New Laboratory Equipment Maintenance webpage

 

If your research involves the use of centrifuges, ovens/furnaces, vacuum pumps, or other laboratory equipment, the new Laboratory Equipment Maintenance webpage provides resources that can help you mitigate the hazards associated with commonly used lab equipment.

The Laboratory Equipment Maintenance webpage includes a routine maintenance log template and standard operating procedure (SOP) templates for routine maintenance of centrifuges, vacuum pumps, and ovens/furnaces. These templates can be used to create lab- and equipment-specific documents based on lab usage, and the make and model of laboratory equipment.

centrifuge
Centrifuge

  • It is the responsibility of every lab group to refer to the user operating manual of lab equipment to determine appropriate routine maintenance.
  • In addition, all users should be trained in the hazards associated with the equipment.

Routine maintenance of laboratory equipment can protect the safety of both the personnel and the equipment in use. New hazards can appear if routine maintenance is not performed. Hazards associated with inadequately maintained/serviced lab equipment can include physical injury, burns, exposure to released or volatilized chemical or biological agents, excessive noise, and electrical shock. Examples of equipment with potential hazards due to age or wear include centrifuges, centrifuge rotors, sonicators, small autoclaves, ovens and furnaces, oil baths, and pressurized devices.

Performing routine maintenance and documenting maintenance is key to safe, trouble-free operation, tracks service history, and can avoid potentially hazardous equipment malfunction. It also ensures compliance with the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) Standard 45, as covered by Laboratory Safety Inspection Checklist item #78. Further information on laboratory equipment maintenance can be found in Section 4 of the UW Laboratory Safety Manual.

Check out the webpage to create or improve your laboratory’s routine equipment maintenance practices! If you have any questions, please feel free to email labcheck@uw.edu for assistance.

Read about an autoclave explosion incident on the Purdue University website.