ACS issues safety guidelines for research labs

The American Chemical Society (ACS) has issued new guidelines to help ensure the safety of personnel working in research laboratories.

'Guidelines and standard operating procedures are common in industrial settings where chemicals and pharmaceuticals are manufactured in large amounts, but they are much less common in research laboratories, particularly in academia,' said Kimberly Jeskie, a hazards analysis expert at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and chair of the 12-member task force that developed the guidelines . 'Often, students and staff working in research labs do not identify and evaluate all potential hazards, especially physical hazards, when devising experiments. That is crucial to keep everyone safe and reduce the potential for harm.'

Entitled Identifying and Evaluating Hazards in Research Laboratories, the report details key elements of hazard identification and evaluation, including defining the scope of work, recognizing the potential hazards involved in every step of an experiment and evaluating the chances that a hazard will happen. It also discusses the selection and use of proper safety equipment and procedures.