There are more health and safety consultants out there than you can shake a stick at. Many are very good; some are not.

State and federal agencies are very serious when it comes to controlled substances. And you should be too.

As one might imagine, cryopreservation is fraught with dangers and serious potential hazards.

While use of respiratory protection in hazardous atmospheres is the norm, there are still many misconceptions surrounding the use of respiratory protection.

When labs are expanded or renovated, plans for the protection of staff working in and around the construction site are often overlooked.

Although we love ZZ Top, this article will not delve into the iconic rock band; rather, it will discuss the safe handling of cryogenic materials.

There is a widening gulf between how safety is practiced in industry compared to how it is practiced in research laboratories, especially in academic settings.

No, this is not an article about anger management. Nor is it about climate change or the T-1000 Terminator returning. If you have spent much time in a laboratory, you have most likely dealt with it though.

The chemical fume hood is probably the single most-used piece of equipment in research laboratories. Often, the chemical hood is shared by lab personnel, and occasionally it’s shared between labs.

Indoor air quality commissioning to prevent issues after new construction or renovations.

Now that we have your attention, we have to dash your hopes. This is not a column about Vegas and “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” kind of fun. It is going to provide vital safety information on one of the most widely used laboratory solvents. The title is derived from what is probably the best-known common use of the term outside laboratories— i.e., a chemical stripper or stripping agent.

In the last issue of Lab Manager, we began to explore the ergonomic risk factors associated with the use of
computers. To recap briefly, three of the fundamental ergonomic risk factors are: position/posture, repetition/duration, and force. These can all be influenced by the work area setup and the activities being performed.

It’s just a fact: In today’s modern laboratory you are going to spend some time using a computer. You used to feel good all day long, but now you hurt after just a few minutes at the computer.

Follow our guidelines for developing a solid, proactive approach to protecting your employees from potential hazards in the workplace

Every year, we see research facilities moving toward more automation, and recent issues of Lab Manager highlight some of the newest equipment on the market. Many laboratory tasks are labor-intensive and the sheer number of tasks performed, such as washing and sterilizing containers and installing and disposing samples and wastes, are becoming too time-consuming. Thus, complex equipment, such as sonicators, washers, autoclaves, and autosamplers, is becoming a necessity and is much more prevalent.