Laboratory Safety: Safe Work Practices Training Course

Hey you! Yeah, you in the lab coat. What are you, a student? A researcher? Part of the cleaning crew? Well, whatever your role, you’re in the right place. I’m here to help orient you to laboratory safety and make sure you’re up to speed on the most relevant regulations for lab equipment and material use while also not screwing up the environment in the process. OSHA – (You know who they are, right? They’re the Occupational Safety and Health Administration - setting the basic compliance standards for safe work practices) – yeah, anyway, OSHA provides precise lab safety guidance that’s aimed at keeping you and everyone else working in a lab environment safe. My goal is to do that and show you how to keep your lab in compliance (and therefore in legal operation).

A lot of stuff can go wrong in a lab environment. You’ve got to be able to recognize these hazards - anticipating what can go wrong and then doing everything possible to protect yourself and others. There’s an approach to workplace safety aimed at ensuring safe work environments - maybe you’ve heard of it; it’s called the Hierarchy of Controls. The Hierarchy of Controls goes from top-to-bottom as the most effective control method to the least effective. We’ll cover things like recognizing certain hazards with things like Safety Data Sheets, knowing when PPE should be worn, and learning HAZCOM. You don’t want to be the class clown in a laboratory and joke around, but professionalism is critical to keeping everyone safe in a dangerous environment. Along with this, knowing the specific waste disposal procedures are essential. Lastly, we’ll cover emergency response plans you’ll want to be familiar with and coordinate with your supervisors and safety officers to know the procedures to stay safe in any sort of emergency.

Don’t be a cautionary tale used to scare-straight interns. Learn lab safety; live lab safety. Say that five times fast… no really, try it. Then get back to work - content in the knowledge that, although you can’t do my tongue twister, this course will equip you to work safely in the laboratory environment.

This program is available with closed captions in Spanish and French.