Must Have Fixtures in Your Lab

Whether designing a new lab from the ground up, or doing a complete renovation, there are many things to consider. So many decisions, in fact, that it’s easy to get lost in the details. The simplest way to assure that you’ve covered everything in your scientific laboratory design is to break the lab down into its basic working parts and go through the plan one area at a time. This article focuses on the fixtures that you need to build a lab that’s right for you and fully operational.

1.      Safety station – This is number one on the list because it’s the most important. Depending on what you’re using the lab for you must provide the most basic of safety stations. This could include an eye wash (portable or stationary), and/or a safety shower. Make sure that these are properly located and easily accessible in the event of an emergency.

2.       Faucets – Lab faucets are not like a standard faucet used in your kitchen. A laboratory faucet meets the requirements of ANSI/ASME laboratory standards and is certified by CSA.  They have varying capabilities including backflow preventers, foot control, and various handle configurations.  When designing, consider single faucets and faucets designed for pure or distilled water. You may need a variety of these in your lab and it’s important to know which ones are which and where they should be located.

3.      Electrical fixtures – Having access to a power source is important in the lab and it’s often not enough to have a few outlets located near the floor throughout the space. Outlets may need to be placed on the countertop, which requires pre-wiring to be installed within the furniture chase.This needs to be completed prior to furniture installation.

4.      Service fixtures – What types of service fixtures do you need in the lab? Air? Gas? Exotic gas? These are all questions to be answered during the design process.It’s a must to have the correct type of service fixture installed during renovation to ensure that the lab functions the way you need it to. Ensure your needs for various services are met, but also consider any future changes of procedures that may need additional services and electrical.

Going through the process of designing a new lab, or even just a small renovation, can be overwhelming. But if you can break down the lab into its individual functions, such as the fixture package, it will be much easier to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. There are also many good sources of basic lab design available to help in the process.