A series of high profile incidents related to health and safety in the academic chemistry laboratories have brought heightened public attention to this issue in the last few years. The United States Chemical Safety Board, the National Academies of Sciences, and the American Chemical Society, as well as legal authorities in specific jurisdictions, have all expressed concern about the current state of safety education in the laboratory sciences curriculum. This presentation will review these concerns; describe the information challenges associated with supporting laboratory workers, both in keeping themselves safe and documenting that they have followed Prudent Practices in pursuing their science; and provide an overview of the evolving role of environmental health and safety professionals in supporting a laboratory safety culture in academia.

Safety outreach to the academic chemistry community

246th National Meeting (2013)

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