University of transport technology 3m impact team collaboration to develop a comprehensive lab management and process improvement plan for university labs

University of Transport Technology3M Impact Team Collaboration to
Develop a Comprehensive Lab
Management and Process
Improvement Plan for University
Labs

Prepared by:
The 3M Impact UTT Team
Michael Cubillas
Jennifer Hamilton
Hao Ju
Chris Krohe


Table of Contents
Introduction............................................................................................................................. 3

1

2

3

Overview of Lab Management Structure..............................................................3
1.1

The foundation of lab management..............................................................3

1.2

The pillars of Lab Management......................................................................4

Lab Best Practices................................................................................................ 5
2.1

Information and Documentation....................................................................6

2.2

Organization.................................................................................................. 7

2.3

EHS................................................................................................................ 7

2.4

Facility............................................................................................................ 9

2.5

Equipment..................................................................................................... 9

Opportunities for Civil Engineering Department Labs........................................11
3.1

Environmental Technology...........................................................................11

3.2

Construction Testing.................................................................................... 21

3.3

Construction Surveying................................................................................24

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Introduction
On October 2, 2017 the University of Transport Technology and 3M Impact
team members began the collaborative effort to strengthen and enhance the Lab
Management structure for the laboratories at UTT. The following report is a narrative
to accompany the presentation provided by 3M Team to UTT faculty on October 11,
2017.
1

Overview of Lab Management Structure

Lab Management at 3M has been evolving, growing, and adapting as the
company has grown and changed since it began 115 years ago. From the beginning,
the 3M laboratories that create new products, develop solutions to solve problems,
and generate data have continually become safer, stronger, and more robust. The
overall approach to Lab Management at 3M is continuously reviewed, updated and
improved.
The methods that 3M uses for its Lab Management system are not unique to
3M. In fact, the 3M Lab Management system shares many common features with
other leading organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO),
Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), and ISO. The US has many
standards that are set by scientific communities just as in Vietnam. The shared
responsibility for quality lab management belongs to all of us – from faculty at UTT

to the organizations responsible for setting local and international standards like
ASTM and the Standards, Metrology and Quality of Viet Nam (STAMEQ). There is no
one best way to ensure lab quality standards but all lab quality systems share a few
similar features – which we refer to as the “foundation” and “pillars” of lab
management.
1.1

The foundation of lab management

1.1.1 Leadership Commitment
The strength of the lab management structure begins with the foundation.
UTT is a strong and growing University that will continue to shape the future of
Vietnam by developing the future leaders of Transport Technology. The strength of
the labs at UTT is built on the commitment of the leaders of the school board, the
faculty, staff and students.
The success of the lab management structure at 3M is the responsibility of all
employees from the most senior leaders to the newest employees. The leaders
provide the necessary support. The ability for 3M to create new products, develop
research platforms and strengthen its growth is due to the quality of the
laboratories. Like 3M, UTT has immense potential to influence research and
development and create solutions to problems. Laboratories are the heart of
innovation in any research institution.

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1.1.2 Inspection and Review
Another essential piece of the foundation of lab management is the
continuous review of labs, equipment, safety, procedures, and qualifications of the
staff. Whenever a problem is identified steps are taken to resolve the issue. Each

lab manager has a key role in evaluating how well the lab is functioning, identifying
what is working well and what needs to be improved. The process of committing to
a regular schedule of inspection and reviewing the findings is essential to a system
of continuous improvement.
1.1.3 Continuous Improvement
Developing and maintaining a lab management system is not a one-time
event. It is an on-going process that is continually reviewed, modified, and improved
as knowledge is gained, technologies advance, and when methods and equipment
are updated. When 3M began 115 years ago it did not have the size and strength
that it does now. The continuous improvement foundation increases the efficiency
and growth of the company. Creating plans and processes to enhance the labs at
UTT will naturally increase the quality of the research and the reliability of the data.
The three keys to a solid foundation for lab quality management are
Leadership Commitment, Inspection and Review, and Continuous Improvement.
1.2

The pillars of Lab Management

There are many elements to Lab Management but not all the elements are
necessary depending on the type of laboratories to be managed. For example,
laboratories for medical diagnosis require additional safety consideration that may
not be relevant for other labs. The following five elements – or pillars – are essential
to any Lab Quality Management system.
1.2.1 Information Management
The first pillar is Information Management and it describes the process by
which information is shared among employees, evaluated, and stored. It includes
everyday items like meeting minutes to the standard operating procedures used to
ensure consistency and reliability of methods, practices, and outcomes. It can also
refer to data that is generated by research and testing and how data is handled,
analyzed, and stored. Information management can be paper or electronic format.

