Lab Technician Course

Lesson 1 • Laboratory Equipment Overview

Introduces major instrument categories and their general functions. Provides a reference framework for equipment encountered throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Roles and Responsibilities of Lab Technicians

Defines the scope of a lab technician's duties within a multidisciplinary team. Clarifies accountability boundaries and professional expectations.

Lesson 3 • Professional Conduct and Communication

Covers workplace behaviour, reporting hierarchies, and inter-departmental communication. Reinforces professionalism as a foundation for all technical work.

Lesson 1 • Biological Safety Practices

Introduces biosafety levels and containment procedures for biological specimens. Prepares students to work safely with potentially infectious materials.

Lesson 2 • Emergency Procedures and First Aid

Trains students in lab-specific emergency responses including fire, chemical exposure, and medical events. Reinforces preparedness as a core professional responsibility.

Lesson 3 • Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment

Teaches systematic identification of chemical, biological, physical, and ergonomic hazards. Connects risk assessment to daily task planning and safe work procedures.

Lesson 4 • Personal Protective Equipment

Covers selection, proper use, and maintenance of PPE for various lab tasks. Ensures students match PPE type to specific hazard levels encountered.

Lesson 1 • Solution Preparation Calculations

Covers molarity, dilution, and percent concentration calculations for reagent preparation. Builds the computational foundation for all wet chemistry and analytical work.

Lesson 2 • The International System of Units

Establishes the SI unit framework used across all scientific disciplines. Provides the numerical language required for every subsequent measurement task.

Lesson 3 • Calibration and Instrument Verification

Introduces calibration principles and verification procedures for common lab instruments. Ensures students understand how calibration underpins measurement reliability.

Lesson 1 • Aliquoting and Storage Management

Covers dividing samples into aliquots and managing long-term storage conditions. Ensures sample availability for repeat testing and quality control purposes.

Lesson 2 • Chain of Custody and Labelling

Establishes documentation practices that track sample identity from collection to disposal. Ensures legal and scientific defensibility of all analytical results.

Lesson 3 • Sample Collection Techniques

Covers collection methods for biological, environmental, and chemical samples. Proper technique at this stage prevents downstream errors in analysis.

Lesson 4 • Sample Preservation and Transport

Addresses temperature, chemical, and time requirements for maintaining sample stability. Connects preservation choices to the specific analytes being measured.

Lesson 1 • Gravimetric and Titrimetric Methods

Covers mass-based and volumetric quantification techniques for classical wet chemistry. Reinforces precision measurement skills developed in earlier chapters.

Lesson 2 • Electrochemical Analysis

Covers pH measurement, ion-selective electrodes, and basic potentiometry. Connects electrode theory to practical measurement of ionic species in samples.

Lesson 3 • Chromatographic Separation Methods

Introduces thin-layer, gas, and liquid chromatography for compound separation and identification. Builds understanding of stationary and mobile phase interactions.

Lesson 4 • Spectrophotometry and Colorimetry

Teaches Beer-Lambert law application and absorbance measurement for quantitative analysis. Foundational optical technique used across clinical, environmental, and food labs.

Lesson 1 • Foundations of Laboratory Quality Systems

Defines quality assurance versus quality control and their roles in a lab system. Frames QA/QC as the structural backbone of credible analytical output.

Lesson 2 • Reference Materials and Blanks

Covers the use of certified reference materials, reagent blanks, and matrix spikes. Connects control sample types to specific error detection functions.

Lesson 3 • Method Validation Principles

Introduces linearity, detection limits, precision, and accuracy as validation parameters. Prepares students to verify that a method is fit for its intended purpose.

Lesson 4 • Control Charts and Statistical Monitoring

Teaches construction and interpretation of Levey-Jennings and Shewhart control charts. Enables students to detect systematic and random error trends in real time.

Lesson 1 • Data Integrity and Traceability

Covers ALCOA principles and practices that ensure data is attributable, legible, and complete. Directly supports regulatory compliance and scientific reproducibility.

Lesson 2 • Electronic Laboratory Information Systems

Introduces LIMS functionality for sample tracking, result entry, and report generation. Connects digital record-keeping to efficiency and traceability requirements.

Lesson 3 • Laboratory Notebook Standards

Establishes rules for recording observations, procedures, and results in bound notebooks. Proper notebook practice is the first line of defence in data integrity.

Lesson 4 • Result Reporting and Uncertainty Expression

Teaches formatting of analytical reports and expression of measurement uncertainty. Ensures clients and stakeholders receive clear, actionable information.

Lesson 1 • Segregation and Containment Practices

Covers colour-coded containers, incompatible waste separation, and secondary containment. Prevents dangerous reactions and cross-contamination during storage.

Lesson 2 • Chemical Waste Disposal Procedures

Addresses neutralisation, solvent recovery, and licensed contractor disposal for chemical waste. Connects disposal method selection to waste composition and volume.

Lesson 3 • Waste Stream Classification

Identifies chemical, biological, radioactive, and mixed waste categories and their properties. Correct classification is the prerequisite for all subsequent disposal decisions.

Lesson 4 • Biological Waste Decontamination

Teaches autoclaving, chemical disinfection, and incineration for biological waste treatment. Ensures infectious materials are rendered safe before final disposal.