About Vince McLeod
Vince McLeod is an American Board of Industrial Hygiene certified industrial hygienist and the senior industrial hygienist in the University of Florida's Environmental Health and Safety Division. He has 22 years of occupational health and safety experience at the University of Florida, and he specializes in conducting exposure assessments and health-hazard evaluations for the universitys 2,200-plus research laboratories.
Articles Authored by Vince McLeod
Spine Tingling
Published: April 30 2013
There are some things that make your spine tingle that are exciting and good for you, but more often than not, if you experience a tingling in your back it is a sign of something bad. We are talking about back pain, herniated discs or worse. Back injuries are probably not something you immediately associate with laboratory research. However, there are plenty of ways to injure your back if you work in a laboratory, and back injuries are among the most common reasons for lost work time.1 Working in research facilities often involves heavy lifting and possible overexertion and, for production labs, a real potential for repetitive strain and overuse. Lifting and loading chemical containers, sample containers, and sample trays, or moving equipment such as gas cylinders, vacuum pumps, and waste containers, are just a few operations that present a risk for injury. That is why back injuries are still one of the most common hazards faced each day by this sector of workers.
Slippery Business
Published: April 4 2013
Creating the best slip, trip, and fall prevention program for your lab
Blood, Sweat, and Fears
Published: March 4 2013
A significant concern for scientists in biohazard labs is preventing contact with potentially contaminated human body fluids, whether it is during collection of samples or during evaluation and analysis in the laboratory. Inadvertent exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), or other human pathogens is a potential occupational risk that should never be overlooked. Even so, needlesticks, cuts, splashes, and other events contribute to an alarming number of exposures each year. This month the Safety Guys aim to raise awareness and discuss the prevention of blood-borne pathogen (BBP) exposures, beginning with an overview of the OSHA standard and a discussion of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s universal precautions.
Winning with LOTO
Published: January 23 2013
How to design and implement a successful lockout/tag out program for your facililty For those not familiar with this acronym, LOTO refers to lockout/tag out, the process by which equipment is put into a safe condition so repairs or maintenance can take place.
Too Hot to Handle: A 3-Step Program for Working with Autoclaves
Published: December 4 2012
Like the coffee pot used for brewing your favorite morning beverage, an autoclave is such a common and familiar piece of lab equipment that it is easy to overlook the associated hazards. If we do not think about what might go wrong, sooner or later we will get burned (couldn’t resist the bad pun).
Let's Have a Look : Preparing for an Effective Lab Safety Inspection
Published: November 5 2012
The typical research facility contains a multitude of hazards. Most facilities will have a mix of research laboratories, instrument rooms, chemical storage areas, waste handling areas, and busy receiving/ loading docks.
Biohazard Control
Published: October 4 2012
Working in biological containment facilities or with infectious agents is serious business. The research performed usually entails indigenous or exotic agents with the potential for severe or lethal disease. Two examples of infectious pathogens that
Cut to the Chase
Published: September 5 2012
Recently we had the unpleasant experience of investigating a gruesome and almost deadly accident. A maintenance worker was removing a cable tie from a package on the loading dock when his pocketknife slipped and punctured his thigh, slicing his
VHP Safety Basics
Published: July 6 2012
A research technician enters a freshly decontaminated sterilization room to prepare or collect implements for research procedures. Almost immediately her nose and throat feel a tingling irritation, then she begins coughing and feeling a shortness of
Hazcom 2012: Are You Prepared?
Published: June 4 2012
Working in the safety and health field, I knew that OSHA rules took a long time to develop and perhaps longer to change. I did not really think about how long it took or why. I just knew that in my thirty-plus years of protecting workers and
Waste Not, Want Not
Published: May 31 2012
A recent visit by state and federal inspectors brought to light the importance of knowing all your waste streams intimately. Working in a large academic research institution, with all its diverse classroom laboratories, research laboratories and
All Keyed Up
Published: May 2 2012
Computers have revolutionized our lives. How many hours a day do you average sitting in front of one? We are willing to wager it is more than a few for most us.
Feeling Sleepy?
Published: April 3 2012
This column is for research labs that involve animal procedures or surgeries. We encounter anesthetic gas use in many settings such as medical research, veterinary schools, dental research labs and dental colleges, and biological research...
Jumping Back Gas!
Published: March 2 2012
This column will focus on ethylene oxide, a frequently used and potentially dangerous sterilizing agent. Also known as EtO or EO, it is highly compatible with today’s polymer-based single-use medical devices, procedure kits, surgical trays, etc
iPod, Therefore I Hear
Published: January 18 2012
Remember the cellular telephone commercial cliché, “Can you hear me now?” Well we have adopted it as our slogan, and test, for use of audio devices in laboratories. What do we mean by “test?” Let us explain. We know you have noticed the creep of
Leed the Way to Safety
Published: December 9 2011
We have written previously on LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) certification program for green buildings. Now that we know what building green means and how to do it, are there any dr
In The Hood
Published: November 3 2011
One focus of laboratory management is equipment, and a basic fixture in any laboratory is the chemical fume hood. We recently had an issue with a chemical hood that we think is a common occurrence, and we feel it is a good time to discuss chemical fu
Cut to the Bone
Published: October 4 2011
If you examine your recent accident and injury reports, we bet that the most frequent type of injury will be cuts or lacerations. Given the volume of glassware used, the frequency of daily use, and the diverse types of glassware in many laborator
Laboratory Hazards and Risks
Published: September 9 2011
We know that running a research lab is a challenge, to say the least. In all the hustle of loading the autosampler, pipetting, pouring, and mixing for research experiments, worker health and safety can be overlooked, inadvertently pushed aside or for
The Second Annual Laboratory Safety Survey
Published: September 6 2011
Given the current economic climate, most employers are probably looking to save on operations and improve their bottom lines. Usually they begin by trying to increase efficiency, or “trim the fat,” as the saying goes. And those of us who
Can You Hear Me Now?
