There are a lot of important factors you need to consider if you want to start one of the environmental testing labs. Environmental testing was a sleepy marketplace until the US government began issuing strict regulations for soil, air and water. While an environmental testing lab is important, starting and running an environmental lab is not always easy. Here are a few important things you need to consider.
Find your niche
The environmental testing business has a heavy consolidation and this means that starting a laboratory from scratch is time-consuming and expensive. Startups are advised to uncover a competitive advantage such as some specialty based on expertise, location, timeliness and analytical capability.
Environmental labs can choose their niche and do everything right but still face a lot of difficulties. It is hard to compete with the big boys in the industry because they enjoy the economy of scale. They run numerous samples and have a lot of methods at their disposal. They can also turn their samples around quickly and they tend to have more state certifications.
There are testing labs that have already found their spot outside the field of environmental testing. Such labs might consider branching into that field.
Instrument strategies
When starting any lab, instrumentation can be a major barrier. Mass spectrometry, chromatography and tandem methods can cost a lot of money. The silver lining – most equipment is multipurpose with respect to matrices, analyses, and industries. The food testing industry shares a lot of its instruments with asbestos testing los angeles. What changes are the expertise and accreditations required to run the equipment?
As instrumentation for testing labs become more expensive, the ownership cost enters more meaningfully into the cost equation. There is a complex relationship between environmental labs, instrumentation and EPA regulations. A lot of EPA methods from the 80s are still in use today.
Automation
The environmental testing industry is highly competitive and this has made automation to become an essential ingredient. Laboratories cannot survive without automation. I am not talking about autosamplers. Workflows need to incorporate automation whenever possible for a laboratory to remain competitive. Most labs work 2 or 3 shifts and this makes automation a no brainer. If the labs have two shifts, then you can be sure they are loading up the auto samplers before they leave.
Most automated labs also operate under the laboratory information management system when it comes to tracking samples that enter and leave workflows. Computerization provides the necessary tools required to demonstrate the integrity of data. For regulatory or legal proceedings, labs should be prepared to send raw data, quality control protocols, instrument calibration and results.
High skill level
When it comes to top environmental testing labs, not every testing organization goes the “low skill” route that is common to most modern labs. I have known some labs that retain a few PhDs and master’s level scientists. Industry-leading labs do not employ a lot of people who do not have college-level training. If you have to start a testing lab then it is essential to look for qualified employees.
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