Quality management of documents and information allows for easy access to
approved materials so that all users follow the same procedures.
1.2.2 Organization
The second pillar is the human resources of the organization. It establishes a
visual representation of the operational structure and identifies the responsible
departments and individuals. The organization is comprised of qualified leaders,
managers, and staff who have unique and shared responsibilities. For example, all
members of the organization share responsibility for quality and safety. The
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organization operates and collaborates across departments and functions which is
expressed through the organization chart as well as documents and procedures.
The many talented faculty can play a significant role in the continued growth
and development of UTT’s quality management system. The rate of growth at UTT
demonstrates that lab quality standards are essential for continued success. The lab
quality management system used by 3M is not the only available system. 3M is a
company built on innovation on solid scientific foundation. This is a characteristic
that is embodied by all levels of 3M’s leadership. A company founded on science is
dependent upon the strength of its labs. UTT is on a rapid path of accelerated
growth. The next graduating class will continue to represent the University long
after it has left the campus. The key to the entire organization and at the heart of
the lab quality system is the commitment of the leaders to lab safety and quality.
1.2.3 EHS (Environment, Health, and Safety)
The environment, health, and safety is the center pillar in the lab quality
system. Establishing a safety officer or team to regularly review practices, collect
findings, and recommend safety procedures, is a critical piece of maintaining high
quality labs. The role of safety officer is one that may be shared across all
laboratories by rotating the owner of the role on a monthly or quarterly basis. The
environment of the labs includes the recommended safety equipment and room

considerations for temperature and humidity (depending on the equipment). The
environment also refers to keeping the room conditions appropriate for the
chemicals that are used in a lab. Environmental considerations also include the
impact of the laboratory on the outside environment, so using filters and ensuring
recommended air exchanges is important for both the interior and exterior of the
lab.
The health of the employees is essential to the quality of the laboratories.
Using proper personal protective equipment or PPE is required in the laboratories at
3M. The most common PPE are gloves, safety glasses, and safety shoes. Keeping
every lab user safe and protected is the responsibility of all employees who work in
or support the labs. A culture of “safety first” is fundamental to successful lab
management.
Safety cannot exist without the commitment of every individual. It begins
with a commitment from leaders to express the value of safety and what it
contributes to the greater good of the whole society. A quality lab management
system is never-ending. With each evaluation and review there is an opportunity to
observe and report on what is working very well and what is not working so that
quality continuously improves.
1.2.4 Facility
The facility refers to the physical structure that houses each lab. The
condition of the facility can enhance or detract from the lab quality. Inspections for
adequate load and weight considerations, condition of the labs, and regular
maintenance are an integral piece of lab management. The purpose of the facility
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may be singular or it may have many functions such as containing working
laboratories, offices and classrooms.
1.2.5 Equipment
The heart of any laboratory is the equipment that is used to measure,

evaluate, test, and validate a variety of materials, methods, and procedures.
Laboratory equipment is an important asset that requires careful management from
the acquisition and installation through usage and maintenance to decommissioning
and disposal. Careful procedures to support routine maintenance and calibration
needs of laboratory equipment adds to the reliability of the data and findings
measured by the equipment.
2

Lab Best Practices

The 3M Impact team recommends the University of Transport Technology to
adapt and implement best practices in lab management, as the first step, to
achieve the university visionary goal of being nationally recognized in 2020 and
meeting international university standards by 2030.
In definition, the best practices are sets of procedures, techniques and/or
methodologies that, through experience and research, has proven to reliably lead to
a desired result that is superior to that achieved with other means. The best
practices proposed and outlined below per each of the LMS pillars would help the
university to streamline and optimize the use of labs and equipment, and should be
considered to implement.
2.1

Information and Documentation

2.1.1 Quality Manual
It is recommended to create a lab Quality Manual to share and align the
University of Transport Technology’s mission, vision, objectives, scope and policy
across its faculties and departments. The Quality Manual is the level of the LMS
documentations and guidance of all other documents. It contains the policy on
management supports as well as commitments from everyone involved in the LMS.

