Safety culture in academic laboratories has been an area of concern following high-profile incidents at higher education institutions. Evaluation or measurement of safety performance is often achieved by using lagging indicators e.g. following lab accidents. These traditional safety metrics measure the number and severity of incidents but are not indicative of prevention mechanisms. The reactive nature of lagging indicators is a major drawback because they do not focus on activities that improve prevention. Leading indicators drive the need for proactive measures that will result in accident / injury prevention. In this discussion, we describe a mechanism of engaging Principal Investigators (PIs) and laboratory researchers on integration of safety during experimental design for lab procedures that are categorized as high risk or those that involve use of highly hazardous chemicals. It is anticipated that integration of safety in researcher’s activities is a behavior based safety approach whose impact will drive safe practices in laboratories at our institution. Collaborations among safety professionals, PIs and laboratory researchers also foster a safety culture that extends beyond compliance or regulations to promote institution- wide commitment to safety.

Safety at the bench: Promoting positive safety culture in academic laboratories

255th National Meeting (2018)

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