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To optimize the technical, economic, and social benefits of the chemical enterprise, the practice of chemistry must consider and address best safety practices from concept through research, develop...

Since 2012, stakeholders have advocated for the need to create a more positive academic research safety culture. Here, we make the case for supporting a paradigm shift from a rule-based culture to a risk-based one. The community structure should include common language, support teams, and education in safety science.

In the spring of 2017, the American Chemical Society (ACS) Divisions of Chemical Information (CINF) and Chemical Health and Safety (CHAS) partnered to conduct a survey of academic research chemists to understand their use of chemical safety information as they conduct risk assessments for laboratory work. This survey, funded by an ACS Innovative Project Grant, focused on three areas, addressing Information Practices, Risk Assessment Practices and Lessons Learned Practices. The survey received 238 responses and the reported demographics reflected the general ACS membership in terms of chemical fields. Half of the respondents have PhDs and half have worked in labs for 10 years or more. This article summarizes the results from this initial survey and identifies opportunities for improving support services from Environmental Health and Safety staff and Chemical Information specialists for conducting laboratory risk assessments.

Hazard prevention and control systems for specific laboratory processes must be readily shared between lab workers, their colleagues, and lab supervisors. In order for these control systems to be effective in a transferable and sustainable way, effective risk management communication tools must be present. These tools need to be adaptable and sustainable as research processes change in response to evolving scientific needs in discovery based laboratories. In this manuscript, the application of a risk management tool developed in the oil and gas industry known as a “bowtie diagram” is assessed for application in the laboratory setting. The challenges of identifying laboratory hazards and managing associated risks as well as early experiences in adapting bowtie diagrams to the laboratory setting are described. Background information about the bowtie approach is provided and the technique illustrated using an academic laboratory research scenario. We also outline the role bowtie diagrams could play in a proactive safety culture program by facilitating hazard communication and maintaining hazard awareness across a wide spectrum of stakeholders.

In 2016, the American Chemical Society Board of Directors voted to include safety as a core value of the society. This was not a decision without controversy. For example, the strategic plan summar...

The goal of a laboratory's general ventilation system is to control airborne contaminants below concentrations of concern while maintaining a comfortable environment. One concern while managing general laboratory ventilation is how uniformly the room is ventilated. We have observed that, depending on the configuration of the ventilation supply and exhaust points relative to the geometry of the room, there may be areas of a laboratory that are less well-ventilated than others. This factor must be assessed when assigning minimum general ventilation rates for that lab. In order to determine how effective general ventilation systems are in existing laboratories on the Cornell campus, we have measured the concentration decay rates of carbon dioxide at a variety of locations in the room after raising the CO2 level across the room above 10,000 parts per million. This paper describes the reasons for this work, the method we use, and reports our observations about this approach to assessing laboratory ventilation effectiveness.

The development of Internet-based electronic information tools has enabled new opportunities to understand the chemical safety needs of a variety of workplaces. The work reported here used Google's Reader service over a period of 3 years to catalog over 5300 public hazmat responses and 533 laboratory-related incidents. These incidents are organized according to various parameters to help assess the number, type and magnitude of hazmat events which reach the popular press. Events of particular interest for development of lab safety training programs are events in laboratory settings. The challenges and opportunities for using this information are discussed, from both a practical and a systems perspective.

In a previous article, 1 we described how we used two ANSI standards (Z10 and Z9.5) to develop an institutional Laboratory Ventilation Management Program (LVMP). This paper describes our use of a control banding strategy as a key tool in this LVMP to establish target ventilation rates for specific laboratory spaces. In spaces where chemicals are used consistent with OSHA's definition of laboratories, Cornell University in Ithaca, NY uses a default rate of 8 air changes per hour (ACH) when the lab is occupied and 4 ACH when the lab is unoccupied. The primary alternative control band for laboratory ventilation, when conditions allow, is 6 ACH (occupied) and 3 ACH (unoccupied). These ranges are used when three operating conditions are met: volatile chemical sources are controlled by local ventilation; the ventilation effectiveness within the laboratory prevents accumulation of significant concentrations of chemical vapors; and laboratory housekeeping is adequate to avoid ongoing sources of fugitive emissions in the laboratory. In this process, we also identify laboratory chemical uses that lie outside these control bands; these require specialized review to determine appropriate ventilation rates.

PurposeUniversity campuses behave as complex systems, and sustainability in higher education is best seen as an emergent quality that arises from interactions both within an institution and between the institution and the environmental and social contexts in which it operates. A framework for strategically prioritizing campus sustainability work is needed. This paper seeks to address these issues.Design/methodology/approachFirst, a conceptual model is developed for understanding institutions of higher education as systems. Second, a leverage points framework is applied to experiences at the University of Vermont in order to evaluate campus sustainability efforts. Finally, real‐world examples are used to analyze and prioritize campus sustainability leverage points for advancing organizational change.FindingsThis systems thinking approach identifies key leverage points for actions to improve sustainability on campus. The leverage points framework is found to be valuable for: evaluating the potential of individual programs or actions to produce system‐wide change; coordinating individual programs into a strategic effort to improve the system; and making connections between campus and the surrounding social and environmental contexts. Advancing campus sustainability is found to be strengthened by particular ways of thinking and an organizational culture committed to continuous improvements and learning improved ways of doing business based on environmental and social, as well as institutional, benefits.Originality/valueCampus sustainability workers must develop a prioritization process for evaluating which ideas to move forward on first. Systems thinking can cultivate our ability to consciously redesign and work with the systems that are in place, to intentionally pursue organizational improvements, and to plan and coordinate sustainability programs with potential for big changes.

