Contact and Settle plates
Robert Lucas
Contact plates are devices for environmental monitoring of surfaces and personnel for microbial contamination. In the first image, we are using a contact plate by making direct contact with the surface. After that, the contact plate is sealed and sent away for environmental testing to investigate for any human contamination within our cleanrooms. By using these contact plates, we are ensuring a safe and clean environment within our facilities.
Settle plates on the other hand are Petri dishes containing a source of nutrients to support the growth of micro-organisms and is left exposed to the air for a certain amount of time and is then incubated to allow visible colonies to develop and be counted. The second image shows us using the settle plate where we left it on the bench for 1 hour. After that, it is sent for testing airborne contamination.
The third image shows both plates ready for despatch. Here at MMP, we repeat this testing process monthly in four of our critical locations in our active cleanrooms, to validate our cleaning procedures. Therefore, these devices are vital to MMP as they give us insight into the cleanliness of our work environment, allowing us to make positive changes where necessary.
