What’s Your Problem? A Continuing Dialogue with the Forensic Community
By Susan Halla
We’d like to challenge each one of you to define what your greatest forensic facility challenge is today. Here are some issues that we often hear about.
Leasing Laboratory Space
By Ken Mohr, Cy Henningsen
This article will discuss some of the pros and cons of leasing laboratory space and will ask some questions which can help you determine if it will work for you.
Seven Days in Morocco
By Ken Mohr, Lou Hartman, PE, Ben Perillo
We were asked to evaluate a proposed forensic laboratory site in Morocco, develop a program for the agency, test-fit the program into the building’s floor plans, and make a recommendation as to the potential use of the proposed building as a crime lab.
Working Internationally Case Study: Lagos, Nigeria Forensic Complex
By Ken Mohr, Lou Hartman, PE
We were asked to prepare a facility needs assessment for Lagos, Nigeria as part of the country’s focused effort to improve the use of forensic science to support law enforcement, criminal investigation, and the judicial system of Lagos State.
Avoid IEQ Pitfalls
By Vince McLeod, CIH
The following recommendations have been culled from years of dealing with IEQ complaints. Often the fix is very simple and costs almost nothing.
Working Internationally Case Study: South America
By Ken Mohr, Lou Hartman, PE
The International Criminal Investigation Training Assistance Program of the United States Department of Justice, through Military Professional Resources, Inc. contracted us to conduct an on-site review of a recently partially remodeled lab in South America. The following issues were identified and documented.
Identification: Smarter Facilities Improve the Safety, Efficiency, and Security in Laboratories
By Susan Halla
Smart facilities, including laboratories, can save space and energy (and therefore money) compared to traditional facilities. One area in which facilities are becoming increasingly smart is user identification.
The Equipment Survey: Assuring A Strong Foundation For Integrated Laboratory Design
By Susan Halla, Cy Henningsen
An equipment survey of existing instrumentation in the laboratory is a valuable tool that will be referenced countless times by the project team during the planning and design of a renovation project or new forensic facility.
Sharpening the Focus: Forensic Photography and Its Impact on Facility Design
By Susan Halla, Ryan M. Rezzelle
The swing into the digital era has changed the face of photography and consequently the need for an updated perspective when planning facilities for a photography section.
Digital Forensics: Architectural and Engineering Facility Design Requirements
By Michael Mount, Adam Denmark
A fully equipped digital forensics laboratory contains numerous specialty spaces, each with its own unique and specific architectural/engineering design issues that must be addressed.
Design Guidelines for Toxicology Laboratories
By Ken Mohr
This article will provide design guidelines for toxicology laboratories that provide you with ideas on how you might better renovate your existing toxicology spaces or plan for these labs in a new space.
LEEDing the Way
By Vince McLeod, CIH
Preventing Indoor Air Quality Issues after New Construction or Renovations
LEEDer of the Green World
By Vince McLeod, CIH
In this column the Safety Guys take a look at building green and some of the potential health and safety issues involved.
From Concept to Construction: Ontario's Forensic Services and Coroner's Complex
By Jeff Arnold
Ontario’s new, state-of-the-art forensic facility will allow for continuing education, future programmatic growth, and for the recruitment and retention of highly specialized staff, contributing to the advancement and evolution of forensic science and medicine.
“Lift”-ing the Standards: Forensic Vehicle Bay Design
By Susan Halla, Cy Henningsen
Forensic facilities often contain vehicle exam areas. A car may be dusted for fingerprints, paint from a hit and run may be sampled, or biological evidence may be collected. Vehicle exam spaces require planning and design to be most effective in supporting this collection of evidence.
Building Green is in the LEED
By Vince McLeod, CIH
Building green is gaining more and more momentum. So, what does this mean for the forensic facility manager? This column will give you a brief overview of LEED, planting the seed for your next renovation or construction project so you can go green.
The DNA of Lab Infrastructure
By Michael Mount, Adam Denmark
Architecture and Engineering to Support Forensic DNA Labs
Managing Your Laboratory Construction Project: I Didn't Sign Up for That!
By Susan Halla
When building a new facility, it’s important to know your limits and get help early rather than late.
Can You Hear Me Now?
By Vince McLeod, CIH
It’s important to monitor ambient noise levels in forensic laboratories both in the design phase and during operation.
Facing Today's DNA Lab Challenges
By Ken Mohr
Making more office space, calculating the amount of DNA staff needed to work DNA backlogs, and creating more storage space are issues common to DNA labs today.
Q&A with Larry Depew
By Ken Mohr
Insight on designing a functional and efficient digital forensics laboratory
The Devil is in the Details: Making the Best Material Selections for Your Facility
By Ken Mohr, Susan Halla
This article will help guide you through some of the advantages and disadvantages of the options you have when making material selections for your facility.
Equipment Planning Meets Laboratory Design
By Ken Mohr, Cy Henningsen
This article will discuss how equipment can influence the design and infrastructural needs of two laboratory space types where the identification of evidence takes place.
Change Is in the Air: Safety and Design of Toxicology Laboratories
By Matthew Pettit, Susan Halla
The proper design of a toxicology lab is more than process and people. There are significant strategies to consider in the design.
Don't Get Burned: UV Exposure in the Workplace
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
Hazards of UV do not distinguish between work and home, and the exposure guidelines for the general public for sun exposure are certainly applicable to the workplace as well.
