Why you need to consider real-time laboratory data monitoring

How to ensure compliance, quality, risk-mitigation and cost savings

Data is the lifeblood of laboratories around the world. For most scientists and laboratory technicians, their focus is primarily on experimental and research data. Yet there is an equally important dataset that is essential to the safe, efficient and profitable operation of each and every laboratory: environmental data.

Environmental data is gathered by monitoring the systems and instruments used for laboratory analyses. These devices include: fridges, freezers, autoclaves, incubators, thermal cyclers, specialized gas systems and environmental chambers, as well as the laboratory space or cleanroom itself. The malfunction of any one of these devices, or deviation from set operating parameters, can affect the integrity of experimental and research findings.

Traditionally, environmental data has been gathered manually, with laboratory staff taking readings from temperature, humidity and gas sensors on a daily or weekly basis to confirm that systems or instruments are operating correctly. This approach has its limitations: it’s slow and time consuming, takes up staff resources, can be prone to error, and only detects a problem once it has occurred; so, for example samples in a fridge that has failed may be permanently damaged before action can be taken. In the worst case scenario, problems may not even be detected...

These are just a few of reasons why increasing numbers of laboratories are turning to automated real-time environmental monitoring systems (EMS).

Five reasons why you should choose a real-time EMS

1. Compliance, quality control and risk-mitigation: changing from historical manual data logging to automatic real-time environmental monitoring gives you the ability immediately to detect and react to changes in operating conditions. This makes it easier to ensure that all processes remain compliant with regulatory and quality control procedures, with full traceability that reduces the risk of compromising research activities or failing a mandated laboratory audit.
2. Simplicity, accuracy and consistency: the latest EMS systems, such as the Rotronic Monitoring System and the Isensix Guardian, are designed to be easy to install, are compatible with all laboratory equipment and multiple sensors, and are easy to install, setup and use. Once in place, they function automatically providing accurate and consistent data monitoring and recording in real-time, which is free from the risk of human error.
3. Redeployment of staff resources: laboratory staff are highly skilled, often with many years of experience. Taking them away from important research activities while they log sensor readings from laboratory devices is a waste of resource. Fitting an automated EMS system allows laboratory staff to focus on the work they do best, adding further value to your laboratory operation.
4. Cost savings: although there is a clearly a level of investment required to install a laboratory EMS the payback can be relatively fast, saving staff costs and minimizing the risk of failures in research or analytical activities, with the subsequent cost of re-work; and, of course, if an EMS avoids an audit failure then there will be considerable savings in subsequent remedial work, as well preventing any possible loss of future business if your laboratory’s reputation is tarnished.
5. Flexibility, scalability and future-proofing: manual data logging cannot easily be scaled, is inherently inflexible and makes it difficult to plan for future expansion. By comparison, an automated, real-time RMS is easily adaptable to changing laboratory requirements, is easy to scale as new devices can quickly be networked at minimal cost, and provides the foundation for future growth.

Automated real-time environmental monitoring systems offer a wide range of benefits for most academic, public and private sector laboratories. They provide flexibility, power and performance, with the accuracy and traceability required by the most stringent of regulatory regimes. See the PST Solution.

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Author:
James Pickering, Director of Environmental Monitoring Systems