2014 Volume 5 Issue 3 Pages 143-147
In university unlike factory, many researchers share space and carry out their own experiments in a laboratory. Therefore, in addition to the injuries by experimental accidents due to own work, there are significant cases that the injuries occurred by the accidents caused by other researchers. In such an environment, lab-design of whole laboratory space which enables to optimize the placement of persons, equipment, and experiments in the laboratory becomes very important to secure the safety and health of researchers as well as the risk assessment of each experiment. Whenever the experiments in the laboratory changed, the lab-design should be reconsidered. However, it is almost impossible to rearrange everything inside the laboratory freely including heavy instruments such as work bench, fume hood etc. In addition, we should consider about air-flow during the lab-design. We can prevent the exposure of researchers towards hazardous fume by understanding the source of fume and the indoor current of air. On the other hand, in Japan, counter measures for earthquake becomes important. Certain fixation of facilities and the apparatus is necessary, but the fixation will reduce flexibility. Our group developed frame system to build up the hexahedron structure inside a laboratory to achieve a safe and comfortable laboratory. As this system can provide the three important elements for lab-design such as flexibility, airflow, and counter measure for earthquake, this system can be one of the answers for realization of safe and comfortable laboratory.
