CURRENT ISSUE | VOLUME 21 - ISSUE 2 | March/2026
COVER STORY
When the Unexpected Hits
How Lab Leaders Can Prepare for Safety Crises That Don’t Follow the Script
Lab Health and Safety
What begins as curiosity at the bench can evolve into a calling to protect researchers, shape safer labs, and strengthen institutions
Take action to protect the most important things in the lab from potential disasters
A practical playbook for lab leaders preparing for safety crises and operational disruptions
What happens when labs treat generational diversity as an asset, not a challenge, in building safer, more resilient EHS systems
How cognitive load, fatigue, shift structure, and interface design influence safety performance—and what laboratory leaders can do to redesign systems around human performance
Managing multiple hazardous waste streams safely requires upstream planning, scalable systems, and training built around real risks
Management Tips
Align your words and actions to build trust with the lab staff
As federal oversight shifts across multiple regulated sectors, lab managers must rely on internal governance and judgment to maintain safety, quality, and scientific integrity
As labs expand, validation often breaks under its own weight. This article shows how shifting from task execution to system design enables scale without burnout or delays
Lab Design and Furnishings
Early planning, user engagement, and strategic equipment placement can transform lab redesigns and relocations into opportunities for improvement
Leadership and Staffing
Strong lab leaders know when to speak and when restraint delivers better results. Quiet leadership offers a disciplined approach to influence without dominance
A strengths-based approach to employee development increases motivation, supports growth, and helps your team reach peak performance in the lab
The fundamentals—leader engagement, risk-based thinking, and follow-through—matter more than policies alone
Conflict management for lab managers starts with leadership self-assessment. Dwayne Henry explains how style differences, accountability, and context shape how conflict shows up in the lab
Business Management
Financial skills for lab managers are no longer optional. Master ROI, budgeting, and capital planning to run your lab like a business