The Quality Manual further defines each of the LMS pillars, detailing the
requirements to attain optimal lab management and equipment use. A Quality
Manual template created by World Health Organization is available for reference
here: />Quality Manual:

Documentation:

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Documentation is about establishing written procedures and standards to
instruct how things are done and what needs to be done. This is where the
procedures, guidelines and checklists fall. The other one is about what was done or
what has been done. This is where the minutes of meeting and incident/accident
reporting fall. It is important and recommended to establish a formal procedure in
notifying, investigating to determine the root cause, and drawing up preventive
actions to prevent recurrence.
2.1.2 Training Programs and Records
Training is a critical LMS component, and it is recommended to continue
to strengthen university-wide training programs as well as lab-specific
trainings, and maintain training records.

2.1.3 Equipment Maintenance Process
It is recommended to establish a formal review and response
timeline for lab equipment repair and maintenance requests. For
example, all requests are expected to receive a decision within 90
days of submission. This procedure will standardize the process
and ensure equipment needs are considered timely.
2.1.3 Whiteboard Communication
Lab whiteboards are encouraged to use for clear

communications within and between labs on schedule, safety,
equipment status, etc.

2.1.4 Meetings
The Construction Testing Department uses weekly meetings of all
12 labs to promote awareness and frequent communications of
issues among lab personnel. The weekly meetings are suggested
to be used by other departments and labs.

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2.2




2.3

Organization
A clear and complete lab organization chart is important to understand all
LMS personnel roles and responsibilities; it is recommended to establish one
focusing on lab structures.
Recommend creating a Lab Safety Officer role. This role could be rotational.
Emphasize and promote the university wide safety-first culture. All faculty,
staff, and students share common safety mindset and standards.
EHS

2.3.1 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Appropriate PPE should be used for lab tests and associated activities. The

tear away lanyard is recommended to protect when the name ID gets in between
moving objects. Closed-toe shoes and safety classes are encouraged to use all the
time. Lab coats and distinct types of gloves should be available for different
scenarios.

2.3.2 Lab First-aid Kit
It is a best practice to have one accessible first aid kit for each of the lab,
the first-aid kit should be regularly inspected.

2.3.3 Awareness of Electrical Hazards
The following practices are recommended for various electrical hazards
observed:





Proper grounding of the equipment
Cover cord on the ground to avoid trip hazard
Limit one extension cord per power outlet
Eliminate dangling or exposed wire

2.3.4 Maintain Clean and Orderly Working Environment
The 5S model shown below is a useful tool to maintain lab hygiene.

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In addition, it is important to clear the floor of any obstruction that would
cause someone to trip and fall. This also applies to things that are

protruding under the table, cabinets, and the like. In case the obstruction
cannot be removed, a warning sign needs to be provided for others to be
aware.
All lab should have fire extinguishers available and routinely
inspected with records attached. Clear assess to hose reel is
required. Routine Inspection and Clear Access to and Hose
Reel. Appropriate types of fire extinguishers are to be
accessible for each lab.

A secondary container is required which transferring and
using chemicals to contain accidental spills.

It is recommended to maximize the use of visual signs to promote safety
behaviors. These visual signs could indicate specific lab hazards include heat,
hearing, mechanical, laser, radioactive, etc. These signs should be placed to enforce
policies such as “No Smoking” and “No Food or Drink in Lab”.
2.4

Facility
Recommended best practices on facility management are:





Ensure sufficient space for each of the equipment as well as around the
person working in the laboratory.
Equipment and storage cabinets shall be in an accessible and must be easy
to retrieve.
It is recommended for the university to consider providing separate dedicated

space for equipment that are in use as well as those that are in storage.

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2.5

Equipment

2.5.1 Equipment Life Cycle Management
It is the best practice of using life cycle management methodology for all lab
equipment. The methodology is illustrated in the graph below. The equipment life
management guides and manages equipment use from acquisition, installation,
calibration, operation, maintenance, and disposal.









At equipment selection and acquisition phase:
o These things should be considered: equipment needs/characteristics,
facility requirements and space requirements, equipment cost, ease of
use, language, warranty (software keychain), and safety.
o These things should be requested from the vendor: equipment and
wiring diagrams, software information, parts list, operator manual,
installation by manufacturer, and trial period.

