(a) The laboratory must be constructed, arranged, and maintained to ensure the following:
- (1) The space, ventilation, and utilities necessary for conducting all phases of the testing process.
- (2) Contamination of patient specimens, equipment, instruments, reagents, materials, and supplies is minimized.
- (3) Molecular amplification procedures that are not contained in closed systems have a uni-directional workflow. This must include separate areas for specimen preparation, amplification and product detection, and, as applicable, reagent preparation.