Cover Story | Volume 6 - Issue 5 | June 2011
Workplace Safety
If you've underestimated the business benefits of OSHA's VPP program, think again
Sections
Lab Health and Safety
Workplace Safety
OSHA celebrated its 40th birthday this year. And to commemorate the milestone, Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels gave some excellent remarks at the Center for American Progress in April.
Get a Good Start
One of the most common and important things we Safety Guys deal with is the start-up of new laboratories. As construction is completed, new research buildings open and the labs come online, issues inevitably arise.
Laboratory Technology
Choosing the Right LC-MS System
Panelists from Our February 23 Webinar Identify Key Features to Consider When Purchasing an LC-MS System
Cell Culture Contamination – Part 2
As mentioned in the first installment of this three-part article series, biological contamination is a serious issue for every cell culture laboratory. Learn more about how to prevent it in the second in a three-part series on cell culture contamination.
June 2011 Technology News
The latest equipment, instruments and system introductions to the laboratory market.
Leadership and Staffing
The Chocolate Fix
Laboratory managers agree that getting scientists to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) in the laboratory is a daily struggle. After repeated violations for which the use of threats was ineffective, I decided a more creative approach was in order.
Lab Manager Academy: The ‘Re-Generation’ Process
We probably all have things that we say to ourselves when we are trying to push toward something new or different. Some of mine are: “Enough is enough,” “Wake up,” and “Aw, what the heck, do it anyhow.”
Science Matters: How the Younger Manager Gets It Right
No matter how old or young workers may be, certain management principles are usually effective: make them accountable for their work, treat them with respect, and say thank you. These principles have value whether you work at a large corporation or in a small scientific lab.
Ask the Expert
Ask the Expert: How to Best Utilize Mass Spectrometry for Diverse Applications
Stephen Barnes, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology and Director of the Targeted Metabolomics and Proteomics Laboratory at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), talks about the changes taking place in the field of mass spectrometry (MS) as it migrates from the research lab to a clinical environment.
Lab Product
Evolution of Biological Safety Cabinets
Biological safety cabinets (BSCs) are one of the few pieces of laboratory equipment designed specifically to provide protection for personnel, the product, and the environment.
Lab Health and Safety Tips
Safety Tip: Develop Specific Work Practices for Individual Experiments
This simple idea preceded by 15 years the requirements of the OSHA Lab Standard for “Standard Operating Procedures,” “Control Measures” and “Special Provisions for Working with Particularly Hazardous Substances.”
Product Focus
Product Focus: Biological Safety Cabinets
With most manufacturers providing solid biological safety cabinets (BSCs) with more or less standard features, total cost of ownership has become a hot-button issue with purchasers.
Product Focus: HPLC Systems
Manufacturers of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) systems continue to innovate, while simultaneously providing upgrade paths for older instruments.
CO2 Incubators: Mainstays of Cell, Tissue Culture, and Microbial Testing
Carbon dioxide (CO2) incubators are mainstays in traditional biology labs engaging in cell or tissue culture. Incubators provide a stable environment designed to mimic a cell’s natural environment: pH of 7.2 to 7.5, temperature of 37°C, and a relative humidity of about 95 percent.
Surveys
2011 HPLC System Product Survey Results
The origins of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) date back to the invention of chromatography in the early 20th century. Read on to find out the results of our HPLC systems survey!
2011 Chromatography Columns Survey Results
High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) columns are considered the “heart” of the instrument. Continue on to find out the results of our HPLC columns survey.
Business Management
Keeping Secrets
“Intellectual property has the shelf life of a banana,” commented Microsoft’s Bill Gates. So why should laboratory managers worry about keeping intellectual property confidential? Gates’ statement may be true for computers and information technology. However, in many other business areas, intellectual property can have a much longer shelf life and needs to remain confidential for many years.
Proving Ownership
To appreciate the significance—or the ubiquity— of commercial tamper protection, one needn’t go any farther than the local grocery store. You, and many other consumers, probably wouldn't use a product with a broken seal. If grocery store patrons have a low tolerance for uncertainty, imagine the burden of proof facing scientific intellectual property owners in a court of law.
Research-Specific Labs
Perspective On: A Food & Beverage Lab
The food sector in the United States (US) is experiencing its biggest changes in decades. This year, Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, updating regulations first implemented in 1938. The act greatly expands the powers of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), whose new clout now includes food recall authority. Also in 2011, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are revised every five years, were updated to push for healthier diets overall, and especially for children.
The Institute for Food Safety and Health
The Institute for Food Safety and Health (FSH), formerly the National Center for Food Safety and Technology, which is engaged in a broad range of food-related research, provides an excellent profile of the vital tools and instrumentation required for food testing.
White Papers and Application Notes
Class II Biological Safety Cabinets: Managing a Facility’s Total Cost of Operation
Managing groups of biological safety cabinets (BSCs) in a biomedical research, healthcare or academic facility requires three strategies to optimize the total cost of ownership.
LabWare LIMS Solutions: LabWare Enterprise Laboratory Platform
LabWare is recognized worldwide as a leading supplier of laboratory automation solutions. Our Enterprise Laboratory Platform, which combines the functionality of LIMS and Electronic Laboratory Notebook into a single integrated solution, is unique in the industry.
SampleManager LIMS 10
Whether your business is in Life Sciences or Food & Beverage, Oil & Gas or PetroChemicals, Environmental or Water & Wastewater, Metals & Mining or Cement, Power & Utilities or Chemicals, we are all facing the same fundamental business issues.
Optimizing Evaporation Conditions of Reversed-Phase Prep HPLC Fractions
The V-10 Rapid Solvent Evaporator quickly evaporates reversed-phase prep HPLC fractions using a pre-set method. However, when evaporating Acetonitrile-containing fractions, the Acetonitrile (MeCN) will sometimes evaporate too quickly causing an issue with product yield.
How it Works
How Screening Samples for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Works
The environmental safety and food production industries are facing a rapidly changing climate, being increasingly affected by regulatory and financial pressures.
How it Works: Efficient Drug Discovery Using Optical Label-free Technology
Problem: Pharma and biotech companies are striving to reduce drug attrition rates within the drug discovery process.
How Expanding MS Detection Limits with Capillary Electrophoresis Works
Problem: Mass spectrometry (MS) has become an indispensible technology for the analysis of compounds of biological interest, is widely available and offers rapid and accurate detection with broad applicability.