Safety in science laboratories, especially chemistry laboratories, should always be a foremost concern. There is always more that can be done to assure that students in science laboratories, both research and teaching, can carry out experiments without accident. This week Chemical & Engineering News, the magazine that goes to all members of the American Chemical Society (ACS), has a cover story on chemical safety. The C&EN story highlights new emphasis on safety in the ACS Committee on Professional Training guidelines for curricula in undergraduate chemistry programs. The C&EN article should be required reading for everyone whose students do laboratory work.
A related article highlights a new textbook on chemical safety for students. If you are thinking about a course on chemical safety for students in research laboratories, you should definitely consider this book. Finally, think about the safety issues in any laboratories you are associated with. Do students or researchers in these laboratories know what to do in an emergency? Is information or training provided on a regular basis regarding safety and emergency issues? Is it clear to everyone that safety is a major concern and that preventive and emergency procedures must be known by everyone who works in the laboratory? What else might be done to enhance safety?Thinking about these things on a regular basis is important and in some cases will prevent major problems. More can always be done!
* You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.