Thread by @SafeChem79

When I discuss ways to improve lab safety in academia, I present parts of this review by @TrantTeam and @Shufflersunite. The paper discusses the current state of academic lab safety, supported by data (yay!), and concludes with stressing the need for
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nature.com/articles/s4155…

…Support from leadership in order to minimize future laboratory incidents in academia.
Some of my favorite (and most concerning) pieces of data discussed are:
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#chemtwitter #labsafety #chemsafety

“In one survey from Nature and UCLA, 30% reported having witnessed a lab injury severe enough to warrant attention from a medical professional”

🤯 These incidents are rarely reported and could potentially be much larger

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“In 2016, [it] was found that only 8% of the 726 chemistry journals they identified required safety factors to be mentioned in the manuscript”.

Big pet peeve of mine here. Any method claiming to be a safe alternative needs data to back it up. Rarely, if ever, done.
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“27% of participants, active experimental researchers, stated they never conducted a risk assessment”

I bet this is is way lower. RAs are essential and rarely taught in chemistry but are more common in engineering programs.
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If you don’t know how to use the risk matrix in the previous tweet or understand the hierarchy of controls (below) then your ability to perform an effective RA is questionable
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Another finding in the Menard and Trant paper: “…found that only 40% of participants and academic researchers reported wearing PPE at all times” 😡
Not wearing PPE in industry could result in termination. Get in the habit early!
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Every new, mid-career, and full professor needs to read the paper and fully digest the data presented. They also need to ensure they are doing everything they can to protect the students working in their labs. This includes education and training in lab safety
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