At equipment installation phase:
o Assign equipment owner (primary and backup).
o Confirm vendor’s responsibility (in writing).
o When possible, have vendor install and set up with training for all
operators.
o At installation, verify package contents.
o Copy Software, if part of system.
o Create standard operating procedures and work instructions.
o DO NOT attempt to use prior to proper installation.
o Update inventory record with equipment information.
At equipment calibration & performance evaluation phase:
o Calibration: perform initial calibration after installation using calibrators
or standards; follow manufacturer’s instructions; determine frequency
of routine calibrations.
o Performance evaluation: test known samples and analyze data for
repeatability & reproducibility.
At equipment maintenance phase:
o Routine clean; adjust, replace equipment parts.
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

o Establish overall maintenance plan.
o Develop written policies and procedures.
o Perform all maintenance tasks at vendor’s recommended frequency.
o Maintain records.
At equipment troubleshooting and repair:
o Record problem, date problem occurred, and probable reason for
breakdown or failure

o Take corrective actions and date return to use
o Change in maintenance

2.5.2 Establish Equipment Inventory List
It is recommended for each lab to leverage the construction testing lab model
to create an inventory list of equipment. The inventory list should contain:








Name of equipment
Equipment manufacturers
Model/type for identification
Serial number and warranty
Status and date
Location of operating instructions and maintenance records
Equipment Owner

2.5.3 Equipment Logbook
It is recommended to setup a dedicated log kook or sections of log books for
each equipment for efficient tracing. Separating logbooks for each equipment rather
than combining into one saves time at locating history of the specific equipment.
It is also recommended to include training and maintenance records with the
equipment logbook, which could help to ensure that only those that are
knowledgeable and trained to use the lab equipment.
3

Opportunities for Civil Engineering Department Labs

3.1

Environmental Technology

The Department of Environmental Technology lab was newly built in 2016.
This lab provides the University of Transport Technology tools and capabilities to
evaluate construction project environmental impacts. Understanding construction
project environmental impacts has become a requirement by the Ministry of
Transport of Vietnam, and the Environmental Technology lab plays a vital role in
meeting such requirement for the University. The lab also provides trainings to
university students.
There are approximately fifty equipment owned by the lab, which can perform
various chemical tests and composition analysis of gas and liquid samples. The lab
has a supervisor who owns and maintains all the fifty equipment and provides
trainings for equipment users. The lab possesses several advanced equipment such
as gas chromatography and liquid chromatography; however, they have not been
Page 11


fully utilized for university research and training due to lacking general equipment
operation knowledge.
The 3M Impact team toured the Environmental Technology lab and reviewed
its management process and equipment use with the Deputy Head of Department
of Environmental Technology and the lab supervisor. Through observation and
discussion, the 3M Impact team recommend considering taking the following
improvement actions in the areas of lab information, people/organization, EHS,
facility, and equipment management.

3.1.1 Environmental Technology Lab Information Management
In general, it is recommended for the lab to establish a Standard Operation
Procedure (SOP) for equipment trainings, inspections, and maintenance. Specific
recommendations are:






The lab has a binder of all testing and analytical method instructions. It is
also recommended to accompany individual operating instructions with the
corresponding instruments, which would provide standard procedures for
instrument users to follow at the entire time of equipment use and avoid
unnecessary equipment damage due to procedural errors. The binder of all
instructions, however, should never leave the lab and be under the lab
supervisor control.
It is recommended to classify lab equipment based on certain equipment
characteristics. One example could be a group of common equipment (e.g.,
weighing scale) and a group of specialty equipment (e.g., gas
chromatography). The lab would create specific processing procedures for
each equipment group. Such activity would help to improve equipment
efficient use. In addition, it would be helpful to establish an accelerated
equipment maintenance request approval process for lab urgent needs with
the Faculty of Civil Engineering and the university.
It is recommended to setup lab equipment weekly, monthly, and/or quarterly
maintenance checklist to standardize the equipment maintenance process.
The checklist would help the lab supervisor to conduct maintenance activities
in a timely and complete fashion, which is key to maintain high performance
lab equipment. An example of the checklist is shown below and the template

will be provided for reference.

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

It is recommended to establish detailed preventive maintenance procedures
for the lab specialty equipment such as gas chromatography, the
maintenance procedure of which is complex and contains many steps. The
procedures should be created per equipment manufacturer’s instructions. An
example is shown below and the template will be provided to the lab for
reference. It is important to report when maintenance fails to meet
requirements, label equipment out of service immediately, and address the
fails with corrective actions. It is a best practice to always document all
activities and share with all lab personnel.

