Experts Discuss COVID-19 Impacts to the Laboratory

The COVID-19 virus has forever changed our perspective on cleanliness, personal interaction, and our environment.  The thought of a post-pandemic state brings us hope, especially with the growing availability of vaccines. In the meantime, there are things that lab managers and lab planners can do to facilitate a safer return to lab spaces. 

Lab Manager's COVID-19 Summit, held in August 2020, focused on the impacts the pandemic has had on the lab management and lab design industries, how they have responded to this crisis in order to keep lab workers safe, and what it means for labs going forward. The session "COVID-19 Impacts to the Laboratory," delivered by a team from Bala Consulting Engineers, detailed some of the short-term and long-term strategies owners and lab managers can implement to increase the safety of their laboratory. The speakers described the best practices in place for laboratory and cleanroom environments—such as 100 percent outside air systems, high efficiency filters, use of PPE, and controlled access—used to make lab spaces better equipped to operate in a pandemic state. The session provided research developed by Bala, health care, and industry professionals that offered an in-depth look at building systems strategies, coupled with technology and architectural elements, and made recommendations to reduce the risk of exposure within the lab space. 

View the OnDemand broadcast of "COVID-19 Impacts to the Laboratory" here.