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A laboratory building commissioning checklist should cover the full path from defining the lab’s intended use through construction, acceptance testing, handover, and occupancy. Start with the Owner’s Project Requirements (OPR), include both building-wide and laboratory-specific systems, and require documented startup, functional and relevant integrated tests, issue resolution, operator training, and follow-up. Acceptance criteria must come from the project’s OPR, design, contract, applicable standards, and local requirements—not from a generic checklist alone.
What should a laboratory commissioning checklist include?
It should verify that the building and its systems are designed, installed, tested, documented, and handed over to support the work the laboratory is actually meant to perform. Commissioning is a process, not a final inspection: planning and clear responsibilities matter as much as the tests performed near completion. ASHRAE’s laboratory guidance starts commissioning with the lab’s intended use as described in the OPR.
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Use this checklist as a planning and tracking framework. Tailor it to the project’s scope, equipment, hazards, operating modes, contract, adopted standards, and jurisdiction. A checked box is not proof of performance by itself: record the applicable criteria, evidence, issues, and approvals.
1. What should owners define before construction?
Before work begins, establish what the lab must do and how the project team will demonstrate that the completed facility meets those needs. This is the stage to settle scope, responsibilities, acceptance criteria, and coordination—not after systems are installed.
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- Define intended use. Document the work performed, anticipated equipment, environmental conditions, and normal, reduced, emergency, or other relevant operating modes. Identify equipment interfaces and any laboratory functions that affect building systems.
- Develop the OPR and Basis of Design (BOD). The OPR records the owner’s needs and performance expectations; the BOD explains how the design intends to meet them. Keep both aligned as project requirements or design decisions change.
- Identify regulated requirements early. Determine whether any systems or processes have FDA-regulated requirements that create additional design, commissioning, or validation obligations. Do not assume every laboratory has the same regulatory regime; establish the applicable project-specific requirements.
- Appoint the commissioning provider or authority and assign roles. Specify who prepares procedures, performs and witnesses tests, records results, resolves deficiencies, approves retests, and accepts deliverables. Clarify the owner’s witness and approval rights.
- Write the commissioning plan and schedule. Define included systems and assemblies, procedures, acceptance criteria, communications, issue tracking, and how commissioning activities fit the construction schedule. Include laboratory equipment and its interfaces where they are within project scope.
- Coordinate commissioning with design and procurement. Make sure requirements appear in project documents and submittals, and that test access, equipment availability, and time for corrective work and retesting are planned.
ASHRAE’s standards and guidelines index lists Standard 202-2024 for commissioning new buildings and new systems, Standard 230-2022 for existing buildings and systems, and Guideline 0-2019, whose process spans predesign through occupancy and operation. These references are not a substitute for checking which editions are specified in the contract or adopted locally.
2. Which laboratory and building systems need commissioning?
Include the systems needed for the particular facility, not just conventional heating and cooling. Laboratory exhaust, containment equipment, controls, utilities, emergency systems, and their interactions can all affect whether the space operates as intended.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute| System or assembly to consider | Commissioning focus |
|---|---|
| Heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) | Verify installed equipment, sequences, controls, and performance against project requirements across relevant operating modes. |
| Laboratory exhaust and chemical fume hoods | Include exhaust configuration and performance, specified controls, alarms, and the relationship between exhaust and supply air. |
| Biological safety cabinets and laminar flow clean benches | Check manufacturer airflow requirements and coordinate the equipment’s requirements with the room and ventilation design. |
| Laboratory pressurization and temperature controls | Confirm the specified monitoring and control functions and their intended response to relevant modes or events. |
| Supply, exhaust, and heat-recovery controls | Verify control sequences and interactions included in the design and test scope. |
| Chilled water and heating water | Verify applicable equipment, distribution, controls, and interfaces with laboratory loads. |
| Plumbing and fire protection | Include the project-specified systems and their relevant operating or alarm interfaces. |
| Electrical and emergency power | Verify applicable systems and include relevant integrated scenarios, such as emergency power interactions with laboratory HVAC. |
| Fire alarm | Include relevant interfaces and integrated tests with systems whose operation may be affected by an alarm event. |
| Monitoring, controls, and building automation | Verify specified monitoring points, alarms, sequences, and the controls used for laboratory and building systems. |
| Laboratory casework | Confirm applicable installed assemblies and interfaces in the agreed commissioning scope. |
| Security access and surveillance | Include the facility’s specified security systems and relevant interfaces. |
This scope prompt reflects systems identified in the Association of Public Health Laboratories’ laboratory construction and major renovation guidance and ASHRAE’s laboratory chapter. Applicability varies by facility. Set the actual scope in the project documents, and derive thresholds from the OPR, BOD, equipment requirements, contract, and applicable standards. The source guidance does not set one universal airflow, pressure, or temperature acceptance value for every laboratory.
