatest asset that a scientific or industrial organisation could have. Often manufacturers, institutions, industrial organisations, and those in the medical field rely on the lab for quality, research, and the consequent success of operations in either sector. Therefore, designing your lab must be done properly to maintain the efficiency, success, and capability of the organisation.
Employee Input in Decision-Making The more actual laboratory workers you can have injecting inspiration and ideas into the laboratory designing process, the better. No-one knows the laboratory flaws or strengths better than the workers themselves. As with any workplace, small investments in comfort or convenience for employees are not merely extra cost on a realistic budget, but a small thing that will make a big difference. Small conveniences for staff will ultimately allow them to focus more on the task at hand rather than the presence of inconveniences and increase the efficiency of the worker. However, while employees will be useful, the real
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efficiency in the laboratory will come from the holistic design, where crucial efficiency metrics will improve with workflow analyses and lean designs.
Maximum Efficiency using the LEAN Principles Optimising the processes involved in laboratory workflows is the crucial step in planning your new lab. For example, clinical diagnostics processes such as pathology-related testing require specific sequences and processes. Samples will enter in one area, be passed from one process to the next, and ultimately end up with testing complete at the other end of the process. From the phlebotomist to the cytotechnologist, processes must minimise waste in all areas. Minimal waste is the denominator to maximum efficiency. The pathologist relies on the efficiency of the lab to generate accurate diagnoses and maintain financial profitability and thus the lab itself as an investment must be designed to maximise performance and ROI. The laboratory design in most cases directly facilitates processes. Particularly if the pathology uses a range of equipment and processes, e.g.
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About Westlab Pty Ltd Since 1993, Westlab has been dedicated to supplying the laboratory sector with innovative and reliable products and services. The company has built a solid reputation as a reputable provider with a focus on exceptional customer support.
automated processes, the layout of joinery and furniture is the key in enabling or disabling the process. To maximise efficiency, the design must cater for minimal movement of staff, minimal use of resources, and maximum throughput. Patients’ outcomes often rely on the performance of a pathology and thus this is arguably the most crucial step in the design process. Therefore, consider it indispensable, and use strategy. Another key requirement in this step is the use of a reputable laboratory design specialist. Rather than employing a regular commercial architect (unless they have adequate experience), who lack the needed knowledge of laboratory requirements, use specialists in lab design to ensure that the laboratory’s design potential is not needlessly wasted on financial resource. Westlab’s Projects Team are well-equipped and well-versed in laboratory design and have maximised efficiency for many organisations and provided increased return on investment. For more information on LEAN processes and laboratory design, contact our specialists.
OPTIMISING YOUR LABORATORY DESIGN
2021 EDITION
In 2011 Westlab introduced its Projects division to leverage on its extensive knowledge in the laboratory industry and deliver further value to clients. Westlab’s Projects division focuses on providing organisations with laboratory design, modular furniture and joinery solutions. Some of the sectors where Westlab offers its solutions include Universities, School science and STEM facilities, TAFE, Quality Assurance, Research facilities, Pathology, Life sciences and Physical testing laboratories. Westlab is an ISO 9001 certified company and strives to deliver fast, friendly and hassle-free service to the science industry (guaranteeing global quality solutions at competitive rates).
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