As marijuana becomes legal in more and more states across the US, we see a boom in the growth of cannabis labs. Of course, labs are necessary for testing the quality of the products. In fact, many cannabis and CBD companies are posting their lab results online to ensure that they provide the ultimate transparency for their customers. It’s important that they’re able to prove CBD content and THC content in products.
With this need comes the need for effective cannabis labs to provide solutions to manufacturers of these products and help customers make a purchasing decision. When designing a lab for those purposes, one must consider the needs and value of each component, including lab furniture and other features.
What to Consider When Designing a Cannabis Lab
When designing your lab, you should consider a few things before purchasing equipment, furniture, or anything else.
Safety
Lab safety is an important aspect of design. You’ll need all of the safety features of a regular lab, like alarm systems, eyewash stations, and emergency showers. But you’ll also need to choose lab benches, tables, and furniture that can ensure the safety in the lab, like chemical resistance surface.
Efficiency
An efficient lab means getting the most out of the day. In order to increase efficiency, you’ll have to optimize workspaces. Consider the daily routine of a lab worker. You don’t want them running around from station to station all day long.
You should make sure that people shouldn’t have to walk too far to access everything that they need in the lab. Specific rooms for dedicated purposes should be close enough to one another so that workers can easily get from area to area.
Read More: Effective Ways to Design Your Laboratory for Productivity and Safety
Space
Space is part of efficiency because the more space available, the easier it is for lab technicians to get where they need to go. They’ll also need space on their workspaces so that they can do important work without the risk of bumping into an expensive piece of instrumentation.
Space also has to do with organization. A more organized lab means that people will be able to focus on the tasks at hand and get more done. This is also true for workspaces. Crowded workspaces can be dangerous with different chemicals that can get knocked over.
Believe it or not, custom lab furniture can help any cannabis lab achieve all three of these important aspects.
Cannabis Lab Furniture Selection Guide
When looking for the perfect lab furniture for your cannabis laboratory, it’s important to consider not only the shape of a lab table, but the features that you can get with it that maximize space, improve efficiency, and ensure safety.
Custom Sizes
Standard sized lab equipment doesn’t work for every lab. In some cases, you’ll have a dedicated space to fill, and a large table may clutter the room or make space limited. By choosing custom sizes, you can have the workspaces you need available without compromising on space.
The traditional one-size-fits-all lab tables are often an inconvenience for technicians because they need to be able to move around. Not to mention, ill-fitting lab furniture can lead to bumps, breaks, and spills.
While space may not be high on your priority list, you must consider the possible breakages that can occur if workers end up bumping into each other on the regular. Consider that this might mean you have to replace valuable instruments, which will impact your lab budget and productivity.
Read More: Important Advice in Designing Your Cannabis Lab
Custom Drawers and Cabinets
Cannabis labs require optimal storage. Lab technicians are going to have a lot on their workstations, from instrumentation to important data. Lab cabinets and drawers allow these workers to store the items they’re not using to keep them safe from harm until they need them again.
Lab tables equipped with storage help keep workspaces neat and organized, helping to improve efficiency. Not only that, but they also help prevent spillage. As you may know, clutter can cause chaos, which can lead to someone’s arm knocking over dangerous chemicals. Storage solutions help prevent this and ensure the continued safety of the lab and all of its workers.
LDC Arms
Another feature that can increase the organization of a workspace is LDC arms. Computers should not take up too much of a workspace, which is why LDC arms help workers utilize computers without having to keep their experiments in a different location.
These arms keep computer monitors away from tables so that lab techs can continue to work without hassle. When large items, like a computer monitor, are up and out of the way, your lab technicians won’t have to maneuver to type, avoiding any hazardous chemical spills.
Adjustable Legs
Working at different heights may be necessary for a cannabis lab. For example, if a plant is on a standard table, the top leaves may be taller than a lab tech can reach. You can avoid the need for step stools when you have laboratory tables that can change height when you need them to. At the same time, you can increase the level of safety when workers don’t have to stand on tables to do their work.
Being able to make these subtle changes means that lab technicians can be more efficient and increase the speed at which they work.
Mobility Options
Your lab tables should never be attached to the floor. At the very least, it’s beneficial to have options when designing your space. You shouldn’t have to commit to any one position for workspaces. Immobile benches make it difficult for workers to create their own workflows.
For example, a staff may want to extend their workspace with a second table. This can’t be done with a table that is directly attached to the floor. The option to have a mobile table means that lab technicians can choose how they work, which will ultimately positively impact their efficiency.
