[Histonet] standards for microtomy bench

[Liette Tougas]

Thank you so much for your advices, Benjamin!  Very helpful even if, in reality, not all suggestions may be accomodated.



Regards,



Liette Tougas, RT, B.Sc., M.Sc.

Biomedical Laboratory Technology Department
Dawson College
514-931-8731, ext 1519
________________________________
From: Benjamin Ferland [benjamin <@t> histologistics.com]
Sent: February 4, 2013 7:37 PM
To: Liette Tougas
Subject: Re: [Histonet] standards for microtomy bench

Make the workspace have plenty of leg room on both sides and in front. Most histologist prefer to sit in a desk chair with wheels to allow them to spin from side to side, cramped legs can be bothersome. Also make sure the workspace can be converted to left handed use, dont but it up into a corner. It is nice to have a cold plate from an embedding center on one side of the microtome, and a waterbath on the other side of the microtome. The most important things are light, and air. Do not put a vent of any sort around the microtome, it will make it impossible to work at. The air needs to be still so that the parraffin ribbons do not go flying off. Some techs get angry if you walk by them fast and create wind lol, they have called me "hurricane Ben" and "the human tornado" for walking to fast when I am in a hurry. Lots of light is good, from above. Using a desk lamp cast lots of shadows and makes it hard on the eyes. It is best to have fixtures in the ceiling above each tech. I have created several workspaces now since becoming a histologist. The best one I created was in front of a window. The natural light was great, with a nice blind to pull down when the sun got to intense. The worst design I have seen had a cabinet above the workstation, so it felt very confined. Also if there are multiple histologist, it is good to sit across from each other so you can comunicate better without stopping work. More of a dinner table sort of layout. Sorry for any typos I wrote this very quickly, dinner is almost ready but I was very interested in your post. If you look at masshistology.com<http://masshistology.com> there are some photos under the "new lab photos" of the workstations with the windows. That is a lab I used to work at, I helped with the design when they moved to a new facility years ago. The do not use the cold plates, they use other things to chill the blocks but the idea is the same. Four feet to five feet across should be good with a 30 inch depth, mabye more depending on the equipment.
On Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 4:22 PM, Liette Tougas <ltougas <@t> dawsoncollege.qc.ca<mailto:ltougas <@t> dawsoncollege.qc.ca>> wrote:
Hi everyone,



I would like to know if anyone has standards (from any country!) regarding the ideal amount of space for a microtomy workbench eg:

  *   If facing a wall: dept usually required.
  *   Width of individual counter space which would include the microtome, floatation bath, rack for cut sections. (blocks kept cold in fridgitray nearby)
  *   Suggested dept underneath working counter (towards the back for leg room)

Any other suggestion or elements to take into account when designing microtomy benches?



Thank you very much in advance for any precious advice!



Liette Tougas, RT, B.Sc., M.Sc. , faculty

Biomedical Laboratory Technology Department
Dawson College, Montreal, Qc

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--
Benjamin Ferland
HT (ASCP)
617-710-4870
Benjamin <@t> histologistics.com<mailto:Benjamin <@t> histologistics.com>