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3. What should owners verify during construction?
Construction verification establishes that installed systems match the approved design and are ready for meaningful performance tests. Do not rely on a whole-system test to compensate for incomplete component startup or unresolved installation discrepancies.
- Check installations against approved documents. Verify equipment and systems against approved drawings, submittals, and design intent. Record discrepancies and their disposition.
- Track commissioning issues in a live log. For each item, record a clear description, responsible party, status, required corrective action, evidence of resolution, and any retest or approval needed. Keep unresolved items visible through handover.
- Confirm component startup and prefunctional checks. Obtain completed procedures and evidence for individual components before proceeding to functional tests that depend on them.
- Review test and balance (TAB) reports. Confirm required reports and submittals are available and addressed in the commissioning record.
- Coordinate access and readiness. Confirm the systems, equipment, controls, and documentation needed for scheduled tests are available. Plan time to correct deficiencies and repeat affected tests.
4. How should functional and integrated tests be planned?
Each test needs a written procedure and pass/fail criteria tied to the OPR and BOD. Test the intended range of operating modes and relevant interactions, and record enough evidence to show what happened—not just that someone marked a checklist complete.
- Write the procedure before the test. Identify the system or assembly, prerequisites, test conditions, operating mode, steps, expected response, acceptance criteria, required readings or observations, responsible parties, and witness or approval requirements.
- Verify individual systems first. Test equipment and systems under their relevant intended modes after startup and prefunctional checks are complete. Use criteria specified for the project; do not substitute generic numbers for project requirements.
- Plan integrated tests for meaningful interfaces. Decide which combined scenarios matter to the design. ASHRAE notes that laboratory HVAC may need coordinated testing with systems such as fire alarm and emergency power. Include only applicable scenarios, but make the rationale and responsibilities clear.
- Record results and exceptions. Capture conditions, readings, observed responses, failures, corrective actions, retest evidence, and approvals in the project record.
- Resolve and retest failures. Assign each deficiency, document its disposition, and repeat affected tests when needed. Retain evidence of the correction and retest rather than replacing a failed result with an unsubstantiated pass.
For laboratory HVAC, relevant checks may include manufacturer airflow requirements for biological safety cabinets and clean benches, exhaust configuration and performance, approved TAB reports, fume hood alarms, safety alarms, exhaust regulation, laboratory pressurization and temperature control, and supply, exhaust, and heat-recovery controls. ASHRAE identifies these as laboratory HVAC and controls considerations; the project’s own design and applicable requirements determine the acceptance criteria.
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5. What records and training belong in the handover?
Handover should leave the owner with usable system information, test evidence, a clear issue status, and staff prepared to operate and maintain the facility. Close outstanding issues or explicitly disposition them with status and responsibility; do not let an ambiguous issue log stand in for acceptance.
- Final commissioning report and systems manual.
- Current OPR and BOD, including relevant updates.
- Approved submittals, specifications, and as-built drawings.
- Equipment certifications and applicable operating parameters.
- Operations and maintenance requirements and manuals.
- Commissioning procedures, test and verification reports, and retest records.
