APMG’s Tough & Safe
Schools provide one of the most demanding environments for furniture and APMG’s robust school science lab service pedestals are designed to withstand everything a lively classroom can throw at them.
A lab service pedestal, also called a service tower or a service bollard, is a fixed unit which supplies services within a school science lab or commercial laboratory. It can host a combination of gas, electric, data, water and drainage services. These pedestals offer all the services required for practical work, keeping desk space clear.
A service pedestal is typically surrounded by moveable tables and must be robust enough to withstand relocatable furniture bumping into it. The small base area of some service units can make them unstable, and secure fastening to the floor is critical to all service pedestals’ safe installation.
Compared to fixed benching, laboratory service pedestals offer flexibility in the school science lab. Moveable tables can be relocated around the fixed pedestals to accommodate different layouts for different teaching styles, curriculum requirements and student needs. This makes them ideal for practical work, demonstrations, collaborative group work and specific tasks.
Because every lab service pedestal is crafted in our own manufacturing facility in Manchester, we can accommodate most custom requests. We offer a choice of type, style, number, and arrangement of service outlets.
You can have your pedestal with or without a sink, and if you do need water, choose your style of tap. We can supply a sink cover manufactured in Trespa to match your worktop.
Select 2- or 4-gang electrical sockets, and pick your style of 2, 3 or 4-way gas taps. You can even choose to have your gas taps bench mounted (on the worktop), or panel mounted (on the side under the worktop). If you need some guidance, ask our expert design team what will work for you.
APMG’s lab pedestals come in the dimensions below. These allow for standard sizes of tables to configure perfectly around them. They also feature a bump strip at tabletop height to protect the side panels from damage.
Worktop | Base | Height | |
---|---|---|---|
With Sink | 700mm x 700mm | 600mm x 600mm inc. bump strips | 850mm or 900mm |
Without Sink | 600mm x 600mm | 600mm x 600mm inc. bump strips | 850mm or 900mm |
With Sink | 1400mm x 700mm | 1200mm x 600mm inc. bump strips | 850mm or 900mm |
Without Sink | 1200mm x 600mm | 1200mm x 600mm inc. bump strips | 850mm or 900mm |
The units typically have a lockable door for maintenance access.
Service pedestals take a lot of punishment. Designed to be static as the classroom is reconfigured around them, tables tend to be rammed into them. As they generally house gas, electrical and water connections, it is imperative they are firmly secured to withstand this.
Unlike many pedestals which have an MDF plinth, here at APMG our service pedestals are uniquely designed with a 2mm thick, fully welded steel plinth. This plinth is securely anchored to the floor. It is polyester powder coated and impervious to spillages and mopping.
CLEAPSS is the UK science and technology advisory service for local authorities and their schools. It has highlighted the dangers of rocking benches in school laboratories. A free-standing service pedestal or bench which houses services and is not securely fixed to the floor poses a hazard.
The advice from APMG is to check your benching, and ensure your laboratory furniture is designed, manufactured, and installed by experts who recognise and understand the unique demands of a school environment. Find out more.
Contact us for advice about the correct materials for each application, for sizes, technical specifications, and design options.