Biosan

We're falling into an easy routine and this is only day 2 of my new job!

It's funny, I've worked in 6 different laboratories now and none of them have had similar policies regarding PPE (personal protective equipment).  I've run the gamut too, from devil may care "you probably should wear UV goggles while using the UV light but mehhhh let's go mouth pipet" in grad school to super strict booties, hair cover, jumpsuit, face mask, goggles and gloves in the production rooms at BioRad.

Biosan is a combination of super lax (we can wear scrubs to work!) and moderately rigid (clean room garb in their production room).  The work, likewise, is also an amalgamation of things I've done, and enjoyed, previously.

They make and sell their own product in house for detecting bacteria and fungi. These are the Sanicheck Test kits. They also sell mini countertop incubators for the kits for companies that don't need full devoted lab space to do occasional quality control work.

Part of my job is to do the environmental monitoring of their production room where they make the Sanicheck kits. This is exactly what I did with Biorad only not as thorough (imo).  I'm just taking surface swabs and not doing a quantitative check by using a gridded contact plate. I'm also not doing air particulates. They may have determined that it's not necessary and as long as the product is meeting goal, then cool for them. And by self admission from my supervisor, no one uses the alcohol spray for their hands... LOL.

Lab coat is optional, no one has goggles, gloves are provided and so are face masks, which I took advantage of when I did a fungal challenge today that included Penecillium since I'm allergic.

Biosan also accepts samples from other companies for analysis. They have a list of tests that they perform. The majority of this work is Legionella testing, which is especially relevant right now in Michigan since McLaren Hospital in Flint has another case of Legionnaires disease on top of lead pipes that have yet to be replaced thanks to beauracracy.

Either way, I'm feeling really welcome by the group at Biosan. Tomorrow I'm letting my geek flag fly and wearing a geeky tshirt. I was way overdressed for my first day with slacks and a dressy top and close toed dressy shoes. Today I wore a solid color casual shirt with nice jeans and sneakers which is still on the nicer end of things that people wear, lol. It will likely be my go to style since it feels nice to be out looking decent and not wearing what I slept in, oh boy SAHM life, hahah.

When I'm home, I feel guilty about leaving Hazel at daycare (not so much Kaylee, she loves the socialization) but when I'm at work it feels SO NICE to be exercising my brain and my lab skills. This job is so worthwhile.