ACADEMIC LAB SAFETY UNDER EXAM

Abstract

A FIRE at one university that led to a researcher's death and an explosion at another that seriously injured a graduate student are among several incidents in the past few years that have turned a spotlight on safety practices in academic chemistry laboratories. Since 2001, more than 120 university lab accidents have caused injuries, millions of dollars in damages, and one death, according to the federal Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). In a report released on Oct. 19, CSB presents details of one of them—a Jan. 7, 2010, accident in a Texas Tech University chemistry department lab in which a graduate student lost three fingers on his left hand, burned his hands, and injured his eyes. The Texas Tech investigation is CSB?s first examination of an accident involving a university laboratory. But the board emphasizes that its recommendations are applicable to all academic research settings and could protect the more than 110,000 students ...