Laboratory furniture or lab furniture is an essential component to designing a standard lab as well as creating a good environment for scientific endeavors. A well-equipped laboratory is the main factor in the various discovery and scientific investigations. Laboratory furniture provides sufficient efficiency, safety, and overall productivity in a lab. It makes the lab work more comfortable. Well-selected lab furniture increases the workflow but also contributes significantly to lab safety.
The right choice of lab furniture develops ergonomics, ensures easy cleaning and maintenance, offers resistance to various chemicals, and improves efficient use of space. It is very important to choose the right furniture for the lab to keep the advanced Laboratory Equipment.
It consists of workbenches with a sink, water faucet, and reagent rack. The workbenches have base cabinets for storing the glassware and other apparatus. It is essential to have various safety equipment like eye washes, fire blankets, and fume hoods.
Laboratory Furniture
The best quality furniture increases the longevity of the laboratory. The proper maintenance policies help to safeguard this investment and support a safer environment over a long period of time. The description of the lab furniture is given below:
Workbench
It is a very essential piece of furniture in a chemistry laboratory. It must be large for the proper accommodation of all the necessary equipment and devices. Moreover, it should have a sturdy surface and be made from non-porous, durable, and water-resistant materials such as plastic and composite. The workbench can be of two types namely mounted workbench and island workbench.
Well-mounted workbenches are perfect where the lab space is small. They provide enough working space in limited areas. These benches are easy to clean and maintain. The flexibility of this bench is well for the proper placement of equipment.
Island workbenches are used in large chemistry labs when a larger space is needed for conducting experiments. Multiple experiments can be performed by the related persons on these workbenches.
Laboratory Cabinet
A laboratory cabinet is used for storing the various chemicals and materials in the laboratory depending on the storage needs. Chemicals and various materials are stored here very safe way. There are various types of cabinets namely chemical storage cabinets, general purpose cabinets, & flammable safety cabinets, or mobile cabinets for easy movement.
Biosafety cabinet
It is a one-kind air purification system that has the ability to prevent the escape of aerosols containing dangerous or unknown biological particles at the time of experiments. It helps to protect the operators, environment, and experimental materials at the time of its operation. It is essential to the materials from exposure to various biological cultures, bacterial strains, and diagnostic specimens.
Lab Whiteboard
It must be placed in a good place in the lab to teach the theoretical issues. It helps the critical matter when teachers or trainers are written on it.
Sink
This important piece of furniture should be located near the workbench. It should have enough space for cleaning glassware and other apparatus. It can be made by corrosion-resistant materials, such as stainless steel or porcelain-coated steel.
Reagent Rack
This essential piece of equipment is important to store all the chemicals and other materials needed for the experiments. It must be located on the workbench to use the chemicals during experiments. There are various reagent racks with different shapes and sizes but are usually made from metal or plastic.
Tissue Culture Rack
It is very essential piece of furniture for culturing plant tissue. It is generally made by tubular mild steel pipes With Epoxy Powder Coated. It has glare-free lighting facilities inside the rack. It is also fitted with tube chocks and ultraviolet germicidal tube chocks outside of the rack.
Taps
The taps should be accessed easily in the chemistry lab during experiments. Taps must be made from stainless steel or another corrosion-resistant material to access easily. It is needed for washing the different types of apparatus, especially burettes and pipettes.
Fume hood
It is considered the most important piece of furniture in a chemistry laboratory to protect humans from different hazardous fumes and vapors. The fume hood should be made from corrosion-resistant material, such as aluminum, and stainless steel. The hood should have the ability to circulate the air.
Lab Stool
It is also necessary furniture to provide comfort among scientists for long work periods. It should be adjustable in height and made from durable materials that have the properties of abrasion and shocks.
High-backed Chair
It has a moving capabilities seat with its backrest and has tension regulation. It consists of independently adjustable arms and a headrest. This chair is made for work with computer equipment.
