Recent serious and sometimes fatal accidents in chemical research laboratories at United States universities have driven government agencies, professional societies, industries, and universities themselves to examine the culture of safety in research laboratories. These incidents have triggered a broader discussion of how serious incidents can be prevented in the future and how best to train researchers and emergency personnel to respond appropriately when incidents do occur. As the priority placed on safety increases, many institutions have expressed a desire to go beyond simple compliance with regulations to work toward fostering a strong, positive safety culture: affirming a constant commitment to safety throughout their institutions, while integrating safety as an essential element in the daily work of laboratory researchers. Safe Science takes on this challenge. This report examines the culture of safety in research institutions and makes recommendations for university leadership, laboratory researchers, and environmental health and safety professionals to support safety as a core value of their institutions. The report discusses ways to fulfill that commitment through prioritizing funding for safety equipment and training, as well as making safety an ongoing operational priority. A strong, positive safety culture arises not because of a set of rules but because of a constant commitment to safety throughout an organization. Such a culture supports the free exchange of safety information, emphasizes learning and improvement, and assigns greater importance to solving problems than to placing blame. High importance is assigned to safety at all times, not just when it is convenient or does not threaten personal or institutional productivity goals. Safe Science will be a guide to make the changes needed at all levels to protect students, researchers, and staff.

The U.S. Department of State charged the Academies with the task of producing a protocol for development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) that would serve as a complement to the Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security: A Guide to Prudent Chemical Management and be included with the other materials in the 2010 toolkit. To accomplish this task, a committee with experience and knowledge in good chemical safety and security practices in academic and industrial laboratories with awareness of international standards and regulations was formed. The hope is that this toolkit expansion product will enhance the use of the previous reference book and the accompanying toolkit, especially in developing countries where safety resources are scarce and experience of operators and end-users may be limited.

Prudent Practices in the Laboratory-the book that has served for decades as the standard for chemical laboratory safety practice-now features updates and new topics. This revised edition has an expanded chapter on chemical management and delves into new areas, such as nanotechnology, laboratory security, and emergency planning. Developed by experts from academia and industry, with specialties in such areas as chemical sciences, pollution prevention, and laboratory safety, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory provides guidance on planning procedures for the handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals. The book offers prudent practices designed to promote safety and includes practical information on assessing hazards, managing chemicals, disposing of wastes, and more. Prudent Practices in the Laboratory will continue to serve as the leading source of chemical safety guidelines for people working with laboratory chemicals: research chemists, technicians, safety officers, educators, and students.

Terry Jo Gile (the Safety Lady) and Dan Scungio have completely updated this trusted lab safety training and compliance resource for 2014. The Complete Guide to Laboratory Safety, Fourth Edition, consolidates regulations from all relevant agencies, including OSHA, The Joint Commission, CAP, CLSI, DOT, and state health departments. This proven guide offers customizable policies, procedures, and checklists to develop and update a compliance program and avoid costly fines. The Complete Guide to Laboratory Safety will help you: - Create and update your policies and procedures with fully customizable templates - Build a culture of safety with checklists and tools related to topics including waste management, specimen transportation, chemical hygiene, and ergonomics in the lab setting - Keep up to date with regulations from OSHA, The Joint Commission, - CAP, CLSI, DOT, and state regulators - Employ best practices to avoid worker injury and costly citations What's New? - This edition is updated with all relevant regulations, including the new American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidelines for fire safety and the revised International Air Transportation Association (IATA) requirements - New case studies are featured in each chapter.

This volume updates and combines two National Academy Press bestsellers--Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories and Prudent Practices for Disposal of Chemicals from Laboratories--which have served for more than a decade as leading sources of chemical safety guidelines for the laboratory. Developed by experts from academia and industry, with specialties in such areas as chemical sciences, pollution prevention, and laboratory safety, Prudent Practices for Safety in Laboratories provides step-by-step planning procedures for handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals. The volume explores the current culture of laboratory safety and provides an updated guide to federal regulations. Organized around a recommended workflow protocol for experiments, the book offers prudent practices designed to promote safety and it includes practical information on assessing hazards, managing chemicals, disposing of wastes, and more. Prudent Practices for Safety in Laboratories is essential reading for people working with laboratory chemicals: research chemists, technicians, safety officers, chemistry educators, and students.

Biosafety in the Laboratory is a concise set of practical guidelines for handling and disposing of biohazardous material. The consensus of top experts in laboratory safety, this volume provides the information needed for immediate improvement of safety practices. It discusses high- and low-risk biological agents (including the highest-risk materials handled in labs today), presents the "seven basic rules of biosafety," addresses special issues such as the shipping of dangerous materials, covers waste disposal in detail, offers a checklist for administering laboratory safetyâ€"and more.