The Culture of Laboratory Safety

Accordingly, a crucial component of chemical education at every level is to nurture basic attitudes and habits of prudent behavior in the laboratory so that safety is a valued and inseparable part of all laboratory activity. In this way, "safety first" becomes an internalized attitude, not just an external expectation driven by institutional rules. This process must be part and parcel of each person s chemical education throughout his or her scientific career. One aim of the present volume is to encourage academic institutions to address this responsibility effectively and cultivate their students participation in the culture of laboratory safety as a solid basis for their careers as professional chemists. 

The culture of laboratory safety depends ultimately on the working habits of individual chemists and their... 

While the school principal or college president is ultimately responsible for the safety of students in courses that involve laboratory activity, the laboratory instructor carries direct responsibility for what actually takes place under his or her direction. The instructor is responsible for developing the positive attitudes and habits of the culture of laboratory safety as well as the necessary skills for handling chemicals safely. 

This book is organized around the protocol for planning and executing an experiment with chemicals in a laboratory. Figure 1.2 outlines the work flow. The chapters that follow represent the likely steps in this process, and guidelines on how to infuse the new culture of laboratory safety into each step are presented throughout the book. 

Chemical laboratories are the most common t)q)e of workplace where a wide variety of chemicals are handled on a routine basis. They have evolved into unique facilities designed to deal with many of the hazards described in this book. Chapter 8 discusses the modern laboratory environment as an essential component of the culture of safety and outlines the important role of safety inspection programs. Labora... 

Companies that care about safety and security are always looking for well-trained employees. That presents an opportunity for academic institutions to foster strong safety and security practices and build relationships with industry to ensure employment of their students, and enhance the culture of safety and security compliance within academic laboratories. 

Also, the test procedure (protocol) is fundamental because it allows comparing results from different laboratories and from different experimental sets. Moreover, selected test protocol could affect the interpretation of the results, the information content and its application in the safety evaluation process, as stated by Frazer if the biological system is exposed to a test chemical for 24 h and the endpoint assay is immediately conducted, the data produced would be most relevant to the acute toxicity of the test material. If, on the other hand, the system is exposed to material for 24 h and the system is cultured in the absence of the test material for additional 48 h before the endpoint assay is conducted, the data would be more relevant to recovery from toxicity rather than acute toxicity [7]. 

In 1812 he was knighted by the prince regent for his contributions to electrochemistry, married a wealthy widow Jane Apreece, and was thus able to retire from the Royal Institution at the age of thirty-four, although he remained the director of its laboratory. It was in this capacity that he appointed Michael Faraday as an assistant in the laboratory early in 1813. Later that year with his wife, her maid, and Faraday as an assistant, amanuensis (scribe), and reluctant valet, Davy embarked on an eighteen-month tour of the European continent, visiting many laboratories and sites of natural and cultural interest. On their return, Davy invented, with Faraday s assistance, the miners safety lamp, which reinforced his reputation in applied science. With a confidence that was shared by all romantics of the time, Davy believed that nothing was beyond his reach, and in 1820 he was elected president of the Royal Society The U K. National Royal Society. This was a position he was ill-equipped to undertake after... 

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