Do I Need to Disinfect My HVAC System for the Coronavirus Before Re-Occupancy?

Kevin Coghlan | April 27, 2020

We are fast approaching a point (if we are not there already) where our collective focus will shift from supporting a work-at-home strategy to planning for employees to return to the workplace. There will be a great number of issues to address prior to that happening. From a facility management perspective, one immediate question is...

Beyond the Pharmacy: Preparing for Hospital-wide Compliance with USP 800

Erin Higgins | March 16, 2020

Over the past year, there’s been a lot of discussion about how hospital pharmacies can prepare for USP 800. While hazardous drug safety is not a new concern, the new regulations set forth in USP 800 will require most hospitals to make significant changes in order to achieve and maintain compliance. However, even though the...

Successful Strategies for Creating a Culture of Laboratory Safety

Steven Lee | March 2, 2020

It’s been over 10 years since the tragic death of a staff research assistant in the chemistry department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Devastating and high-profile laboratory accidents such as this have elevated safety concerns for academic and biotech research facilities in recent years, driving many to seek ways make safety an...

EHS Essentials for Biotech Start-Ups

Steven Lee | February 11, 2020

There are a lot of decisions that go into launching a biotech start-up, but one of the most important for the long-term success of your new company is the decision to establish a culture of safety. This is best done through the clear and intentional development of an environmental health and safety (EHS) program. Not...

Lab Energy Optimization: How to Do it Safely

Matt Fragala | January 24, 2020

College campuses across the country are instituting green initiatives and signing aggressive carbon reduction goals to become better stewards of the environment. While this aim is admirable and necessary, many colleges and universities set these goals without fully developing a plan for how to achieve them. Once they discover their plan isn’t as easy to...

Business Continuity Planning: Ensure Your Laboratory is Prepared for a Crisis

Nanette Moss | January 2, 2020

It is not a matter of if disasters will occur, but when will they occur. According to the Business Continuity Institute – 2019 Horizon Scan Report the top five threats of greatest concern for 2020 are: Cyber-attack or data breach IT and telecom outage Adverse weather or natural disaster Critical infrastructure failure (e.g. power disruption)...

Getting Ready for USP 800: What Your Hospital Pharmacy Needs to Know

Erin Higgins | December 10, 2019

While regulations for sterile compounding have been around for decades, many hospital pharmacies around the country have been racing to meet compliance with the new USP 800. Unlike the current standards set by USP 797, which are generally designed to protect the product, USP 800 aims to regulate employee protection. It provides requirements for healthcare...

Sterile Drug Compounding Contamination: What Facility Managers Need to Know and How to Maintain Compliance

Erin Higgins | December 2, 2019

The most widely publicized sterile drug compound contamination outbreak was traced back to the New England Compounding Center in 2012. This outbreak led to more than 800 cases and 64 deaths. The direct cause of these infections was fungal contamination of methylprednisolone that led to the development of fungal meningitis. Perhaps the most shocking detail...

How to Investigate and Prevent Accidents in Research Laboratories

Kevin Coghlan | November 14, 2019

With the proper training, engineering controls and administrative precautions, laboratory safety risks can be effectively managed. However, accidents can and do happen. Accidents, while unfortunate, present an opportunity to learn and improve the performance of a laboratory safety program. The investigation must be carefully and thoughtfully executed to gain the full benefits of an accident...

5 Emerging Concerns in Indoor Environmental Quality

Matt Fragala | November 4, 2019

On average, Americans spend 90 percent of their time indoors — and the quality of their indoor environment can have significant effects on their health and well-being. Since indoor concentrations of some pollutants can be as much as five times higher than outdoor concentrations, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) should be a top concern for everyone....