Is there a lab coat in your future? In laboratories all over the United States, lab technicians or product safety inspectors are measuring and testing the products you use - Tech Connection

Career World, Oct, 2002 by Kerri Dowd

Get out your CD player or borrow a friend's. Go ahead--right now. OK, now turn it over, and look at the bottom. Chances are (unless someone peeled it off), you'll see a little sticker that reads something like, "This device complies with part 15 of FCC rules...." or " This product complies with DHHS rules...." Those messages tell you that your CD player has passed a series of laboratory tests. All electronic devices sold in the United States must meet certain federal requirements, and the people who make sure that they do are laboratory technicians.

Lab techs also run crash tests to check out the safety of your family car. They test bacteria levels in food to make sure consumers don't get sick. They test washers, dryers, and refrigerators to be sure they are energy efficient. They test for product problems and recommend recalls when. necessary. When you walk through a store, just about everything you see on the shelves, hangers, and displays has been tested in some way.

Different Kinds of Test Labs

Some companies--such as Procter & Gamble, which manufactures household products--has its own in-house laboratories to create and test new products. Other companies send their products to an independent laboratory to be tested or to verify their own lab test results. A third type of laboratory is one that tests products on behalf of consumer interest and safety. Two of the best-known organizations that do this type of testing are the Good Housekeeping Institute and the Consumers Union.

When products tested by Good Housekeeping Institute technicians are determined to be safe and true to their advertising claims, they may earn a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval--a symbol that lets a buyer know the product is what it claims to be. Technicians in the 50 Consumers Union test labs test for safety, function, and reliability. They report their findings in Consumer Reports magazine and on-line at www. consumerreports. org. Sometimes the findings of these lab technicians lead to new laws to protect consumers from dangerous products.

Like Following a Recipe

Calvin Mathis is a lab technician for Underwriters Laboratories in Northbrook, Illinois. He tests audio and video products such as CD players, televisions, VCRs, and DVD players for safety. He does power measurements, temperature tests, drop tests, and other evaluations to be sure the products will not pose a shock, fire, or physical hazard. "Identifying an unsafe product and observing the new products and circuits that are being developed makes my job very interesting," says Mathis. A fringe benefit of his job is getting to see and try out new electronic products before they are available to the public.

Nidal Kahl, technical director for Food Products Laboratory, Inc. (FPL), in Portland, Oregon, describes lab work as structured. "You're on the clock from 8 to 5," he explains. Entry-level employees are often given the tasks of sterilizing glassware and mixing the chemical solutions needed for specific tests. "It's like using a cookbook. It just uses grams and milliliters instead of cups and teaspoons."

When a food sample comes in to be tested at FPL, it is logged in by the secretarial staff and put into a refrigerator. Next, a lab tech picks up the paperwork, which describes the exact tests that must be run on the sample, and gathers the materials for the test. The tech then prepares the sample for analysis and runs the protocol. This means following a specific set of procedures for each test that must be done. Some tests take a few minutes; others may take days. A lab tech may be running several tests at once keeping detailed notes on the progress of each. When the test is completed, the resulting data must be carefully recorded and analyzed.

Do You Have What It Takes?

In Matins's lab, technicians need to understand basic electronics and be able to read schematic drawings and operate equipment such as oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, and frequency generators. Good organizational and problem-solving skills are also a must.

In a lab like Kahl's, which has protocols for more than 300 types of food tests, the ability to follow directions is critical. "Ethics is also important," he says. He explains that all food products must meet federal standards. Some companies are only interested in meeting the bare minimum standards, and others have higher standards. Kahl says what he learns in the lab can influence his shopping decisions. There are products his lab tests that he wouldn't buy. Being privy to that kind of information is interesting, but "Confidentiality is vital," he says. Sharing test results outside the lab can cost a lab tech his or her job.

Computer proficiency and the ability to make detailed notes and keep clear, detailed records are also important in this profession. "You also have to be able to work as a team. There is a good sense of equality. People take turns and work together. Everyone helps each other out."

Some people might not be excited about the idea that many labs operate seven days a week, all year long. "Bacteria samples, for example, don't stop growing just because it's Christmas," says Kahl. That means a lab tech may have to rotate with other techs to cover weekends and holidays.