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).

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.

Getting a Head Start

Kahl advises anyone interested in working as a food lab technician to take high school courses in chemistry, biology, math, and nutrition. He also suggests taking a many AP courses as possible.

Although a high school diploma is usually required for an entry-level position as a laboratory assistant, a two-year associate or technical school certificate may be needed for a lab technician job. For some positions, a military program can provide the needed education and experience. Mathis says it was his training and education as a communication and navigation specialist in the U.S. Air Force that prepared him to be a civilian electronic technician.

As technology advances, most labs prefer applicants to have a bachelor's (four-year) degree with an emphasis in the appropriate area of science (chemistry, food science, electronics, or microbiology, for example). Having the degree will also increase a lab tech's chances of being promoted to lab management, engineer, or director positions.

Yes, But Are There Jobs?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there may be a decline in the number of positions available in the overall category of quality control testers and inspectors. That's because as technology advances, more of the tests can be performed by machines. The news is not all bad, however Machines can inspect and test things related to size, like whether every piece of string cheese is the same length. But when the test has to do with taste, smell, texture, appearance, or product performance, people will always be needed to do the job.

Mathis sees a secure future for electronics lab technicians. "The computer and the microprocessor and the recent development of an advanced transistor are among the many reasons that a career in electronics should remain somewhat stable in the years to come."

Starting salaries for laboratory technicians range from about $20,000 to $28,000. Average wages for experienced workers are about $35,000. Laboratory managers can earn from $60,000 to $80,000. An added bonus: "It's a fairly low-stress job," says Kahl. "You won't need massage therapy to work out the knots."

For more Information

Consumer Reports

www.consumerreports.org

American Society for Quality

[phone]

www.asq.org

Institute of Food Technologists

www.ift.org

Underwirters Laboratories Inc.

www.ul.com.

RELATED ARTICLE: Are You Ready for Your Lab Coat?

Circle the answer that best describes you to see if a lab tech is a good fit.

1. On your feet:

A. Standing for the national anthem is too long for me.

B. I like to be up and moving around.

2. Keeping confidences:

A. I still haven't told the secret Terry whispered in my ear in second grade.

B. What good is knowing something if you can't share it?

3. Work hours:

A. I live for weekends and holidays.

B. The work must go on, so I'm willing to take a holiday shift now and then.

4. Computer skills:

A. I'm fluent in 52 programs.

B. Computers are for E-mail and instant messaging.

5. Following directions:

A. I'm a maverick. I like to work out the details and invent new solutions.

B. There is beauty in a well-crafted plan.

6. Teamwork:

A. I'm a solo act. My projects are mine from start to finish.

B. Six heads are better than one.

7. Math and science:

A. I made it through addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They lost me at dissecting frogs in biology.

B. I dream of theorems and the periodic table.

8. Food and products:

A. I don't care what's in it and how it's put together as long as it does what it's supposed to.

B. Give me a screwdriver. I want to see what makes it go.

See next page for answers

Answers for future lab techs:

1. B: A lab tech may spend most of the day on foot: moving, setting up tests, monitoring samples, and recording results. It's not a job for the faint of feet.

2. A: Lab techs are bound by confidentiality. The results are shared only with the client (unless it's a consumer interest lab).

3. B: Some tests are timed. Bacteria don't stop growing for holidays.

4. A: Computers are used for recording data and running tests in the lab. The more comfortable you are with a keyboard and mouse, the better.

5. B: Following detailed, exact directions produces accurate test results.

6. B: Lab techs sometimes work as a relay team, handing off samples to each other as they progress.

7. B: Although it is not always necessary to have a science degree, taking science courses and being interested in the scientific process are key to life as a lab tech.

8. B: Lab testing is all about looking at individual product components and ingredients.

Students will become aware of the role of lab technicians in consumer product testing.

REVIEW/DISCUSS

* What do lab technicians do? (They run tests on food and products to check for quality, safety, and legal compliance.)

* Where do lab technicians work? (in in-house or independent labs or for consumer agencies)

* What type of person is best suited to work as a lab technician?

* What are the pros and cons of working as a lab technician?

ACTIVITIES

* Ask students to draw up charts of the salaries, responsibilities, work environment, and required training for different types of lab technicians.

* Ask students to list the "seals of approval" that they notice in their homes. Ask them to compare lists and consider how items would have been tested.

* Help students find ways to observe lab technicians at work, or show them a video about what lab technicians do.

* Ask students which of these traits seem to be important for lab technicians, and discuss why:

organized methodical

casual sociable

scientific artistic

creative precise

ethical individualistic

cooperative mechanical

curious hard-working

trustworthy

* Have a team of students examine the program for lab technicians at a local community college. Name the courses that are required and discuss why.

* Have students consider how the job of lab technician differs from these jobs: lab technologist, medical technologist, lab assistant, assembly line worker.

teacher resource

"Clinical Lab" and "Science/Technology," videos, $92.95 each; Cambridge Educational, P.O. Box 931, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852-0931; 1-800-468-4227.