Overview
New Employee Handbook and Reference Guide (Final Applied Assignment)
As lab manager, you are responsible for putting together a handbook/reference guide to give to all newcomers to your lab. This handbook will provide new lab members with information they will need to get started with their work and adhere to the rules and regulations of the laboratory.
The following sections are required in your Handbook/Reference Guide (150 points):
- Introduction
- Record Keeping
- Inventory Tracking and Maintenance
- Orders (Placing, Receiving)
- Protocol Revisions/Curation
- Accessing Protocols
- Safety and Compliance
- Mandatory Training
- Equipment Maintenance
- Emergency Response
- Emergency Contacts
- Employee Acknowledgement Agreement Signature Page
Your grade will be based upon:
REQUIRED SECTIONS as listed above (150 pts)
FORMAT (30 pts)
WRITING (20 pts)
General considerations for developing your Handbook and Reference Guide
Handbook is:
- appropriate for the chosen lab type
- well-organized and includes a table of contents
- sufficiently detailed to cover all (or most) relevant topics necessary for new lab members, including contact information for supervisory and safety staff
- well-written and provides a concise set of guidelines and standard operating procedures for the lab environment
- written using grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence and paragraph construction
- 6-9 double-spaced pages excluding title/cover page and references.
Critical Must-Have Content for your Handbook and Reference Guide
Clear identification and description of the type of laboratory
Guidelines for maintaining lab notebook/data records
Guidelines for accessing lab protocols
Guidelines for writing and updating protocols
Rules and regulations for working with biologics and hazardous chemicals (radioactive materials, ethidium bromide, organics, tissue culture materials, bacterial cultures/recombinant DNA materials, potentially infectious agents)
List of training courses that need to be taken (examples include institutional training required for working with animals, radioactivity, blood-borne pathogens)
Guidelines for inventory maintenance
Guidelines for placing supply orders
Guidelines for handling problems with lab equipment
Keep in mind that the type of laboratory drives much of your handbook content. Be sure to clearly sate the type of lab and its function early in the Handbook.