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



It is recommended to keep maintenance records with the corresponding
equipment logbooks for ease of traceability and clear view of equipment
history.
It is recommended to keep a list of approved equipment users with the
corresponding equipment logbooks and ensure that only trained users can
use the equipment through verification with the list of approved users.

3.1.2 Environmental Technology Lab People/Organization Management
It is the recommended to establish an Environmental Technology lab policy to
minimize working alone to perform chemical experiments and related equipment
activities. If it is unavoidable, it is required to inform others beforehand.
Currently, the lab personnel lack sufficient knowledge of operating several
instruments. It is a waste of resources for the university that those instruments
cannot yet provide full training and research value. Therefore, it is important for the
Faculty of Civil Engineering and the University to provide support and opportunities
to properly train the Environmental Technology lab personnel. The following twostep approach is suggested:


The first step is to identify lab equipment training needs per equipment
priority and start with high-priority, important equipment. The training needs
can be accessed via an equipment knowledge matrix table, an example of
which is shown below. A template will be provided to the lab for reference.
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Such equipment knowledge table is useful to visually identify gaps (red color
in horizontal rows) and each lab personnel skill level of all lab equipment.



The second step is to actively look for opportunities to acquire knowledge and
address these training gaps. These opportunities could include consulting
local universities that have the subject matter of expertise, learning from
equipment vendors or manufacturers, and participating training programs. It
is a pleasure to know that the lab supervisor has taken an initiative of taking
classes to improve her knowledge on water biology. Continuing support of

such activities by the university is encourage and is essential to maximize lab
equipment use and lab faculty and staff engagement.

3.1.3 Environmental Technology Lab EHS Management
The lab EHS needs to be strengthened, especially at proper and safely
handling chemicals. Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines (2014) by Workplace
Safety and Health Council are useful resources for the lab to refer to and follow. The
guidelines can be accessed at:
/>es_Handling_Chemicals.pdf.
Specific recommendations for EHS improvements are:






To create a chemical inventory list for inventory tracking and management.
The chemical tracking list should track a chemical from purchase to usage to
disposal. A good and accurate inventory tracking helps to eliminate purchase
excessive materials and reduce lab costs.
The inventory list should include to following information for each chemical
used and stored in the lab:
o Chemical Name
o Date Received
o Storage Conditions & Location
o Expiration Date
o Amount of Chemicals
o Chemical Owner and User
Once the inventory list is created, it should be regularly audited to verify data
accuracy through conducting inventory inspections per the inventory list.

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





Make Safety Data Sheet (SDS) available for all chemicals used and stored.
Sellers should provide SDS for each chemical sold to the lab. The SDS can be
freely downloaded online. An online source is
/>The SDS is a source of information for chemical handling. The following table
summarizes SDS sections and information contain at each section. Please
review SDS prior to using any chemicals and frequently consult this document
for substance information, precautional measures, emergency responses,
disposal considerations, etc.

Reference: Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines (2014) Section 2.4.
Chemical storage conditions should follow SDS. Using right containers for
right chemicals per Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines to eliminate risks
due to container degradation. Glass containers are excellent choices when
available; however, glass containers are relatively expensive and easily
breakable. Plastic containers are used in the Environmental Technology labs.
Plastic containers are durable and can be chemical-resistance. When
selecting plastic containers, it is recommended to verify their compatibility
with the chemicals. The following table could be a good reference.

Page 16





Reference: Reference: Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines (2014) Section
3.1.2.
It is highly recommended for the lab to consider investing a flammable
storage cabinet to store all flammable liquids. An example is shown below.
The cabinet can be purchased at many online sites and/or local stores. A link
is provided for information only:
/>
The lab should equip a chemical spill kit. The chemical spill kit is needed for
an incidental chemical spill when lab personnel can clean up without putting
themselves in danger. All other chemical spills should be cleaned up by
specially trained personnel provided by the university. The chemical kit
contains absorption pads, acid/base neutralizers, PPE, tools for clean-up,
chemical resistant storage bins, and spill clean-up procedures. A photo
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example is provided below. The kit can be purchased at many online sites
and/or local stores. A link is provided for information only:
/>


Acids and bases should not be stored next to each other. It is recommended
to use simplified visual dots for quick visual identification. Examples are
shown below and can be purchased at: />ie=UTF8&qid=1507775656&sr=8-10&keywords=dot+labels. Such labels
should be available at stores providing office supplies.



