Pretty much no matter where in the hierarchy we are, and in what kind of lab we work, we’ve all heard the drills:
- Don’t mouth pipette
- Keep loose hair and clothing away from flames
- Know the location of exits, eye wash stations, and emergency showers
- Lift with your legs, not with your back
- Don’t look into a laser
But who’s actually responsible for enforcing these lab safety rules? The answer, it turns out, is both simpler and far more complicated than one would think. Simpler because, in general, the enforcement of these rules follows a standard employment chain of command. Far more complicated because the person in charge depends on (a) what kind of safety rule we’re talking about and (b) where you are and who you work for.
What is lab safety?
Laboratory safety encompasses all aspects of the lab. Some guidance comes in the form of simple and obvious platitudes of everyday life (e.g., make sure a match isn’t still smoldering when you throw it away). Others are more specialized or esoteric tidbits of wisdom (e.g., leave the lid loose when autoclaving liquids). And most fall into the in-between (e.g., use the shortest electrical cord possible). It’s a near-mathematical impossibility to list all of the rules, and so common sense and mentorship by necessity play a role in learning to be safe.
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It’s impossible to list all of the rules, and so common sense, mentorship, and resources like this eBook play a role in learning to be safe in the labMost of “life’s hazards” can be grouped into nine general categories, with some overlap and some outliers best described as miscellaneous: “Chemical, biological, physical, mechanical, radiation, noise, high and low pressure, stress, and electrical,” explains Jim Kaufman, president and CEO of The Laboratory Safety Institute, a non-profit providing courses and consultation. “We need to pay attention to all of them in the labs, because most labs have all of the hazards of life.”
"Lab safety training has to start at the beginning—on hire, or when somebody is starting to work in a lab, be it as a student or employee,” points out Dan Scungio, a laboratory safety officer for Sentara Healthcare and consultant who leads seminars and blogs under the name “Dan the Lab Safety Man.”
Who’s in charge?
Safety is a line management responsibility, says Joe Klancher, program manager of Lab and Research Safety in the University of Minnesota’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety. In a university, the principle investigators (PIs) are the supervisors of the lab. “They can delegate some responsibility to people that work for them, but ultimately the PI is responsible, and the department heads are responsible for the PIs, and the deans are responsible for the department heads.”
It’s common in an academic setting for the PI to designate a post-doctoral researcher, or even a senior graduate student, to be in charge of safety. But who that ultimate designee is, of course, is dependent on the type of institution. And for the most part, there is not one single, official title for, or even way to describe, the person “in charge” of safety. It can be a laboratory safety officer, but in many labs it can be the lab manager, or quality coordinator, or “the part-time such and such,” Scungio explains. “Very often you see that safety responsibility is delegated to somebody who has many other roles.”
That designee may even be a peer, rather than someone in the hierarchy of discipline—even if it’s in their job description. Especially in such cases, Kaufman recommends that the designee act like an airport windsock, imparting information but not commands: “You can be knowledgeable about safety regulations and hazards in the lab. Do your best in the nicest, friendliest, most collegial way to help these bright people to make choices.”
An institutional department like Klancher’s has what he calls a consultation, rather than an enforcer, role. “We provide tools and guidance and materials; we provide some oversight; we will do lab audits and inspections,” he says. “But the intent is more continuous improvement than strictly a compliance function … to help identify best practices, to ensure that leadership is engaged, and to provide process and expertise.”
It doesn’t matter what kind of group you’re working with. The formula is the same in health care, research, industry, and education, he says, and it doesn’t matter what the hazards are.
Rules, Regs and Creds
With a few exceptions—notably biohazard safety and animal care and use, which often fall under the purview of institutional committees, and chemical hygiene and radiation safety, which have special requirements of their own—lab safety isn’t so much about rules and regulations.
“For general lab work there’s not a huge amount of regulatory scrutiny, in a way,” muses Klancher. “There’s OSHA’s lab standard, but it’s pretty vague and there’s a lot of room for interpretation.” And even the OSHA standard doesn’t cover every public sector worker in every state.
That goes for credentialing as well. Some jobs may ask for some training or experience in environmental health or lab safety. There are certifications offered by organizations such as the Association for Biosafety and Biosecurity, the Board of Certified Safety Professionals, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology that may be recommended in particular instances, says Scungio, but they are not legally required for the position.
When it comes down to it, lab safety is the responsibility of the employer and his or her designees. Rules may be laid down and policies implemented to protect employees. But it is the employees’ responsibility to follow the rules and policies.
To learn more about safety in the lab, download our free eBook “Safety in the Laboratory: Avoiding Injury, Infection, and Contamination.”