Because the handling and storage of hazardous materials inherently carries a higher risk of exposure and injury, it is important to segregate laboratory and non-laboratory activities. In an academic setting, the potential for students to need access to laboratory personnel, such as instructors and assistants, is great. A greater degree of safety will result when nonlaboratory work and interaction is conducted in a space separated from the laboratory.
1. Special consideration should be given to the choice of fireproof construction for the buildings. The selection of the site shall be such to minimize the risk of landslide or flood damage.
Safe Handling of Radionuclides 1973 Edition Section 3.3.1
Good practice per Stanford University EH&S
2. An automatically triggered main gas shutoff valve for the building shall be provided for use in a seismic event. In addition, interior manual shutoff valves shall be provided for both research and teaching areas.
Good Practice per Stanford University EH&S
3. Large sections of glass shall be shatter resistant.
Good Practice per Stanford University EH&S
In the event of a severe earthquake, as the glass in cabinets and windows breaks, the shards need to be retained to prevent injury.
4. Offices and write-up desks for laboratory personnel should be located outside of the laboratory space. Locating the office zones very close to the laboratory, preferably within the line of sight achieved via the use of glass walls or walls with viewing windows, will provide easy access, visibility, and communication.
- Locating offices and write-up desks outside the laboratory environment allows for a safer workspace where food can be consumed, quiet work can be done, and more paper and books can be stored.
Where it is necessary to have offices or write-up desks within research areas, there must be adequate separation between the laboratory area and the office areas.
- Adequate separation can be achieved through a combination of distance and/or physical barriers (e.g., partitions or walls), such that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is not required while sitting at desks. Different flooring between the office and laboratory zones is desirable, as it can provide a visual cue between the office/write- up desk area of the lab and the area where hazardous materials are used and stored.
- When write-up desks are located within the laboratory, they must be at the entrance of the laboratory, with the wet lab benches, fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, and equipment using or storing chemicals, biological materials, and radioactive materials located on the opposite side of the laboratory; this allows laboratory personnel and visitors to enter the laboratory without traveling through the hazardous materials zone of the lab.
It is important to segregate laboratory and non-laboratory activities because (1) the handling and storage of hazardous materials inherently carries a higher risk of exposure and injury; (2) the egress path from a lab desk to an exit should not require movement through a more hazardous zone; and (3) it is prohibited to store, consume food, apply make-up or chew gum in areas where hazardous materials are used and/or stored.
National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory, Chapter 9.B (2011)
DiBerardinis, Louis, et al. Guidelines for Laboratory Design, Chapter 2.1.1.4 (2013)
National Institutes of Health Design Requirements Manual (December 12, 2016) Sections 2.1.3.5, 2.2.4.1
Cal/OSHA Standard 5191, Appendix A, Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories
California Radioactive Material License, 0676-43
