Laboratory Equipment Maintenance

Proper use and maintenance of laboratory equipment can protect the safety of both the personnel and the equipment in use. Certain equipment found within labs may warrant greater attention than others depending on the specific hazards present. 

What you need to know

It is the responsibility of the PI to keep equipment manuals available and accessible.

All personnel should be trained in the hazards associated with a specific piece of equipment as well as keeping proper routine maintenance and maintenance records for the equipment.

What you can do to stay safe

Define and document routine maintenance of laboratory equipment.

The maintenance SOP templates and Maintenance Log Form provided below can be used to create lab- and equipment-specific documents based on lab usage and specific make and model of laboratory equipment.

It is the responsibility of every lab member to refer to the user operating manual of specific lab equipment to determine appropriate routine equipment maintenance of the equipment.

Please refer to Section 4 of the UW Laboratory Safety Manual for more information on laboratory equipment and equipment maintenance.