Risk management in the laboratory is of fundamental importance to safeguard both the health of employees and the integrity of research results. This article provides a key understanding of the importance of risk management in the laboratory. You’ll also learn how you can implement these principles in your laboratory in 4 easy to understand steps and will also be given some real-world tips.
What does risk management in the laboratory mean? Risk management refers to the systematic identification, evaluation, management and monitoring of real and potential risks to avoid accidents and incidents and to safeguard employees and research results.
What are the typical risks for the laboratory? Usually, laboratory risks are chemical, biological, physical, and ergonomic in nature.
How does risk management in the laboratory work? Risk management in the laboratory is a systematic process consisting of 4 steps: identification, evaluation, control, and monitoring.
Risk management refers to the systematic identification, evaluation, control, and monitoring of risks to avoid accidents and incidents.
In laboratories, risk management involves …
Later in this article, you will find out exactly what these steps involve and how they can be implemented in the laboratory.
Essentially, well-planned risk management ensures improved safety in the laboratory. It also reduces the costs that can arise from incidents or accidents and ensures the integrity of research results.
The main aims of risk management in the laboratory are to:
Laboratories often use dangerous chemicals, biological samples, and complex or sensitive equipment, which can be potential hazards. Safely handling materials and equipment is therefore essential for avoiding accidents and ensuring the integrity of the scientific work.
One particularly important factor here is the human factor. Adopting targeted measures in the laboratory should minimise human error. Human-related safety gaps include:
The following risks are often present in laboratories:
Chemical risks occur wherever toxic or reactive substances such as acids and lyes are handled. Such risks arise from spillages or improper handling of chemicals.
When using hazardous materials such as solvents or reagents, proper storage and the use of safety mechanisms such as laboratory ventilation systems must be observed. The air exchange rate in the laboratory and the protective clothing must always be appropriate to the respective risks.
Biological risks include the possibility of becoming exposed to pathogens or the contamination of samples.
Compliance with strict safety regulations is essential to prevent cross-contamination, particularly in medical diagnostic laboratories where pathogenic samples are handled.
Physical risks arise wherever equipment is handled or ignition sources and electricity are present.
Improper use of machines or inadequate or absent maintenance can lead to serious accidents. Measures such as regular inspections and training for laboratory staff are therefore essential for minimising physical hazards.
Ergonomic risks arise wherever physical exertion, such as the frequent lifting of heavy objects, is required or through poor body posture at work. Ergonomic adjustments to workplaces – for example, installing height-adjustable laboratory benches – and taking regular breaks can reduce the risk of poor ergonomics and tiredness.
Which leads on to another positive aspect: better comfort and safety increases the attractiveness of careers in the laboratory. So, with improved ergonomics, you not only attract urgently needed skilled staff, but you also ensure that the next generation of talent can imagine themselves working in a laboratory setting. Waldner is on hand to support you every step of the way.
How do you set up an ergonomic laboratory?
We’ll help you to plan and set up an ergonomic laboratory in which your employees are happy to work and feel safe.
Risk management in the laboratory follows a systematic process consisting of 4 key steps:
We go into each step in detail below.
Important
Risk management in the laboratory is specific to each situation and must be assessed separately for every laboratory environment. This is the only way to establish a standard that fully considers the specific risks in each laboratory.
It is the responsibility of the laboratory manager or operator to provide the necessary financial and human resources and ensure sufficient time is available.
The first step in risk management is to systematically identify all potential hazards in the laboratory. These include:
Tools such as the Ishikawa diagram (cause-effect diagram or fishbone diagram) can be helpful in systematically recording and analysing possible fault sources and their effects.
Once the risks have been identified, they need to be evaluated:
This risk evaluation helps to set priorities and plan measures accordingly. A risk matrix (e.g., a 4×4 matrix) can help you to classify and visualise the probability of occurrence and the severity of a risk in your laboratory.
In turn, controlling the risks involves various measures to minimise hazards as far as possible or even completely eliminate them.
Where possible, risks should be reduced by employing the following approaches:
For example, a less toxic chemical can be used to achieve the same result.
Tip
In our guide to hazardous substance workplaces, you will learn how laboratory workplaces should be configured to protect your staff from toxic substances at all times.
Technical measures include protective systems, such as:
A supply and exhaust system ensures that harmful particles are removed from the air and the air is regularly replenished. Appropriate waste disposal systems remove acids, lyes, flammable liquids and much more. The regular maintenance of equipment is also important.
These measures include:
Open and effective communication of risks and seamless documentation ensure that all laboratory employees understand the potential dangers and know how to handle them.
PPE includes the following:
They offer employees immediate protection from the remaining risks that could not be fully eliminated through other measures. Furthermore, a laboratory requires an emergency station equipped with a first-aid box, fire extinguisher, emergency shower as well as an eye shower.
Safety in the laboratory (today and tomorrow)
Technological advances – or Laboratory 4.0 – increase safety and make risk management in the laboratory considerably easier. New technology and automation solutions are designed to reduce risks and hazards in the laboratory:
For example, robots can analyse hazardous substances (such as pathogens) safely and work under extreme conditions such as very low/high temperatures. Robots can also do night and weekend shifts and handle the time-intensive routes between individual sectors or departments.
Risk management is not a one-off task, but a continuous process. Regular reviews of existing measures and constant monitoring of potential risks are necessary to maintain a consistent safety level without any gaps.
Such checks also help to determine whether existing safety measures are effective or need to be adjusted.
If an incident occurs despite the measures put in place, an incident analysis is performed. Using a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), weaknesses can be detected and suitable measures developed and instigated to prevent the source of the error and/or uncover the error.
To ensure effective risk management in the laboratory, it’s important to integrate practical measures into the daily laboratory routine. Below are some tips that we believe are particularly important based on our decades of experience designing, planning and building laboratories.
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Every laboratory is different! We’ll be happy to assist you with risk management that is tailored to your laboratory. Get in touch and benefit from our expertise as an established specialist in laboratory construction.
Open and transparent communication is key to ensuring a safe working environment in the laboratory. Risk management requires all employees being informed of potential hazards and knowing which measures were taken to bring them under control.
Sharing experiences and information about possible risks raises the awareness of all employees. A culture of open and guilt-free dialogue about errors and possible improvements should also be fostered in the team.
Generally, people who work in a laboratory are aware of the risk potential of their professional environment. Despite this, mindfulness and caution should always be exercised at work. Emergency drills based on real-life accidents in laboratories can be used as examples to help avoid similar incidents in the future.
Regular training should also be conducted, particularly if there have been any innovations in the laboratory. Promoting risk awareness throughout the team plays a key role in ensuring a safe working environment and conducting successful, reproducible research.
Checklists as part of regular safety inspections can be used to systematically monitor potential hazards. Standardised processes ensure that no important safety aspects are overlooked. Checklists can be adapted to the specific requirements of the respective laboratory and serve as the basis for documenting inspections.
All laboratories should have emergency plans for situations like chemical spillages, fires or personal injury. All employees must know and understand these plans. Also, the plans should always be the object of the training courses mentioned in the first tip. This ensures that everyone knows what to do if an emergency occurs.
Emergency plans should also contain up-to-date contact details for internal and external emergency services to ensure a swift and effective response.
Risk management in the laboratory is not a one-off project, but a continuous process that ensures the safety of employees and the quality of the research. Measures specifically tailored to the laboratory, regular monitoring and clear communication are the only way to ensure a consistently high level of safety in the laboratory at all times.
Curious?
We’d be delighted to help you plan and implement a tailored risk management plan in your laboratory. Contact us now and we’ll develop a strategy for you.
