Who is a chemical laboratory technician and what do they do? The work of the chemical laboratory technician includes a wide range of laboratory operations.
What are the activities of the chemical laboratory technician? These include preparing and diluting solutions, evaluation of the concentration and other properties of a solution (such as its boiling point, freezing & melting point, etc.) as well as other qualities of a substance (e.g. how it conducts heat or expands when heated, how stable its dimensions are, its surface quality, resistance to high-temperatures, calorific value, electrical properties, adhesive strength, hardness, elasticity, photochemical properties, etc.), Laboratory technicians also do analytical work using various techniques, testing a material’s toughness and hardness, the elasticity and hardness of paints and adhesives, the testing of photographic materials, identification of unknown substances and their analyses. They also carry out sampling for environmental / occupational health and safety purposes, They may also do laboratory work within research and development projects, including the development of new materials/substances, evaluating laboratory results sometime using mathematical analyses (standard deviation, etc.) with the aim of developing new techniques.
Where is it done and under what conditions? In chemical laboratories, where the where some exposure to chemical substances is often unavoidable.
What tools/equipment do they use? The most common are chemical apparatuses, measuring systems, microscopes, machines, equipment and chemical production units, computing equipment.
What do you need to succeed? You will need education at higher levels (from skilled technician level up to specialised college graduates) the ability to concentrate while working, fast reactions, self-discipline & cleanliness.