Laboratories

"Laboratories are considered to be places or environments where teaching, research, or service activities take place that involve the use of machines, equipment, work tools, plants, prototypes, or other technical means, or chemical, physical, or biological agents. Laboratories also include locations or environments where activities are conducted outside the built-up area of the premises, such as archaeological, geological, or maritime campaigns. Laboratories are distinguished into teaching, research, and service laboratories based on the activities carried out [...]" (art. 3, paragraph 3, D.I. n. 363/98)

Laboratories also include rooms equipped with video terminals where teaching activities are conducted and public and/or external places where experimentation activities are carried out.

Laboratories can be high-risk areas, meaning workplaces where the presence of hazards to people's health or safety is not negligible.

In laboratories, in addition to implementing proper technical measures for risk management, it is also important to define and apply suitable work procedures aimed at controlling all critical points related to safety management, such as the use of machines, equipment, or chemicals. For useful instructions on how to define and draft correct work procedures, refer to these documents:

Finally, it is important to verify the proper compliance with the agreed procedures and to update them in case of changes in the activities performed.

A useful checklist for monitoring the preservation of health and safety aspects in laboratories can be downloaded at the following link:

Laboratory Safety Preservation Checklist