www.GlobalHealthLaboratories.

or
g

This teaching material has been made freely available by the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust
(Kilifi, Kenya).

You can freely download, adapt, and distribute this presentation under the conditions
that: the Global Health Laboratories and The Global Health Network are referenced; the
work is not used for commercial purposes, and any altered forms of this document are
distributed freely under the same conditions.
 Laboratory Equipment
Management

KEMRI (CGMRC)
Wellcome Trust Programme
Kilifi, Kenya.
 Introduction
• Many factors need to be considered when
selecting, and subsequently utilising,
laboratory equipment;
• Initial Selection Assessment
• Budgeting
• Installation & Training
• Laboratory Evaluation
• Documentation
• Maintenance & Servicing
• Trouble-shooting
 Instrument Selection
• Laboratory instruments have become
increasingly complex.

• Selecting the correct system for your needs

requires a detailed programme of assessment
and evaluation.
 Instrument Selection
• Analytical instruments;
• Blood Cell Counters

• Multi-chemistry analysers

• Stat – single assay instruments

• Spectrophotometers

• Flow Cytometers

• Molecular biology equipment

 Instrument Selection
• Equally important to correctly select;
• Automatic pipettes
• pH meters
• Thermometers
• Water baths
• Centrifuges
• Incubators
• Fridges & Freezers, etc
 Initial Selection Assessment

• Wide variety of instruments available on the

market that perform similar functions
• Range in cost, complexity & function.
• Extremely important to select the CORRECT
instrument for your needs;
 Initial Selection Assessment
• Selection considerations;
• Throughput (sample capacity)
• Range of applications
• Versatility; able to use different sources of reagents
or spares
• Sample volume
• Sample preparation
• QC and calibration requirements
• Level of technical skill required
 Initial Selection Assessment
• Selection considerations (cont’d);
• Power and other service requirements
• Environmental requirements: Temp & humidity
• Adequate space available, remember ventilation
• Running costs; reagents, spares, maintenance &
service, power consumption.
• Reliability & reputation
 Initial Selection Assessment

• Selection considerations (cont’d);

• What level & quality of support/ backup is
available for;
• Training
• Technical advice
• Service & Preventative Maintenance
• Rapid call out
• Reliable supply of reagents & spares
 Budgeting
• Very important to consider TOTAL costs when
budgeting for a new instrument;
• Instrument:
• Outright purchase vs Rental
• Delivery & installation
• Running costs;
• Service contract & emergency call-out
• Reagents, consumables & spares
• Controls & calibrators
• Services – electricity, water, gases
• Staffing requirements

• Backup system – purchase & running costs?

 Installation

• Wherever possible a new instrument should be

installed and commissioned by the supplier.

• If the customer is to install, detailed

information must be supplied by the
manufacturer, including;
 Installation
• Installation considerations;
• Procedures for unpacking the instrument
• Detailed component list
• Instructions on what to do if the instrument is
damaged - insurance?
• Specifications of service requirements;
• Voltage and power backup (UPS?)
• Water pressure & purity
• Gas supply
• Drainage
• H&S requirements - PPE
 Installation
• Installation considerations (cont’d);
• Specifications for physical environment;

• Temperature tolerances
• Humidity
• Dust
• Vibration
• load bearing
• Light, direct sun
• Space & ventilation
 Training
• Detailed training and instruction should be
provided by a competent manufacturer’s
representative, particularly in the case of
major equipment.

• It is crucial that all operators are fully trained

in all stages of the instruments operation
including;
 Training

• Start-up & shut-down procedures

• Cleaning & maintenance
• Sample preparation & handling
• QC & calibration procedures
• Trouble shooting
• Data acquisition and storage
 Laboratory Evaluation
• Before an instrument is placed into routine
operation a period of observation and staff
familiarisation must be provided.

• This will help identify any inherent defects in

the machine and allow staff to fully
understand its capabilities and restrictions.
 Laboratory Evaluation
• For analytical instruments, a full performance
evaluation must be undertaken before
patient/study samples can be analysed and the
data utilised. This should include;
• Detailed instrument & assay validation (see
separate session).
• Establish IQC procedures and determine control
limits for all methods (refer to session on IQC).
 Documentation
• All important details & documents must be
filed and retained as part of your Equipment
Inventory system;
• Dates, make, model, Serial No., Warranty, service
supplier details and schedules, essential spares list,
lab location, Service history logs.

• Detailed operational procedures/SOPs should

be developed and implemented during the
training and evaluation phases.
 Develop a Maintenance Plan

• Routine Maintenance: Develop and document a

detailed schedule of routine maintenance according to
manufacturers instruction.
 Scheduled Maintenance: includes service
repair by manufacturer, calibration,
 Function check plus any other problems
• Trouble Shooting:
• Occurrence Logs; details of all problems
encountered and steps taken to rectify the incident –
Corrective Actions – DOCUMENT.!
 Preventive Maintenance
• routine cleaning
• adjustment,
• replacement of
equipment parts

28/12/21 21
 Equipment Inventory
Record:
 instrument type, model number,
serial number.
location in laboratory.
date purchased.
manufacturer and
vendor contact information.
warranty,
 note expiration date
spare parts

28/12/21 22
 Equipment Management Benefits

Test results
Variation/
Time

Performance
high level

Lowers
Lengthens
repair costs
lifespan
 Equipment Management: Benefits
Test results
Ensures
Quality
Reduced
Down-Time

High-level
Performance

Lowers
Lengthens
repair costs
lifespan
 Instrument / Assay Backup
• Must ensure comparability of results with an
equal level of IQC in place.