- Final issue log showing closure or disposition, supporting evidence, and remaining responsibilities.
- Training materials and a record of attendees and the systems covered.
The exact contents depend on the project documents and facility. WBDG’s commissioning documents guidance discusses process, contents, and acceptance; APHL’s laboratory guidance also identifies records and training as part of facility delivery. Schedule operator and maintenance training as a defined commissioning deliverable, not an informal conversation at the end of construction.
6. What should happen after the laboratory is occupied?
Occupancy is part of the commissioning sequence because actual operation can expose issues that were not apparent during construction testing. Give operators procedures, plan maintenance reviews, and identify any ongoing commissioning activities the owner requires.
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- Confirm operating and maintenance staff understand the systems they are responsible for and how those systems are intended to function.
- Review early-occupancy findings and unresolved items, assign owners, and document corrective actions.
- Update operating documentation and the maintenance plan when occupancy reveals needed changes.
- Carry out any ongoing commissioning or follow-up reviews required by the owner or project documents.
A successful acceptance test documents performance under its defined test conditions; it does not, by itself, create an operating program or guarantee that the building will continue to perform as intended. The owner’s maintenance and follow-up plan closes that gap.
How should owners compare commissioning scopes?
Compare proposals or scopes on what they cover and what evidence they produce, not on a broad promise to “commission the lab.” Ask whether the work includes:
- Systems and assemblies: Are laboratory-specific equipment, exhaust, controls, utilities, and interfaces included where applicable?
- Project phases: Does the scope begin in planning and continue through construction, acceptance, handover, and the agreed occupancy follow-up?
- Test depth: Are operating modes, integrated scenarios, written procedures, and explicit acceptance criteria defined?
- Roles and independence: Who performs, witnesses, records, resolves, retests, and approves each activity? What owner witness and acceptance rights are included?
- Deliverables and issue closure: Are reports, test evidence, final issue status, and retest documentation specified?
- Training and follow-up: Are operator and maintenance training and post-occupancy work included, scheduled, and documented?
A commissioning provider’s laboratory experience may be relevant to this scope, but experience alone does not define the work. Ask for the included systems, procedures, acceptance evidence, issue-resolution process, training, and follow-up to be stated clearly in the proposal and project documents.
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Which standards and guidance should the owner check?
Use standards and guidance as project references, then confirm the editions and requirements that actually apply. ASHRAE’s official index lists Standard 202-2024 for commissioning new buildings and new systems, Standard 230-2022 for existing buildings and systems, and Guideline 0-2019 for a commissioning process spanning predesign through occupancy and operation. The index does not establish which standards a particular jurisdiction has adopted or which editions a contract requires.
ASHRAE’s Commissioning Stakeholders’ Guide is described as step-by-step new-construction guidance for owners, designers, and project managers, with more than 50 customizable field checklists. It can help structure project documents, but a generic field checklist should be adapted to the laboratory’s OPR, design, contract, and applicable local requirements.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does every laboratory need FDA validation?
No. Whether FDA-regulated requirements apply depends on the facility’s activities and project-specific obligations. Identify the applicable regime with the responsible project and regulatory stakeholders rather than treating all laboratory commissioning as validation.
Who should approve a laboratory commissioning test?
The project should name the responsible parties before testing begins, including who performs, witnesses, records, resolves, retests, and approves the result. The owner’s acceptance and witness rights should be explicit in the commissioning plan and contract.
Can a generic commissioning checklist set fume hood acceptance limits?
A generic checklist can prompt the team to include fume hood alarms, exhaust, and related controls, but it cannot establish universal acceptance thresholds for every design. Use the project’s OPR, BOD, equipment requirements, contract, and applicable standards to define limits.
What is the difference between commissioning and validation in a laboratory?
Commissioning verifies that building systems and assemblies are delivered and operate in accordance with defined project requirements. Validation may be an additional obligation for regulated activities or systems; whether it applies and what it entails must be determined for the specific project.
