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.
Answers to Facility Issues: The Three-Legged Stool of DNA
By Ken Mohr, Susan Halla
If we use the idea of a stool as a model of what is needed to support DNA analysis then there are three legs that should be equal—staff, equipment, and space.
Planning Chemical Management for the Forensic Laboratory
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
This column will provide fundamental information on managing chemicals in forensic facilities and offer initial suggestions and guidance for proper chemical handling.
Forensic Facilities: Strategies for Coping with an Uncertain Economy
By Ken Mohr, Susan Halla
With the current economic downturn that will continue for the foreseeable future, how can forensic facilities continue to make necessary changes and find strategies for not only thriving but even growing or improving?
What Anthropology Brings to the Table
By Matthew Davis, Susan Halla
In this article, we explore how anthropology has evolved along with facility design over the years from academia to popular culture and from a single case to mass graves.
Today’s Facility Design for Tomorrow’s Cyber Crime
By Lou Hartman, PE, Ken Mohr
If you are in search for what facility design criteria is specific to cyber science and other general design considerations for a forensic facility that includes a cyber crime lab, please continue.
Earth(movement), Wind, and Fire: Emergency Preparedness is the Key!
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
Let’s briefly touch on each of the four phases of emergency management. The approach described is scalable from the management of a large county forensic facility to a small independent crime lab or an individual lab.
Implementing LEED: A Case Study of the Scottsdale Forensic Facility
By Gabriela Klieman, LEED AP, Nicholas Raab, PE, Susan Halla
In order to produce a facility that is LEED certified, specific guidelines within the LEED rating system must be followed. Forensic facilities have a number of unique characteristics that differentiate them from other building types.
Political Changes Influence Forensic Science in Colombia
By Laurie Sperling, Gabriela Klieman, LEED AP
While by size and population Colombia is small in comparison to the U.S., it is one of the most violent countries in the world. Recently, Colombia has been successful in reducing the crime rate.
Pickled Think!
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
In this column, we will take a closer look at the hazards of formaldehyde and how to safely use this common preservative.
The Ostrich and Overachiever: How to Plan For A Mass Casualty
By Ken Mohr, Susan Halla
Unfortunately, mass casualties are a reality. How would your facility handle a mass casualty? Quite often, a Medical Examiner (ME) facility does not have a sufficient plan or facility in place to adequately deal with a mass casualty.
