Towering Over Safety
One of the great disaster movies of the 1970’s was The Towering Inferno. It was a story that took place during the grand opening of a new skyscraper. Of course, one of the engineers cut [...]
A Pox on Lab Safety
There is a new “pox” on lab safety- monkeypox. Like the most recent novel virus (COVID-19), the unknowns about the monkeypox virus is creating new safety concerns for laboratorians, and it is time now to [...]
Lab Safety in One Second
Often, I am asked how the person who is responsible for laboratory safety (yet has other duties as well) can get the job done well. In today’s labs there is tight staffing, tight budgeting, and [...]
Chemical Hygiene Hacks to Hold High
When the fire began in the university chemistry laboratory, it quickly got out of hand. They called the local fire department since the flames became too much for extinguishers to handle. When the fire trucks [...]
What’s Next for Safety?- Succession Planning
In many organizations, managing safety is not always a full- time job. Many have to oversee the safety program while also managing other day-to-day operations and other programs. Some safety professionals are lucky enough to [...]
High Reliability Safety- The Checklist
A High Reliability Organization (HRO) is one that works with complex and hazardous systems every day and yet retains a high level of safety and an error free environment. The first recognized HRO industries were [...]
Packing for the Journey- Specimen Shipping and Handling
If you are sending specimens outside of your lab for testing or for other purposes, there are many things to consider. Not just anyone in the laboratory should prepare the specimens for shipment, specific training [...]
3 Secrets Regarding Contamination in the Lab
Pete picked up his rack of specimens that needed to be delivered to the serology lab across the hall. He wore gloves because he was handling specimens, and he pushed the lab exit door open [...]
Opening a Safety Can of Worms
In the 1964 classic movie, Mothra versus Godzilla (released in the US as Godzilla vs. the Thing), a giant egg is washed ashore after a hurricane in Japan. Godzilla finds the egg and tries to [...]
Asking The Wrong Safety Questions
Many years ago, I was hired to perform a safety audit for a laboratory. As I walked through one department, an employee asked what I was doing. When I remarked that I was finding safety [...]