If you walk into almost any laboratory and spend enough time observing, and you'll eventually see behaviors that don't belong. Someone is working without eye protection. A cell phone appears at the bench. A laboratory coat is left unbuttoned. Food is sitting at a workstation. A spill goes unreported because "it's not a big deal." These behaviors aren't usually the result of having bad employees. More often, they are symptoms of a safety culture problem.
Laboratory safety culture isn't defined by what's written in the safety policies. It isn't determined by the posters on the wall or the annual training modules employees complete. Safety culture is defined by what people do when nobody is watching. It's the collection of behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that shape how safety is practiced every day. When unsafe behaviors become common and accepted, that's a culture problem you need to recognize.
One of the most common questions I receive during laboratory audits is, "How do we get people to follow the rules?" The better question might be, "Why do people feel comfortable breaking them?" Consider cell phone use in the laboratory; most laboratorians understand the risks. Phones can become contaminated, they distract employees during testing, they can contribute to specimen identification errors, and they can create HIPAA violations. Yet many laboratories still struggle with employees texting, scrolling, or taking calls in testing areas. The issue isn't a lack of knowledge. The issue is that the behavior has become normalized.
The same thing happens with PPE compliance. If one person occasionally skips face protection and nothing happens, others begin to think it's acceptable. Soon, the behavior spreads. Before long, wearing goggles becomes the exception instead of the expectation. This phenomenon is called normalized deviance. Unsafe practices gradually become accepted because no immediate negative outcome occurs. People begin to confuse "nothing bad happened" with "it's safe." It feels acceptable to do the wrong unsafe thing. It’s a dangerous mindset, but it exists in many labs.
The reality is that many laboratory accidents are simply delayed consequences. A laboratorian might use a phone hundreds of times before contamination becomes an issue. Someone may skip face protection for years before experiencing a splash exposure. A sharps injury may occur after thousands of successful specimen collections. The absence of an accident does not validate the behavior.
We are forced, then, to ask how to change a culture that has drifted away from safety. The first step is visibility. If leaders are unaware of unsafe practices, they cannot address them. Unfortunately, some laboratory managers spend so much time behind a desk that they rarely see what is actually happening in the department. Leaders should regularly walk through work areas with their "safety eyes" in use. Watch the workflow, observe behaviors, ask questions, and recognize good practices when they occur. Employees notice when leaders pay attention, and they also notice when they don't.
The second step is conversation. Many safety programs rely heavily on enforcement. While accountability is important, lasting culture change usually begins with discussion rather than discipline. When unsafe behaviors are observed, ask why they occur. Sometimes the answer is convenience, sometimes it's workload, sometimes it's poor training, or sometimes employees simply don't understand the risk. Identifying the cause is far more valuable than simply identifying the behavior.
The third step is taking ownership. One of the most effective strategies I've seen involves creating laboratory safety champions, coaches, or point people within the department. Employees often listen differently when feedback comes from a respected coworker instead of a supervisor. A safety coach is not the safety police. They are not responsible for issuing discipline or writing people up. Instead, they serve as a positive influence within the work group. They answer questions, encourage safe practices, identify concerns, and help keep safety visible throughout the year. With proper training, these individuals can become culture ambassadors.
Because they work alongside their peers every day, they have a unique ability to influence behaviors from the inside. They hear concerns that management may never hear. They recognize barriers that leaders may not see. Most importantly, they demonstrate that safety is everyone's responsibility, not just management's responsibility.
The final step is recognition. Many laboratories are quick to notice mistakes but slow to acknowledge good behavior. If the only time safety is discussed is after a problem occurs, employees begin associating safety with negativity. Labs should celebrate safe choices, recognize employees who identify hazards, thank individuals who report near misses, and highlight teams that improve compliance. People naturally repeat behaviors that receive positive attention.
We do need to remember, though, that culture change takes time. No laboratory develops a strong safety culture overnight, and no laboratory fixes a weak culture with a single training session. Culture changes through hundreds of small interactions, conversations, observations, and decisions. The goal isn't perfection, it is progress. Every laboratory leader should periodically ask a simple question: "What behaviors are we currently tolerating?" The answer often reveals the true culture of the department. The good news is that culture can be changed. It starts with engaged leaders, open conversations, employee ownership, and a commitment to making safety visible every day. Safety culture isn't built through policies, it's built through people.