While many frustrating events could happen in the lab, one of the most irritating ones is taking fresh samples to an instrument only to find out it’s broken. This leaves the laboratory managers, students, or any medical professional working in the lab impatient and furious. Hence, proper maintenance of laboratory equipment is of utmost importance.
Maintenance of this equipment is essential regardless of whether you’ve purchased the equipment from a renowned standard storage vials supplier. In this blog, we’ll go through five tips to manage them. Let’s get to it.
Get Proper Training
Getting trained on how to use the equipment is the best way to prevent the equipment from potential damage. After all, the easiest way to damage equipment is by using it improperly. While the most reliable way to prevent that is by getting the required training with experienced personnel.
Cleaning After Use
Cleaning after using equipment, least to say, is an essential way to keep your things in pristine condition. This is especially true for blood collection tubes. Ensure to clean, and sanitize them thoroughly to prevent the build-up of potentially dangerous powers and liquids. Plus, conducting a routine lab cleanup limits dust accumulation, which can aggravate problems if left uncleaned in and surrounding the equipment for extended periods.
Conduct Frequent Inspections
Certain problems with laboratory equipment aren’t always immediately apparent. It’s vital to physically inspect your instruments throughout the year physically and to run performance tests as and when applicable. This is especially important for equipment that isn’t used all too often since you’ll be able to resolve potential issues before the instrument is required for testing. So you must conduct regular inspections for all equipment from vials to test tubes to beakers.
Use Non-Sterile Gloves to Clean Equipment
Ensure you provide hand-hygiene materials, including alcohol rub, soap, and water, well-fitting non-sterile gloves, and syringes. This is to ensure that each patient has a sterile blood collection needle and syringe. After all, an infected needle or syringe can transfer infections from one person to another when collecting blood.
Log Usage of the Equipment
It’s vital to keep track of who’s using the equipment and what they’re doing with it. Identifying the source of any problem requires a first-hand account of how it occurred and when. It’ll also allow you to assess when the machine needs regular maintenance.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, the blog helped you understand the tips to effectively manage laboratory equipment. Whether you’re a blood collection tubes supplier or a laboratory equipment supplier, keeping these tips in mind will help maintain the laboratory's overall safety and cleanliness. All you need to do is keep conducting inspections and purchase equipment from renowned suppliers.