What to Consider When You're Considering Relocating Your Laboratory

As I contemplate topics for my regular column in JDT Unbound, I sometimes find myself wondering if there is anything new under the sun. Finding a way to make my own personal business experiences relevant, interesting and useful to others is always challenging.

This month, I’ve chosen to focus my column on some of things that have been occupying my mind - and my time - during the past year. And, over the next two or three columns, I’ll demonstrate why these practical perspectives have been in the forefront of my mind in terms of how they will eventually come to bear on how successful my laboratory business can continue to be.

Right now, I’m in the process of relocating my business to a new facility. Although we’re still some time away from the actual move, the process has been months in the making and many aspects of laboratory operations, facilities design, infrastructure organization, equipment selection and placement and countless other details have required careful consideration and decision making. Everything from laboratory size and location to technician benches and chairs; and from heating, ventilation and air conditioning to flooring and wall colors have all been carefully thought out from the very beginning.

Part of the reason for my decision to move the laboratory to a new location was the need for more space to provide a more comfortable, workable environment for my technicians, as well as to accommodate new, upgraded equipment. And, from the get-go, I decided to design the laboratory in an esthetic, well-thought-out and ergonomic way. But, in that regard, some people have told me, “Well, then, just get a bigger space. It’s a laboratory; nobody is going to see it, so why spend the money on the esthetic details?”

Well, as I’ve mentioned in previous columns, employee satisfaction is important. If the work environment I provide is one about which my technicians and staff can feel proud, then they’re likely to also feel more satisfied and good about coming to work. So, in answer to what some people question about the expenditures involved in my new facility, the reasons for them are two-fold.

First, I want my employees to walk into work and feel like it’s as nice a place to be as their home because, after all, we spend nine hours a day here - including lunch time. So, I want them to feel as comfortable as possible because it’s more conducive to productivity. People tend to work harder when they see their employer has taken a vested interest in their comfort.

Secondly, part of the expenditures in the new laboratory facility was very much for improved ergonomics and driven by OSHA requirements. These considerations, I believe, will benefit and satisfy my technicians in many ways, because I’m clearly taking an interest in their health and well-being.

When I last discussed ways to help retain qualified and talented technicians, among them was scheduling flexibility. Well, this can sometimes be challenging in terms of maintaining facility security. So, in our new facility, we’ve designed a lock and security system that provides every employee - as well as our cleaning crew - with time-monitored key tags that enable them to gain access the laboratory during their specified work hours.

For example, if one of my technicians is a mom who needs to work certain hours in order to pick up and drop off her kids from school, then her key tag will only allow her to come into the laboratory during her specified work hours. And this will serve two good purposes. First, it will let me know that the employee is coming into the laboratory and working the hours he or she is supposed to. Secondly, it enables me to be flexible with my technician’s schedules.

In December’s column, I’ll review some specific examples of equipment and facilities design criteria that are being incorporated into our new laboratory to enhance ergonomics for technicians and staff alike. But, as an example, one aspect of the work environment that affects productivity and overall employee safety is air quality. At a dental laboratory, air quality can be affected by the airborne particles that result from sandblasting any number of all-ceramic restorations.

Because sandblasting typically involves a fair amount of air pressure, the micro-abrasion material tends travel everywhere. So, for our new facility, we went to a great expense to create an exclusive sandblasting room with a special suction/extraction hood unit. By incorporating this equipment, we’ll be helping to ensure the removal of any sand and/or abrasive material from the ambient air. The idea is that once an employee opens the door from this area and walks out of the sandblasting room, there shouldn’t be a flying cloud of dust everywhere. Of course, employees will still be required to wear a mask and safety goggles when sandblasting, but the goal is to keep the air - and the rest of the laboratory’s surfaces - as dust-free as possible.

From how things will be labeled and sterilized to ensuring that every aspect is compliant with OSHA standards, a lot goes into planning a move to a new laboratory facility. When members of the entire laboratory team see that you are fulfilling the highest quality standards not only for your customers but also for their safety, comfort and well being, then the work environment you’ve created will ultimately benefit your long-term productivity. In next month’s column, I’ll review some other specific ergonomic design factors that we’ve incorporated into our new facility in order to help ensure greater technician comfort and productivity.


Do you have a question for Nelson Rego, CDT? E-mail jdt@nadl.org.