Is your laboratory fridge telling you the truth?

Don’t let faulty fridges put your laboratory work at risk

Laboratory fridges and freezers don’t always tell you the truth.

It’s not that they are naturally devious. It’s just that they can easily be fooled into believing things that are untrue.

Many laboratories use fridges and freezers that are simply not that clever. They often have basic temperature sensors that are relatively inaccurate and prone either to misreading or malfunction. Even if they are accurate and functioning correctly there is no guarantee that they are measuring the temperature across the entire fridge area – it may therefore be cooler in one part of the fridge than another.

The consequence for your research samples and specimens can be significant, with incorrect storage temperatures potentially affecting the outcome of your work.

This problem is exacerbated if you only check the sensor readings intermittently as part of your GLP or ISO17025 procedures. If the sensor is working correctly, then recording the temperature daily or weekly will only give a snapshot of actual conditions; it will not tell you that there is a problem until the next time you take a reading – by which time it may be too late to save your samples.

Real-time laboratory data monitoring

Fridges and freezers are, of course, only part of the equipment used in laboratories. However, the same problem and potential uncertainty applies to all operational laboratory equipment, where parameters such as temperature, humidity or differential pressure need to be maintained at set levels and reported accurately as part of GLP or ISO17025.

Clearly, intermittent manual monitoring is no longer acceptable in a modern laboratory. Ignoring the fact that it wastes staff time, it is prone to error and creates delays in identifying problems with equipment that has failed or run out of specification.

The simple solution is to switch to an automated real-time monitoring system, using advanced wireless sensors that communicate continuously with an intelligent on-site or cloud-based software platform.

Our real-time monitoring systems, for example, uses exactly this arrangement to put you back in control of your laboratory operation. The system can work with our dedicated sensors, probes, I/O and interface devices, or existing third party devices, such as door contacts and leak detectors, with each being connected wirelessly or via standard Ethernet cables to a central or cloud server. Our software continuously monitors all connected devices, automatically issuing alarms via text, email or phone to authorized users, with customizable dashboards for each user, which can be accessed via their computer, tablet or smartphone.

The system also records all activities, providing full traceability and audit trails to comply with the requirements of GLP or ISO17025. Additionally, the system can be used to calibrate remote sensors and be used as a central source for all associated documents, manuals and calibration certificates.

Productivity and peace of mind

Author:
James Pickering

Director of Environmental Monitoring Systems

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