Laboratory ventilation is a fundamental strategy to control exposures to volatile chemicals. However, laboratory ventilation systems are energy-intensive and developing innovative methods for incorporating sustainable energy considerations into laboratory ventilation design and operation is an important concern for successful 21st century laboratory institutions. This paper describes our use of two ANSI standards in the development of a Laboratory Ventilation Management Program (LVMP) that balances health and safety priorities with the sustainability goals of Cornell University. Specifically, this LVMP applies the concept of continuous improvement of system performance described by American National Standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (ANSI Z10-2012) to the design and operational criteria for laboratory ventilation systems identified by the ANSI Laboratory Ventilation Standard (ANSI Z9.5-2012). Within this LVMP, we identify key stakeholders, their roles and responsibilities relative to the twin goals for the laboratory ventilation system of worker safety and environmental sustainability, and indicators of progress that track the success of the system in meeting these goals.

There is increasing pressure to operate laboratory facilities in environmentally and financially sustainable ways. A key factor in achieving this goal is careful consideration of how energy is used by the buildings’ ventilation system, both for conditioning air supplied to the laboratories and the energy used moving air through the building. Traditionally, laboratory energy use is treated as an engineering concern within the scope of the building's overall design and operation. However, this approach limits the involvement of key stakeholders in many important decisions and can lead to unexpected safety concerns for the laboratory's users. We believe that a broad view of the parties affected by a laboratory building's operations is necessary to avoid having the various stakeholders working at cross-purposes. Specifically, in managing laboratory ventilation, a balance must be struck between safety of laboratory occupants and institutional stewardship regarding resource use. A system wide view of laboratories can help achieve this balance. We use insights from environmental management systems, systems science, and ecological economics to develop the basis for a management model of the balance between laboratory safety and energy conservation.

Over the last five years, laboratory safety training at the University of Vermont has evolved to focus on emergency recognition and response for new workers. This evolution has been driven by the increasingly interconnected nature of laboratory research, both between academic disciplines and physically as new laboratory buildings emphasize open laboratory settings. This article describes our current training practices and how relates it to regulatory requirements established by EPA and OSHA.

The American Chemical Society has long advocated for best practices for laboratory chemical safety in academic institutions. Since its creation in 1963, the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS) has served as a resource to other ACS units on matters related to chemical safety and health. CCS has, for example, produced a number of safety guidance resources, which are available at www.acs.org/safety. The committee also works with other organizations to promote safety. CCS contributed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine report “Safe Science: Promoting a Culture of Safety in Academic Chemical Research” and the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities’ “Guide to Implementing a Safety Culture.” The committee exceeded expectations in response to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s recommendation to develop guidance to support risk assessment in chemical research labs. In 2015, the committee’s Hazard Identification & Evaluation Task Force published the guide “Identifying and Evaluat...

The role of the Chemical Hygiene Officer has evolved since it was first defined by OSHA's Laboratory Standard. Successful development of a laboratory safety program requires a variety of skills that go beyond the technical oversight envisioned in the Standard. This article describes how the role has evolved and how specific tools such as Safety Management Systems can be used to meet those challenges. A brief historical perspective on the role is provided to flesh out the challenges and opportunities associated with this role.

The Lab-XL project has been in place since September 1999 and has been able to develop important lessons about the effective management of laboratory hazardous waste. These lessons support the hypothesis of the project that a performance-oriented regulation provides significant value to the environment, both by facilitating the reduction of the amount and toxicity of laboratory waste produced and by enabling progressive management of other environmental aspects. This paper describes these lessons in detail and provides the data from the pilot institutions that demonstrate the project's successes.

The Belgian Air Force successfully carried out flight trials of the latest Low Light CCD focal plane technology during December of 2003. Simultaneous imaging of the ground was performed by conventional CCD, Infra Red Linescan and Low Light CCD reconnaissance sensors; provided and integrated by Thales within the Modular Reconnaissance Pod (MRP). This paper reports on the results and compares capability of the technologies.

Pushbroom Electro-Optic sensors have been developed and brought into full production, entering service in year 2000 on RAF Jaguar and Belgian Air Force F-16. The use of fiber- optic gyroscopes, closely coupled to the focal plane electronics, permits correction of all motion effects and provides practical high quality, stereo imagery at high V/H ratios. This paper describes technical features and samples of imagery from a scalable range of sensors incorporating focal lengths from 38mm to 900mm and operating throughout the full flight envelope of modern fighter aircraft.