BIOENGINEERING LABORATORY
Contents of a Work Plan
All experimental work undertaken by individual staff or students within the labortory
requires a dedicated work plan to be written. This document should include the following
information:
1. General Information
- name of researcher(s), name of project supervisor, project code or title, research area,
proposed location and start date;
2. Experiment /Project Description
- this should include an overall description of the objectives, methods and
measurements to be undertaken as well as a diagram or schematic of the proposed
experimental rig;
3. Equipment List
- a list of all items of equipment anticipated to be required for the experimental
program;
4. Experimental Procedures
- a detailed description of the operation of the experiment, including preparation,
sampling and analysis - and paying particular attention to any hazardous operations
(e.g. transport /transfer of dangerous materials) even if only peripheral to the main
experiment;
5. Operating Conditions
- a list of the range of experimental conditions including (but not limited to) flow
rates, temperature, pressure, reagent concentrations (pH), etc.;
6. Services List
- a list of all the required services for the experimental program, including: fume
extraction (dedicated fume hood), electricity (phase and current), compressed air
and other gases, water (tap, deionised, chilled), etc.;
7. Chemicals List
- a list (see the sample below) of all the chemical reagents used in the experimental
program.he author of the work plan should obtain Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDSs) for each chemical in the list, read them and understand the hazards
associated with them.
Chemical
Quantity per experiment
MSDS attached
Phosphate Buffered Saline
20ml
Yes
Trypsin-EDTA
5ml
Yes
DMSO
1ml
Yes
BIENLAB0602/2-workplan
Bioengineering Laboratory 1
8. Summary of Relevant Hazards and Incompatibilities
- a summary of this information from the MSDSs;
Chemical
Concentration
Summary of
Relevant Hazards
Phosphate
1X
Not Toxic
Buffered Saline
Trypsin-EDTA
1X
May cause irritation
DMSO
100%
May cause irritation
Liver and kidney
damage could occur.
Incompatibilities
N/A
Strong oxidizing
agents
Oxidizers, acyl
halides, active
halogen compoundes
and strong acids
9. Waste List
- a list of wastes resulting from the experimental procedures outlined in the work plan.
The information presented should include the physical form of the waste, its
approximate composition (pH), volume /mass, how often it will likely be produced
and procedures for its safe disposal;
10. Assessment of Significant Risks
- a statement summarising the main hazards (to both the operator and others working
in the vicinity) that are associated with the experiments proposed;
11. Safety Precautions
proposed preventative measures including:
• personal protective equipment required e.g. face shield, goggles, laboratory coat,
gloves, ear defenders, etc.
• warning signs required e.g. high voltage
• specific training required e.g. laser operation, boiological safety hood use, etc.
• special monitoring required e.g. chronic toxins
• vaccinations if working with live pathogens
• emergency shut down procedures;
12. Action in Case of Abnormal or Emergency Situations
proposed actions covering:
• service failure
• fire or explosion
• loss of containment or spillage
• other possible abnormal situations;
13. Standard Signature
Author __________________
Supervisor _________________
Signature _______________
Signature __________________
Date ____________________
Date _______________________
BIENLAB0602/2-workplan
Bioengineering Laboratory 2