Lab Safety Awareness Week often brings renewed attention to PPE, inspections, and compliance requirements. Observed February 9-13, 2026, the week is intended to recognize the successes of laboratory health and safety programs while encouraging labs to identify and manage hazards before they result in injury.
For many lab managers, however, the greater challenge is not knowing the rules—it is ensuring safety remains visible, consistent, and credible amid competing operational demands.
Observed across laboratories in academic, research, and applied settings, Lab Safety Awareness Week emphasizes practical actions that reinforce safety as a shared responsibility. For lab managers, the week provides a focused opportunity to reinforce lab safety culture through actions staff see, experience, and replicate.
Rather than introducing new policies or revisiting compliance checklists, the following five actions emphasize lab manager safety leadership and the behaviors that influence how safety is practiced in real time.
Model what “good” looks like
Safety expectations carry more weight when lab managers visibly follow them. Wearing properly fitted PPE, correcting issues immediately, and maintaining orderly workspaces signal that safety standards apply to everyone, regardless of role or seniority.
These visible behaviors help normalize safe practices as part of routine work. When staff observe leaders addressing minor safety issues promptly and without frustration, safety becomes embedded in daily operations rather than associated only with inspections or audits during Lab Safety Awareness Week.
Walk the lab with intent
Lab Safety Awareness Week is an effective time for informal lab walkthroughs that prioritize observation and conversation over enforcement. Instead of focusing on checklist compliance, lab managers can observe workflow pressures, bottlenecks, and workarounds that may increase risk.
Asking staff where safety feels hardest to maintain under current conditions can surface issues that formal inspections may miss. When lab managers document observations and communicate follow-up actions, these walkthroughs reinforce accountability and trust—key components of a strong lab safety culture.
Normalize near-miss reporting
Near misses often provide early insight into system vulnerabilities, yet many go unreported due to fear of blame or skepticism that reporting will lead to change. One goal of Lab Safety Awareness Week is to help labs identify hazards early, before they lead to injury, making near-miss reporting a critical tool.
Acknowledging recent near misses in team meetings or internal communications—without naming individuals—and explaining what the lab learned as a result helps close the feedback loop. This transparency strengthens lab safety culture and encourages staff to raise concerns before incidents occur.
Use incidents as learning tools
How incidents are handled shapes reporting behavior long after the event itself. When responses focus on individual fault, staff may become reluctant to speak up. When incidents are treated as opportunities to understand process gaps or unclear expectations, reporting becomes safer and more consistent.
During Lab Safety Awareness Week, lab managers can reinforce learning-focused root cause analysis by highlighting changes made following recent incidents, such as updated procedures, clarified responsibilities, or targeted training.
Reinforce safety during change
Change introduces risk even in well-established laboratories. New equipment, new staff, revised protocols, and shifting workloads can all disrupt routine safety practices. Lab Safety Awareness Week provides a timely moment to review how safety is addressed during transitions.
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Lab managers can revisit onboarding processes, equipment validation steps, and communication practices around workflow changes. Explicitly naming change as a safety risk helps teams anticipate challenges rather than react after something goes wrong.
Continuing the conversation beyond Lab Safety Awareness Week
As laboratories continue to navigate evolving technologies, staffing pressures, and operational complexity, many of the themes emphasized during Lab Safety Awareness Week extend well beyond a single week.
These topics will be explored in greater depth at Lab Manager’s Safety Digital Summit, scheduled for March 10–11, 2026, which will focus on actionable strategies for anticipating emerging risks, strengthening lab safety culture, and aligning safety with operational priorities.
Lab teams can also access Lab Manager’s Safety First Webinar Series as a free, on-demand resource, offering practical discussions on laboratory safety challenges, leadership responsibilities, and real-world approaches to building safer lab environments throughout the year.
