Maximizing User Safety Through Human Factors Design

By Brian Garrett, Product Manager, Labconco Corporation

Unlike most industries and professions, the very nature of laboratory science is hazardous. Technicians and researchers are required to handle and are in close proximity to substances, agents and materials that are inherently risky. For this reason, greater heed should be taken in selecting equipment that maximizes safety by reducing the risk of the workstation’s effect on the user. This analysis focuses on the associated risks of microbiological laboratory procedures and the required equipment that keeps the researcher safe from the agents being used; with emphasis on the evolution of human factors design in biosafety cabinets at Labconco Corporation (Kansas City, MO).