Safety in the academic laboratory

Chemists seem to recall with nostalgic fond- ness a few of the close calls and near misses that highlighted their days in the chemistry laboratarv. Ma...
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MALCOLM M. RENFREW Universily of ldaho MOSCOW. Idaho 83843

Safety in the Academic Laboratory James A. Kaufman Curry College, Milton. Massachusetts 02 186 "Laboratory Safety Guidelines" was developed as part of a program to share Dow's safety experience with academic institutions while the author was on that company's staff. The need was echoed recently at the ACS 10th Biennial Education Conference where "safety conditions in chemical laboratories of some colleges and universities" were described as "shameful," horrifying," and "notoriously bad7' (C&EN, Oct. 31, 1977). Chemists seem to recall with nostalgic fondness a few of the close calls and near misses that highlighted their days in the chemistry laboratarv. Manv were not so fortunate. Safety is rlouly being recuyni7td as a leg~timntrpart of the rhemirnl rducation currrrulunl. Srvrral factors are contrihutmg 10 this realization: ~

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1) A greater awareness of the hazards of chemicals has faculties more concerned about their students' welfare. 2) Students have developed a greater

James A. Kaufman received his BS from Tufts University in 1965and his PhD in organic chemistry from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1971. For two years, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the Resource Recovery Laboratory of the W.P.I. Chemical Engineering Department. From 1973 to 1977, he worked for the Dow Chemical Company in the areas of proeess research and development and chemical safety. Currently, Dr. Kaufman is Associate Professor of Chemistry a t Curry College, Milton, MA 02186 and a chemical safety leeturer, author, and consultant.

concern for their own well being. 3) Company recruiters are beginning to look for safety-trained candidates. Fifty percent of industrial accidents hoppen to employees with less than two years erperience. 4) The impact of OSHA. 5) Increased number of liability suits finding faculty negligence. All have heightened the awareness of the health, reactivity, and flammability hazards of chemicals. The last two meas. OSHA and liahilitv. ~, .are ~currently llring herwr defined by a study we art. condurtmg. \Ve uould appreciate receiving information a t the author's current address from chemistry and chemical engineering departments concerning (1) OSHA inspections and their results and (2) accidents invdving undergraduates or graduate students and the results of any associated liability cases. Student and institutional names can he deleted for confidentiality. When completed, the study will he submitted to this Journal for publication. The time has clearly come to make chemical safety an integral and important part of the chemical education process, and to realize that the basic comoonent in an effective ~

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cities, but to run an effective awareness program costs very little more than time and dedication. Effective safety programs require faculty to demonstrate their genuine concern for the health and safety of their students; students who care about their own well being; and a system of rewards. This means including safety performance in the evaluation of students, graduate students, and faculty. Have safety performance influence grades, assistantships, stipends, merit increases, tenure; and promotion. More importantly, have safetv influence the dav to dav conversation hrtwern a reicarch ad\.isor nnd hi- sttldrnt. Hnvr salrty influence every undergrnduste Inhorotnry hriefing i.ct studenti feel h