Laboratory Design Guidelines

This document aims to provide guidance for the Design Process for future research spaces at McGill. It is written for lab Principal Investigators (PIs), users, Project Managers, Professionals and Operation & Maintenance people, who will execute a lab project from the Initial phase to the end of the project and who will maintain the spaces after its construction.

Lab Furniture Requirements

Certain government agencies such as the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) and the Public Health Agency of Canada recommend impermeable work surfaces and furniture coverings in laboratories handling hazardous substances.

Tables, desks, benches, chairs and stools must be covered with impermeable surfaces that facilitate decontamination and cleanup procedures in the event of a spill or incidental spread of contamination. For example chairs and stools should be covered in plastic, vinyl or leather finish rather than cloth. This applies to all laboratories using hazardous chemicals, biohazardous materials, or nuclear substances.

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