The creativity and expertise of the researchers, technicians and assistants working in healthcare and biopharmaceutical laboratories are critical for every investigation’s success. If a lab is to generate groundbreaking results, principal investigators (PIs) and lab managers must find, hire and retain the right people. To do this, they’ll need to transform their laboratories into innovative and rewarding workplaces. Making equipment choices with employee experience in mind can help researchers build top-performing teams while enhancing operational efficiencies.
User experience isn’t always top-of-mind when procuring ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers, laboratory-grade refrigerators, incubators and other products used to support research, but it should be. Not only can installing ergonomically-designed equipment reduce repetitive stress injury risks and employee frustration levels, but it can save time and lower operating costs. Happier researchers tend to be more productive, which can accelerate research progress.
Modernizing lab equipment will improve its overall performance and reliability, so that researchers can be more confident that their projects will stay on track. At the same time, the right equipment choices can support sustainability and diversity and inclusion initiatives, fostering stronger organizational cultures. This can help make your lab into a place where the very best people are eager to work.
Better lab equipment design, better day-to-day workflows
Researchers spend long hours in the lab, moving samples from refrigerators and freezers to workbenches, monitoring cell cultures, performing assays and completing many other tasks. These processes may be repeated dozens of times every workday, and the ease and comfort (or lack thereof) that employees experience in this environment can have a major impact on their job satisfaction. Minor frustrations quickly add up, and inconveniences can even inhibit an investigation’s progress if they’re excessive.
Let’s take opening a ULT freezer as an example. “Because the air inside them is so cold, ULT freezers create a vacuum when they’re closed and the air inside them contracts,” explains Joe LaPorte, chief innovation officer at PHC Corporation. “If you’re working with one of these freezers and it doesn’t have a vacuum release on it, you simply can’t get back into that freezer right away after it has been opened. Instead, you’ll need to wait, and come back later. If you need to do this over and over again on a daily basis, the time spent waiting can really add up. Plus, if you accidentally leave a sample on the counter, there’s no way of getting it back into the freezer fast.”
“It might sound subtle, but things like automatic vacuum release and ergonomic door handles can make a big difference in day-to-day research operations,” LaPorte continues. “When you have modern, thoughtfully designed equipment in your lab, people aren’t going to feel dread when they walk up to the freezer.”
Ergonomic handle designs not only make refrigerator and freezer doors easier to open, but they make it possible for researchers to store their samples quickly and confidently—with just one hand. High quality equipment will continue to work well over time, so that researchers’ experience doesn’t degrade two or three years after its installation.
When freezers are easier to operate and maintain, employees will face fewer unpleasant tasks, LaPorte says. “No one enjoys scraping the ice off the inner door of their laboratory freezer, but ULT freezers typically don’t have automatic defrost cycles because of their stringent temperature requirements. Only the newest—and most innovative—ULT freezers can automatically limit frost build-up on the inner doors to reduce the burden of constant scraping.”
“No one ever wants to get a call from security at three AM on a Friday night because they forgot to close the refrigerator door in their lab,” LaPorte continues. “Choosing a unit with a self-closing door, or a door-ajar alarm, or both, will prevent this problem from ever happening.”
Quieter, cooler, safer: improving workplace conditions for laboratory researchers
Installing new energy-efficient lab equipment can lower energy usage and reduce the load on HVAC systems for an immediate cost savings. But it can also increase researchers’ comfort levels at work.
Laboratory-grade refrigerators and freezers are among the greatest sources of heat in most research facilities. Upgrading to ENERGY STAR®-certified equipment that’s among the most efficient on the market not only will decrease electricity costs but will also output less heat, which can contribute to lower HVAC costs.
What’s more, these machines have energy-efficient compressors that are remarkably quiet. In the past, lab-grade freezers were often housed in equipment rooms because they were simply too noisy to be around. That trend is now being reversed, with the quietest compressors now approaching the sound levels of consumer appliances. This makes it easier for researchers to access their samples, reducing the number of steps they need to take during the workday.
Incubator designs are undergoing a similar revolution. Whereas in the past, most incubators required a high-heat decontamination cycle that could take twelve hours or more, today’s most efficient designs use a hydrogen peroxide-based decontamination process that can be completed in only three hours. Another benefit of this rapid, low-temperature decontamination process is that that laboratory employees won't encounter unpleasant odors.
Sustainability and inclusivity initiatives attract tomorrow’s top talent
Newer laboratory equipment can help labs meet sustainability objectives and demonstrate progress towards net zero. This shows the organization’s commitment to doing what’s best for the planet as well as for employees, so that promising researchers can feel good about coming to work there.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant refrigerators can readily be opened and their contents accessed by anyone, including employees in wheelchairs. Selecting such equipment supports compliance with regulatory mandates, but also with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) frameworks that strive to promote fair treatment and equal participation of all people within the workplace.
“Attracting top research talent is highly competitive in today’s world,” LaPorte adds. “Whether they’re academic institutions or biopharmaceutical companies, the organizations that are best positioned to win over the most promising young researchers are those that are environmentally conscious, as well as focused on creating exceptional employee experiences. These factors can and should play a key role in your equipment selection processes.”