Safety Shower
This device enables water to cascade over the entire body at one time. It helps to wash the chemicals from the body at the time of spilling the chemicals. It is generally located in rooms or in hallways.
Eyewash Unit
This device is used to flush the eyes and face but it does not cover the entire body at one time. It provides a continuous flow of water through two spouts to flush a person’s eyes when is needed for emergency issues. It can use tap water, purified or distilled water. The water from this device may be cold or room temperature water.
How to maintain laboratory furniture?
Laboratory furniture is often exposed to various harmful substances which cause wear and tear over time. So, it is very essential to maintain the lab furniture to make a stable laboratory.
Regular cleaning
It is necessary to prevent the harmful chemical attack as well as maintain the condition of the furniture. For this reason, it should always use suitable cleaning solutions to remove the chemicals on the furniture surface.
Prompt Repair
It is an important fact to repair the furniture promptly if it is damaged. Minor and major damaging issues lead to larger problems over time in the laboratory. So, it should be repaired in a proper way which might be a more cost-effective and safer way than replacement.
Follow all Guidelines
The correct use of lab furniture is a vital part of longevity. So, it should remember to avoid placing overly heavy equipment that was not designed to bear such weight. It should be borne in mind that each type of lab furniture has its purpose and limitations; respecting these ensures they last longer.
Check Regularly
Regularly checking the lab furniture helps to find out any early signs of damage or wear. It should check the instability, signs of rust, or broken parts and take the necessary actions to prevent small issues from escalating.
Professional Maintenance
The lab furniture should be maintained professionally. This task can be performed by different professional organizations. They provide experts to take care and advice, particularly for specialized furniture like fume hoods.
Environment Control
It is an important factor in the maintenance of laboratory furniture for preventing the premature aging of furniture, especially for pieces made of wood or metal. The temperature, pressure, and humidity should be controlled to protect the lab furniture.
Laboratory Furniture Importance and Features
Well-equipped lab furniture creates various benefits for conducting the research.
The proper selection of lab furniture optimizes the working environment at the laboratory.
The right utilization of lab furniture increases flexibility.
It helps to reduce accidental issues in the laboratory.
The proper placement of laboratory furniture increases their longevity.
It makes the lab work more comfortable and efficient.
It reduces the risk of environmental bad impacts.
It helps to protect human life, especially their working activities.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is laboratory furniture?
It is defined as the necessary piece of materials needed to conduct the scientific experiment easily. It helps to perform the experimental part of theoretical issues efficiently.
What is the laboratory furniture list?
It consists of a workbench, stool, reagent rack, fume hood, sink, storage cabinet, biosafety cabinet, high-back chair, whiteboard, safety equipment, etc.
What is the laboratory bench?
The lab benches are necessary furniture which made from non-porous, durable and water-resistant materials such as plastic and composite. There are two types namely mounted workbench and island workbench.
What is a biosafety cabinet?
The biosafety cabinet consists of an air purification system and has the ability to prevent the escape of aerosols containing dangerous or unknown biological particles. This cabinet is very important for the operators at the time of its operation. It reduces the risk of exposure to various biological cultures, bacterial strains, and diagnostic specimens.
What is lab furniture?
Laboratory furniture includes different types of materials like a workbench, stool, reagent rack, fume hood, sink, storage cabinet, etc. to make the laboratory for proper usage in the field of experimental issues.
What are the uses of laboratory furniture?
Laboratory furniture is used to conduct scientific experiments in a proper place. It is used to run the research properly as well as do creative experiments to get the best aspects.
What is the importance of laboratory furniture?
Well-furnished laboratory furniture increases the flexibility among the related persons. It develops creativity as well as longevity. It protects the human beings as well as environmental factors.
What is a safety shower?
It is a crucial part of the laboratory to provide a sufficient amount of water for the entire body in need of emergency. It is mostly used during the spillage of chemicals.
