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How to Design a Laboratory Equipment Manual

By: Arooj Fatima Posted on Wed, 06-01-2016

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Your laboratory equipment manual can be created in hard or soft form so that the user has an option to choose according to his/her convenience. Your manual should be capable of educating users about the equipment’s characteristics and how to use it effectively.

If people of different ethnicities are a part of your laboratory’s workforce, it is a good idea to make the equipment manual available in all respective languages. Suppose you are in charge of a laboratory in Azerbaijan and your employees are from China, you can contact Chinese Translation Services for Azeri Laboratory Equipment Manuals Translation.

All the written material in your manual must be in ordinary language unless the users are highly qualified individuals with a technological background. Make your manual user-friendly by designing it in a way that is easy to read and understand. Consider the user’s experience, stamina and educational background throughout the process.

Identify and discuss general problems that are likely to occur with the laboratory equipment and formulate solutions for them. If a problem is complex, give step by step instructions to facilitate the user in working it out. Don’t exclude even the tiniest of details; neither assume the simplest things to be part of common sense.

Select an appropriate cover for your Laboratory equipment manual that is well-suited to its purpose. Do not make it flashy or a symbol of mediocrity; make it professional yet attractive at the same time. Remember to copyright your manual to prevent anyone from duplicating it; the copyright notice should be placed on the cover and title page.

If your manual is lengthy, divide it into chapters and make a table of contents. This will assist the user in promptly getting to the specific information he/she requires and save time. An index and/or glossary is to be added at the end to elaborate any vital terms used in the context, but can be omitted if the manual is of less than 20 pages.

Don’t forget to number the pages of your manual and use standard font style, color and size so that it is easily readable. If your equipment manual is subject to multiple procedures then organize them separately to avoid mix-ups. Write all procedures/methods in numbered steps as it makes them ideal to follow and keep track.

Where necessary, add graphic images to aid in carrying out a task. Sometimes it is difficult to explain actions by words; pictorial guidance is a much better option in these cases. If you are using multiple pictures in a single procedure, then keep their size consistent. Also ensure that they are numbered and placed in the right order.

Another important part of a laboratory equipment manual is listing the location of all professional equipment including safety apparatus such as fire extinguishers, chemical showers and emergency phone set.

If you need help in developing procedures for a particular type of laboratory equipment, you can refer to manuals published by other organizations. If information of interest is provided in a language you can’t relate to then make use of professional Interpreting and Translation Services such as Azeri Laboratory Equipment Manuals Translation for products manufactured in Azerbaijan.