Biotechnology laboratories are specialized facilities that utilize biocatalysts for research, development, and production in various fields, including medicine, agriculture, industry, and ecology. These laboratories typically share standard equipment, regardless of their specific focus. The aim of this paper is to analyze the hazards associated with the use of work equipment that is commonly used in a biotechnology laboratory. The subject of the analysis is the work equipment in the biotechnology laboratory, which includes simple bench-top devices, as well as larger standalone and integrated systems, which are used for sample analysis, diagnostics, bioprocessing, providing appropriate working conditions and processes (bioreactors, centrifuges, autoclaves, microscopes, incubators, digesters, heating plates, microwave ovens, water baths, freezers, laboratory glassware, spectrophotometers, electrophoresis and PCR equipment, etc.). In the paper, identified hazards are given for each unit of work equipment, which are grouped by category, and possible causes and consequences of each of the identified hazards are given and recognized. The hazard analysis of work equipment is an essential starting point for an appropriate risk assessment of work equipment in the working environment of biotechnology laboratories.
Biotechnology laboratories, working environment, work equipment, hazards, risk assessment
This paper is supported by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia pursuant to agreement № 451-03-137/2025-03/200134 with the University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Technology Novi Sad.
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