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Whatever the field of operation, be it research, medical or industrial, the equipment is heavily used in the day to day activities of the laboratory. With reference to their performance and even more to avoid costly repairs and replacements, maintenance of these instruments is essential.
The easiest way of keeping equipment in good working condition is proper cleaning of the equipment. Dust, chemical residues, and biological samples are likely to accumulate over a certain period of time compromising the precision and efficiency of your tools. In as much as a cost counter is performed after each ni use there is a need for deep cleansing irrespective of a cost counter after every use on daily, weekly or monthly depending on how often the device is used.
For delicate instruments such as balances, spectrophotometers, and PCR machines, they are usually packed with some cleansing solutions and few recommend how to use them correctly. Those high power chemicals sometimes tend to be damaging to sensors or electro- mechanical parts.
Pipettes, balances, and pH meters are some of the precision instruments that must be regularly calibrated in order for them to perform accurately. While equal nutrients or calibrating gun sights allows you to get the required reading as pre-calibrated gauging equipment is delicate and inefficient. Design a calibration chart as per the machine manufacturer’s instructions and the number of times it is used.
For every piece of equipment, you must have a calibration log, sign it with date and technician, and record any related adjustments.
Equipment, if properly maintained, can function within foreseen limits and not develop faults. Barrie Marvin recommends that every manufacturer has a maintenance schedule that incorporates apart from inspections, part replacements and software updates According to the guidelines helps in avoiding breakdowns and extending the operational period of your apparatus.
Preventative maintenance should be planned to occur during non-operating periods or the off-peak periods to avoid disrupting the workflow.
Some equipment requires a gentle and skilled handling and thus if abused, such apparatus will be worn out prematurely or even break down all together. Make sure every member of the laboratory has the adequate knowledge and training on the usage, the sanitization and the storage of the equipment. Refresher ones should be organized for new members of a team or after some time when the new items are brought into the laboratory.
Provide straightforward operating procedures (SOPs) with the corresponding equipment so that everyone in the laboratory has quick reference materials to use.
Equipment used in the laboratory is for the most part, influenced by other factors such as the weather, temperature, humidity, and light. For instance, too much heat may interfere with the functioning of incubators while too much moisture may affect the performance of electronic components.
Invest in air conditioning units as well as temperature and humidity monitoring systems, which will alert you when conditions are unsuitable for the operation of your lab devices.
Inadequate storage in the laboratory can have considerable ramifications for any given piece of instrumental apparatus. Store such sensitive items not just to designated areas, but inside storage locations that are made free from dirt, moisture and knocks. With other components such as pipettes, utilize proprietary racks or drawers in order to eliminate chances of knock against other items.
When commercial equipment is not in active use, dust covers should be installed and elastic accessories or wires should be placed in a neat and uncluttered manner to prevent undone elastic cords or spirolized wires from being accidentally pulled.
It is often said but performance of routine visual checks is important routine equipment care that is idol not just relegated to a gym. Look for risks such a broken covers, exposed cables, and wires that are looking like they may cease holding well. Reason being that they can be used in preventing more collateral damage at the time.
To help flag potential problems as they arise, get in the habit of training staff on how to report what are essentially ‘anomalies’ as part of everybody’s day to day activity.
Organizations, as a policy, must keep records of all maintenance and repairs for the sake of equipment history and usage. Some future maintenance requirements for machines can be determined by examining the usage records Sections, which heading wise describes repairs undertaken on the machines, should be never lost sight of. Adding to that, when there’s a problem it is always better to refer to a good record and see what has been and what has not been done.
Implement a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) in your organization in order to perform preventive maintenance by planning maintenance efficiently, performing repairs rapidly and archiving documents in one place for fast retrieval.
It is of utmost importance to operate and use the equipment according to its manufacturer’s restriction class. The restriction class indicates the devices should not ever be pushed beyond their described limits- devices are at risk of damage and a considerable reduction in lifespan. For example, it is commonly known that centrifuges, as well as lenses, will definitely break or wear out if they are constantly over used.
Ask the respective person for the limits of every piece of equipment that will be used and make sure that every lab user abides with this specification before usage.
Although basic maintenance such as daily and periodic checks can be carried out within the organization, more complicated maintenance services should be done outside organizations. Most companies will provide maintenance help or have competent third-party technicians that provide such service.
Buying servicing contracts might be expensive in the beginning but in the end, they save organizations large amounts of cash because there are no major breakdowns.
How long you can use your lab equipment does not only depend on the quality of the equipment you have but also on the practices you embrace. There is no doubt that the above proposed practices, which include ensuring regular maintenance and repairs of equipment, good cleaning of the tools, proper usage, and timely servicing of the instruments will ensure the optimal productivity of your laboratory while minimizing repair costs and increasing the useful life of the equipment. These maintenance measures will protect the interests of the laboratory and the operational efficiency over many years.
