Laboratories, particularly now-a-days, are so busy with staff already stressed and most times in large demand that attention to safety is often a topic that takes a backseat. Not only is it not made a priority to educate staff on safety, but employees are often challenged and feel pressured to get the work done that they take short-cuts which compromise their personal safety in the workplace. This is not a good state with all the potential safety risks that can be encountered in the laboratory. It is important to educate our laboratory staff on safety, and it is just as important to hold them accountable to following the established guidelines.
This presentation is part one of a two-part series in laboratory safety and will focus on chemical safety and several general safety topics. The second part will emphasize components of blood borne pathogen safety, infection control and some additional general safety topics. The chemical safety section will include a review of the safety data sheet and its makeup including how these should be used within daily laboratory practice. We will discuss how chemicals should be labeled so as to ensure the employees using them understand their hazards, how they should be stored and then what kinds of processes should be followed when there is exposure. Specific chemicals, such as formalin and xylene, will be highlighted due to the high profile of these chemicals in terms of staff safety. Risk mitigation steps will be demonstrated in order to give the audience ideas for monitoring the environment and compliance with policies. Finally, we will go through several main categories of general laboratory safety expectations as they relate to all areas of the lab.