Getting the Laboratory You Need and Expect
When your plans involve new construction or renovation of existing spaces we provide an integrated approach to design planning, review and construction inspection to ensure the laboratory/facility meets the intent of the BMBL and other documents as relevant to the project (i.e. NIH DRM, ARS design standards, animal care standards, etc.). The end goal is to construct a facility on-time and in budget that provides a safe work environment for people working in the building, the community and the environment so you can conduct research on schedule with your funding intact.
Our experts act as the owner advocate. Changes are less costly and more easily made on paper. Providing safety and engineering peer review directly into the basis of design, programming documents and risk assessment; and commenting during each phase of the review of design and specifications saves time and money (reduced redesign, change orders, and facilities that can not pass commissioning).
During the construction phase we inspect the biocontainment envelope, mock ups and support areas at key intervals and provide a punch list of recommendations for remediation or areas where administrative controls and practices can be employed. We review containment commissioning plans and results with attention to functional testing to ensure they are complete and specific to the facility and its intended performance criteria. More often than not, commissioning plans do not include tests using real life laboratory scenarios (i.e. autoclave cycles are usually tested without mock loads). On a facility specific basis we work with you to provide a detailed compendium of functional tests that we or your facility engineers and EHS can perform to validate biocontainment equipment and systems.