It is recommended to store at shelf lower levels when possible to prevent
spills and minimize impacts. Chemical bottles and containers should be
stored straight up, not on its side.
Chemical sample labeling should be standardized to include chemical name,
date of use, and owner. Examples of chemical sample levels meeting
international standards are shown below and are recommended to use. They
can be purchased online and/or local stores. A link is provided for information
only: />


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

There is a major safety concern regarding to compressed air cylinders used at
the lab. Actions should be taken immediately to ensure safe use of these
cylinders in the following areas:
o The oxygen and acetylene compressed air cylinders should be
separated. It is advised to consult the cylinder supplier for
recommendations. OSHA 1926.350(a)(10) requires oxygen cylinders in
storage shall be separated from fuel-gas cylinders or combustible
materials (especially oil or grease), a minimum distance of 20 feet (6.1
m) or by a noncombustible barrier at least 5 feet (1.5 m) high having a
fire-resistance rating of at least one-half hour. Please refer to
Gas Cylinder Safety
Regulations and Guidelines.

o Compressed air cylinder could pose significant chemical hazards when
it leaks. Leak tests (e.g., bubble test with soapy water) should be
performed after initial gauge installation. Proper pressure gauges
should be selected and used for the contents. The lab room should
always maintain good ventilation. It is recommended to use visual
labels for air transfer lines.
o Compressed air cylinders should be purchased from only certified
suppliers.
o The cylinders should be secured ALL the times to prevent tipping and
falling, which could cause explosion resulting significant physical
damage to people and facility. All the cylinders are not secured and
should be! Wall or table secure units are available online and at local
stores. Examples are shown below. These secure units should be
installed as soon as possible. These units can be purchased at:
/> />
`

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o

The compressed gas cylinders should be transferred with carts having
security chains. The security caps should be placed when the cylinders
are not in use.

3.1.4 Environmental Technology Lab Facility Management
Lab facility Management concerns space, layout, room and building maintenance,
utilities, and wastes. It is clearly noticed that the lab does not have enough space to
reside all its fifty equipment. Implementing the best practice of not using lab space

for equipment storage is more important for this lab. The Faculty of Civil
Engineering and the University could help the lab and assign space dedicated for
storage of all lab instruments that have been out of service and not used for a long
time, which would free up some space for the lab. There is no clear definition of
areas for sample storage, testing, and disposal, and allocating dedicated space with
proper visual labeling for each of these activities should be considered.
All major utility switches including the room circuit breaker should have clear and
ease access. It is recommended that the lab personnel should meet and review the
room layout and equipment rearrangement and develop some creating solutions to
establish unobstructed access to the circuit breaker handle.
It is recommended to establish periodical lab inspections and checks for building
leaks and damages with the university facility maintenance team. Actions that
should be considered are to seal doors and windows with rubber gaskets or other
options and to seal wall holes that connect room with outside with caps. These
actions will be helpful to maintain the lab at desired room and humidity conditions
and could significantly lower lab utility spending, a financial benefit to the
university.
There are also some opportunities to improve lab waste management, which are:




Air waste. Fume hood exhausted air should be treated and filtered prior to its
release to outside. Using appropriate air filters to take out all toxic
substances should be considered. The lab fume hood is expected to have
periodic maintenance and its air flowrate should be checked to verify its
proper functioning.
Chemical waste. It is important to establish safe chemical waste disposal
practices, which include a minimum disposal pick-up frequency in additional
to timely pick-up when the chemical waste disposal drum is full. The United

States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommended
chemical solid and liquid waste disposal containers are shown below, and
they can be purchased online at Fisher Scientific and/or local stores. A linked
is provided for information only.
Hazardous liquid waste disposal container:
/>Page 20




The waste disposal drums should be labeled and chemical disposal should be
performed per drum labeling and instructions. A label example is shown
below and should contain the information such as accumulation start and
end date and contents.
Hazardous waste labels can be obtained via online and/or at local stores.
Link: />


The lab should equip sharps container for storage of sharp objects such as
disposed needles and cutting blades. Broken glasses should be stored
separated. Examples of sharps containers are shown below and online
purchasing links are provided.

