Ease your stress. Be proactive!

Ease your stress. Be proactive!

Working in a medical laboratory can be an extremely stressful job, a fact that even those outside of the profession would likely agree with. Aside from working with generally hazardous material, few people understand the external factors that lead to trouble in labs around the world. One of the greatest issues laboratory technicians encounter is the limited budget they are forced to work with. With the cost of medicines and medical procedures increasing over time, trying to stick to a strict budget can be difficult. Thankfully, it is possible to balance those pesky numbers without fighting for an increase in finances! Below is a list of helpful, effective methods of saving money in the lab. Repair Before Replace One of the largest money sink in any laboratory’s budget is the collection of expensive equipment they need. Unfortunately, these machines can get old and eventually break down, which leads to spending even more money to replace it. However, lab equipment repair can cost a fraction of buying entirely new pieces of equipment. Know Your Costs Be aware of and understand the cost of each, or at least the most common, procedures that occur in your laboratory. This can be done by combining the costs of a single procedure across time, then dividing by the number of times it happened. When you have a price per occurrence, you can better manage your overall funds. Order in Bulk If the supplies you are ordering are frequently used and unlikely to go out of date ordering in bulk can decrease the cost of individual supplies by a significant amount. This can be done for products that expire too, as long as you make sure not to...

Read More

The Importance of Having NIST Traceability for Your Lab Equipment

The Importance of Having NIST Traceability for Your Lab Equipment

If you have been looking at our lab equipment for anemometers or barometers, you probably noticed that they all come fit with a Traceable® Certificate to indicate traceability to the standards provided by the NIST. Lab equipment is not traceable; however, the results can be and will be measured against those from certified equipment. Metrological traceability is defined by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures as the “the property of the result of a measurement or the value of a standard whereby it can be related to stated references, usually national or international standards, through an unbroken chain of comparisons, all having stated uncertainties.”A measurement value needs uncertainly in order for it to be compared to other results and deemed adequate for whatever designated purpose was originally intended. The NIST, whose mission includes the advancement of measurement science, has a very specific policy on metrological traceability. The full policy can be found here, but here are a few key points: The NIST defines traceability according to the International vocabulary of metrology. It establishes metrological traceability of its results and others. It collaborates on standard definitions to ensure cooperation on an international level – something that has been difficult in the past. If you’re looking for lab equipment, you’ll want items that include a Traceable® Certificate like the lab equipment you’ll find at blue coat services. Contact a customer representative today at 732-447-1100 to learn more about the many types of affordable lab equipment we...

Read More