Project Overview
Ontrack Moving® relocated laboratory equipment for a Bay Area biotechnology company, including biosafety cabinets, incubators, ovens and reactors. The building's freight elevator was too small for the cabinets, so Ontrack Moving® hoisted four of them in the lobby, up approximately 17 feet to the second floor, with a four-stage mast forklift, a forklift-certified operator and a reinforced custom pallet built at its own warehouse.
Project at a Glance
- The equipment: biosafety cabinets, incubators, ovens and reactors.
- The access problem: a freight elevator too small for the biosafety cabinets.
- The hoist: four cabinets lifted in the lobby, approximately 17 feet up to the second floor, on a four-stage mast forklift.
- The pallet: one reinforced custom pallet, because the weight was concentrated toward the outside edges.
- The building: the second-floor railing removed for the hoist and reinstalled, plywood and Masonite in the lobby, protection over the epoxy lab floor, and shoe booties under the facility's clean-lab protocol.
Why Couldn't the Biosafety Cabinets Use the Freight Elevator?
The freight elevator was too small for the biosafety cabinets. Ontrack Moving® hoisted the four cabinets in the building lobby instead, lifting them approximately 17 feet to the second floor with a four-stage mast forklift.
With the elevator ruled out, the route to the second floor became the lobby itself. That meant rigging the cabinets up through the ceiling opening above the lobby, lifting them from the lobby floor to the second-floor level, and removing the second-floor railing for the hoist.
| Biosafety cabinets hoisted | Four |
| Hoist | Lobby to second floor, approximately 17 feet |
| Ceiling opening | Approximately 139 by 127 inches |
| Ceiling opening clearance | Approximately 136 inches |
| Stainless steel cabinet | Approximately 1,000 lbs |
| Other three cabinets | Approximately 800 lbs each |
| Two large incubators | Approximately 500 lbs each |
| Cabinet leg spacing | Approximately 7 feet |
| Fork spacing | Approximately 4 feet |
| Custom pallet | One, sized to the largest cabinet, reused for all four |
Why Did the Biosafety Cabinet Need a Custom Pallet?
The cabinet legs were approximately 7 feet apart and the forklift forks were approximately 4 feet apart. Ontrack Moving® designed and built one reinforced custom pallet at its warehouse, sized to the largest cabinet and reused for all four.
The weight was concentrated toward the outside edges of the pallet. The heaviest of the four, a stainless steel unit, weighed approximately 1,000 lbs. The other three weighed approximately 800 lbs each.
Because the weight was concentrated at the edges, Ontrack designed and built a reinforced custom pallet at its warehouse to resist bending and support the equipment during the lift. Rather than build a pallet for each cabinet, Ontrack built one pallet to the size of the largest cabinet and reused it for all four hoists.
How Was the Forklift Chosen?
Ontrack Moving® sourced a forklift and fork configuration to fit through the available clearance. The ceiling opening the cabinets were rigged up through measured approximately 139 by 127 inches, with a clearance of approximately 136 inches. A four-stage mast forklift was used for the approximately 17-foot hoist.
The forklift and fork configuration had to fit through the available clearance and lift the cabinets from the lobby to the second floor. Ontrack coordinated the forklift delivery and provided a forklift-certified operator for the lift. This laboratory rigging plan combined the forklift, the fork setup, the custom pallet and the certified operator.
Removing and Reinstalling the Second-Floor Railing
The cabinets were lifted to the second floor from the lobby, and the second-floor railing stood along that edge. Ontrack Moving® coordinated and helped remove the railing for the hoist, then helped reinstall it afterward.
What Laboratory Equipment Was Moved?
Ontrack Moving® relocated the following laboratory equipment on this project:
- Biosafety cabinets: one stainless steel unit of approximately 1,000 lbs and three of approximately 800 lbs each
- Two large incubators of approximately 500 lbs each
- Ovens
- Reactors
Ontrack does not perform cabinet decontamination or certification. For how a lab's biosafety or EH&S team and its cabinet service provider typically handle that step, see our guide to biosafety cabinet decontamination before moving. For incubator moving and other specialized laboratory equipment moving, see our laboratory moving services.
How Were the Lobby and the Clean Lab Protected?
Ontrack Moving® protected the lobby with plywood and Masonite, protected the epoxy laboratory floor, and had crew members wear shoe booties and follow the facility's clean-lab protocol.
The lobby, where the hoist took place, was covered with plywood and Masonite. Inside the lab, the epoxy floor was protected as well, and crew members wore shoe booties and followed the clean-lab protocol set by the facility.
Planning and Coordination
What Ontrack Moving® Coordinated
- Sourcing a forklift and fork configuration to fit through the available clearance.
- Designing and building one reinforced custom pallet at the Ontrack warehouse, sized to the largest cabinet and reused for all four.
- Arranging forklift delivery to the building.
- Providing a forklift-certified operator.
- Coordinating and helping with removal and reinstallation of the second-floor railing.
- Plywood and Masonite in the lobby and protection over the epoxy lab floor.
- Following the facility's clean-lab protocol, including shoe booties.
Project Outcome
Ontrack Moving® relocated the biotech company's biosafety cabinets, incubators, ovens and reactors. The four cabinets, too large for the freight elevator, were hoisted in the lobby approximately 17 feet to the second floor on a four-stage mast forklift, on one reinforced custom pallet, sized to the largest cabinet and reused for each hoist.
For anyone planning a biotech laboratory relocation, the lesson from this project is to start with the measurements: the elevator size, the access openings, the lift height, the equipment weight, and where that weight sits relative to the forks.
Planning a Complex Laboratory Relocation?
Contact Ontrack Moving® for a customized Bay Area laboratory moving plan. Start with the equipment list, the dimensions and weights of the largest pieces, and the elevator and doorway sizes at both buildings. See our Bay Area laboratory moving services or call (888) 914-8787.
This is a real Ontrack project. The customer is anonymous. Measurements are approximate. The project photos are from this job, with customer labels and the building address removed. The header uses an Ontrack fleet image.