Environmental Health and Safety is helping build sustainable laboratory safety programs by engaging with researchers, faculty and students across the university and offering support, process improvement and recommendations.
Prior to 2018, EH&S noted that laboratories were struggling to maintain compliance with certain safety regulations. As EH&S staff and resources expanded, they began formalizing processes and developing a stronger culture of safety practices in laboratories.
In 2022, EH&S Laboratory Safety Officer Jenette Paul met with Professor of Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry Taifo Mahmud to discuss how EH&S could help support the College of Pharmacy laboratories that Mahmud oversees in Weniger Hall. Since then, changes have included simple systems to encourage the consistent use of lab coats and appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment), and the development of hazard assessments and mitigation plans prior to new experiments.
Paul called the improvements “an example of a drastic change in safety culture in a really quick way.”
Mahmud said that developing a strong safety culture in academic labs can be difficult due to factors like high staff turnover and varying levels of experience in lab settings. He said the training, tips and tools EH&S provided has helped overcome those challenges.
“Staff and students in my labs have responded to the improvements in safety procedure positively,” Mahmud said. “Lab members are empowered to take more responsibility for their own safety and the safety of other people around them. Safety measures and concerns are being discussed more regularly and freely in our lab meetings.”
EH&S is also involved with the OSU Safety Culture Task Force. Established in 2021, the taskforce was charged with evaluating OSU workplace safety programs and making recommendations for improvements in all areas, including laboratories.
The taskforce recommended that labs perform periodic self-assessments to benchmark safety practices. The assessments consist of visual verification of things like proper labeling and PPE adherence. Paul said that implementing these assessments in Mahmud’s laboratories greatly reduced safety issues. The inspections are trackable through SciShield and EH&S is planning to collect the data and track trends in safety practices over time.
Paul currently meets with every new principal investigator doing lab, shop or field research work on the Corvallis campus to give them an overview of safety procedures, offer resources and start building relationships. EH&S has also started attending graduate student orientations and is encouraging safety training as part of student learning. The team recommends that students take responsibility for the self-assessments and that they view safety in labs as part of their daily routine.
“Students are actively involved,” Paul said. “The goal here is that safety is not something that a PI tells them to do every once in a while. It’s just part of their job.”
~ Rebekah Pike
