Culture of Safety within Universities Safety survey reveals lab risks: Questionnaire suggests researchers not as safe as they feel. Nature 493, 9–10.

Culture of Safety within Universities Survey from UCLA’s Center for Laboratory Safety “Some… survey participants… felt that any injuries they sustained were just part of the job.” “Only 60% said they had received safety training on specific hazards or agents they worked with” A recent survey from UCLA’s Center for Laboratory Safety sheds light on the culture of laboratory safety within universities and industry labs world-wide. Here is a sampling of some of the survey results. “30% of respondents said they had witnessed at least one ‘major’ lab injury, something that required attention from a medical professional” Noorden, R.V. Safety survey reveals lab risks: Questionnaire suggests researchers not as safe as they feel. Nature 493, 9–10 (03 January 2013) doi:10.1038/493009a http://www.nature.com/news/safety-survey-reveals-lab-risks-1.12121#/

Communicating about safety Junior researcher = graduate student, post doc Senior researcher = PI, department head Sometimes researchers and PIs have different perceptions of the level of safety within the lab. It is in fact the responsibility of BOTH the researchers and the PI to ensure everyone is working safely. Effective communication about safety is important. Noorden, R.V. Safety survey reveals lab risks: Questionnaire suggests researchers not as safe as they feel. Nature 493, 9–10 (03 January 2013) doi:10.1038/493009a http://www.nature.com/news/safety-survey-reveals-lab-risks-1.12121#/

The Disparity between Perceived Safety and Actual Practice We as researchers don’t always realize the risks of working in a laboratory setting. The take-home message is that universities, like UMN, need to improve their culture of safety because your safety is important! Noorden, R.V. Safety survey reveals lab risks: Questionnaire suggests researchers not as safe as they feel. Nature 493, 9–10 (03 January 2013) doi:10.1038/493009a http://www.nature.com/news/safety-survey-reveals-lab-risks-1.12121#/