Published: July 13 2011
Recognize this mobile phone commercial cliché? Well, you might be hearing it in your lab as this phrase is repeated more and more—not relating to poor cell phone service, but the insides of buildings and laboratories. The reason usually
Workplace Safety
Published: June 6 2011
OSHA celebrated its 40th birthday this year. And to commemorate the milestone, Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels gave some excellent remarks at the Center for American Progress in April.1 The Occupational Safety and Health Act, created
Chemical Management Planning for the Laboratory
Published: June 6 2011
One of the most common and important things we Safety Guys deal with is the start-up of new laboratories. As construction is completed, new research buildings open and the labs come online, issues inevitably arise. Related changes we have wrestled wi
Special Hazards: NFPA Hazard Diamond
Published: May 9 2011
Experienced laboratory managers know that there are four basic categories of chemicals: toxic, corrosive, flammable and reactive. However, in our chemical world there are many additional categories and subsets of these main four. We should also keep
The NFPA Hazard Diamond
Published: May 5 2011
We all know how diamonds are formed. You take a lump of carbon and subject it to intense pressure and high temperatures, and magically those carbon atoms are pressed into a diamond. The diamonds we are discussing in this article are formed much more
Preserving Anyone?
Published: April 6 2011
From tissue fixation to benchtop perfusions to instrument sterilization to preserving everything from cell cultures to whole animal specimens, formaldehyde is one of the most commonly used chemicals in research laboratories. It is typically used in a
Cutting it Close
Published: February 14 2011
Every workplace involves cutting tasks where utility knives are used. By observing your various cutting operations and the type of utility knives used, you can ensure the proper tool is used for the task.
Deciphering MSDS
Published: January 11 2011
A good system for chemical management begins with a complete inventory of the laboratorys chemicals and a material safety data sheet (MSDS) collection for those materials.
Biosafety Levels 1, 2, 3 & 4
Published: December 9 2010
Biological safety levels are ranked from one to four and are selected based on the agents or organisms on which the research or work is being conducted. Each level up builds on the previous level, adding constraints and barriers.
Indoor Environmental Quality During Construction and Renovation
Published: November 10 2010
In order to maintain employee and occupant health, comfort and productivity, it is essential to manage indoor environmental quality (IEQ) effectively.
Proper Eye Protection
Published: October 7 2010
Given the economical cost, performance and myriad styles of todays safety eyewear, there is no excuse for not wearing proper eye protection.
The First Annual Laboratory Safety Survey
Published: September 9 2010
Based on responses to our Lab Safety Survey, our readers are doing a pretty good job of providing safe workplaces and watching out for their employees when it comes to safety.
Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety
Published: September 9 2010
Basic rules for the use, care, transport and storage of compressed gas cylinders.
Building for People
Published: July 14 2010
Indoor environmental quality considerations for laboratory construction.
It Pays To Protect
Published: June 10 2010
Pay me now, or pay me later has never rung more true than when it comes to workplace health and safety. The chain reaction of costs (both direct and indirect) and consequences when an accident occurs proves all too well the value of diligent lab safe
The ABCs of IEQ
Published: May 7 2010
Design considerations for laboratory indoor environmental quality. By Vince McLeod
Know Your Flow!
Published: April 2 2010
The basic design principles and proper operation of the chemical fume hood. Vince McLeod
Separation Anxiety
Published: February 8 2010
Here is a statistic that jumped out at me recently: improper storage of chemicals accounts for nearly 25 percent of all chemical accidents.1 Why is that? This is a sad statistic, given that all these accidents are entirely preventable, yet they conti
Burn Notice
Published: January 6 2010
Some tips and rules of thumb for safe storage of flammables in the lab.
Keeping Safety in Sight
Published: November 6 2009
Safety glasses, googgles and face shields - know what to use when.
Evaluating Training
Published: September 3 2009
An effective occupational safety and health training program rewards managers with fewer injuries and a better-educated and motivated workforce.
Take This Jar & Shelve It
Published: July 17 2009
If there is something that all laboratories have in common, it is bottles and bottles of chemicals. And if we are not diligent in handling and storing these bottles properly, problems will arise.
Lab Safety Revisited
Published: June 11 2009
Now is the right time to take a fresh look at your lab's safety protocols and practices.
Job Hazard Analysis
Published: June 11 2009
Job Hazard Analysis - One of the cornerstones of any successful safety and health program is job hazard analysis (JHA).
Handle with Care - A Primer on Protective Gloves
Published: May 13 2009
Probably the single most common item of personal protection in the laboratory is the glove. Yet it is also the item most likely to receive the least amount of thought or consideration and may be the most misunderstood.
When Disaster Strikes, Don't Be Caught Unprepared
Published: January 9 2009
Effective emergency management requires preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery to protect personnel, samples, records and operations.
When Disaster Strikes, Don't Be Caught Unprepared
Published: January 7 2009
Effective emergency management requires preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery to protect personnel, samples, records and operations.
Wasting Away in Laboritaville
Published: November 13 2008
Smart chemical waste management relies on a written program, accurate characterization of waste and an understanding of accumulation guidelines.
Here's Crud in Your Eye!
Published: September 17 2008
The case for an effective emergency shower and eyewash program
When Things Go Boom in the Lab
Published: July 21 2008
As we say over and over again, chemical safety begins with a good working knowledge of the chemicals you use and their hazardous properties. When incompatible materials contact each other the result can lead to explosion, the evolution of toxic or fl
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