Laboratory Safety Workshop: Setting Priorities and Research Goals

University Of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

This Laboratory Safety Workshop is funded by the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation. The Laboratory Safety Workshop will gather researchers, students, and health and safety professionals to provide a forum for in-depth dialogue regarding the challenges and opportunities for improving the effectiveness of laboratory safety programs in the research setting, with particular emphasis given to chemical hazards in laboratories. Chemical hazards receive very little regulatory guidance or oversight and have the potential to cause serious and immediate injury. The aim of the workshop is to establish research priorities and criteria to study laboratory safety empirically, with the goal of translating research outcomes into evidence-based, fit-for-purpose best practices in the laboratory. At the November 2010 National Academy of Sciences (NAS)-sponsored Safety Summit in Washington, D.C., problems and challenges in laboratory safety were identified. This proposed workshop will strategize solutions to address those problems by focusing on research (led by the University of California (UC) Center for Laboratory Safety and its affiliates) that would lead to the development of data-driven laboratory safety practices. Diverse participation is important to the success of this workshop. There is a high level of interest from a diverse group of leaders in this field, including representatives from NIOSH, OSHA, the Chemical Safety Board, NIH, NAS, NSF and Principal Investigators and students across the country. In addition to partnering with traditional professional health and safety organizations, outreach efforts will be made to relevant scientific organizations that promote women and minorities who are currently underrepresented in the sciences. The intended partnering organizations include the American Public Health Organization, the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA), the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Association for Women in Science, the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and Great Minds in STEM.