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Sharps container: />keyword=sharps+container
Broken glass container: />3.1.5 Environmental Technology Lab Equipment Management
The Environmental Technology Lab should consider adapting and implementing
equipment lifecycle management methodology. It is highly recommended to start

using the best practices listed in Section 2.5.1. There are several specific
recommendations for the lab to consider:




It is critical to consult and follow equipment manual for proper storage
conditions (e.g., humidity, temperature, ventilation, etc.) especially for the
specialty equipment. These instruments are expensive and rely heavily on
controlling environmental factors to generate accurate and precise results.
Not having proper storage conditions would add test variation and shorten
equipment life, which is a significant loss to the university and should be
avoided.
The lab covers equipment with plastic bags when it is not in use. This is a
good practice to prevent dust and other damage to the equipment. However,
the cover would not provide climate (humidity and temperature) control. If
such control is needed, the lab should consider investing a sustainable
solution such as cabinets with humidity control. Some examples of desiccator
cabinets are shown below:

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

3.2

It is recommended to consult with equipment manufacturer and vendor to
understand equipment compatibility to make sure that operation of one
equipment would not affect the performance of another if they are placed

next to each other. Particularly, it is helpful to access the specialty equipment
room.

Construction Testing

Information Management, Organization, Facility, and Equipment recommendations
are included in Section 2.
3.2.1 EHS Management


Labelling:
o It is recommended that the Construction Testing Lab uses labels that
provide warnings and instructions for safety precautions.
o The Construction Testing Lab has a lot of large equipment and when
the equipment is on it can be very loud in the lab. It is recommended
that the Construction Testing Lab use a visual system to show the
status of equipment that is running and equipment that is not running.
A simple way of achieving this is to use a whiteboard
( />with magnetic labels
( to indicate
the status of the equipment. If a piece of equipment is not running,
the whiteboard could be used to indicate why the piece of equipment
is not running. For example, the piece of equipment may not be
running because it is out for calibration or it is currently broken. If a
piece of equipment is broken and need of repair, a person responsible
for repairing it can be listed with the expected date of when it will be
available next. The point of having the equipment status whiteboard is
to ensure that the lab staff is safe and for those working in the lab.
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o

The Construction Testing Lab testing may have piece of equipment that
are hot or have materials used during testing that become hot. It is
recommended that the Construction Testing Lab use safety signs and
labels for indicating hot surfaces ( />keywords=hot+surface).

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



3.3

Moving Object Covers. The lab should not use any equipment that does
not have safety elements in place. For example, even a fan without the
guard on it is hazardous and poses a risk to the staff in the lab. To prevent
injury to the lab staff, equipment guards, interlocks, and safety devices
should be restored to the correct operation when installing parts or after
making repairs. Refer to the equipment manual for additional information
on safe operation.
Electrical Hazards. The Construction Testing Lab should ensure that none
of the equipment is near a source of water. Severe injury could occur if
any water was poured or sprayed on a motor when running. Avoid having
sources of water near or around electrical outlets and extension cords. It
is recommended to contact the Maintenance staff at the university if
water is found to be leaking near a piece of equipment or electrical outlet.

Khảo sát công trình

3.3.1 Quản lý thông tin
Các hướng dẫn trực quan


Phòng thí nghiệm Khảo sát công trình có một vấn đề với các thiết bị bị hư hại
bởi sự vận chuyển không hợp lý. Để ngăn chặn sự vận chuyển thiết bị không
hợp lý, ví dụ như máy toàn đạc điện tử, nó được khuyến nghị rằng phòng thí
nghiệm thực hiện các hướng dẫn trực quan để thể hiện các cách thức hợp lý
và không hợp lý khi sử dụng các thiết bị trong phòng thí nghiệm.
o Gia tăng các ví dụ về vận chuyển thiết bị toàn đạc điện tử trong
phòng thí nghiệm. Có nhiều các ví dụ trực quan về cách thức vận
chuyển các thiết bị hợp lý trên hoặc trong hòm máy và trong các
công trường xây dựng.
Ví dụ: Cách vận chuyển

(a) Đồng thời, có ví dụ về các cách không dùng để vận chuyển máy.
Các ví dụ nên thể hiện cách thức vận chuyển thiết bị không hợp lý.
Nhấn mạnh rằng vận chuyển thiết bị không hợp lý có thể gây hư hại
cho thiết bị và không an toàn
Ví dụ: Không vận chuyển
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