Safety First

Drawing on its annual lab safety survey, Lab Manager Magazine says that safety practices in the lab are improving. Most of the 464 respondents worked in college or university settings, followed by clinical labs, and about half of respondent worked in labs with fewer than 10 people. A few highlights:

∙96 percent of respondents said their chemical and lab safety manuals were current and accessible to workers, compared to 92 percent in 2011
∙32 percent said that their labs conducted safety inspections annually, while 30 percents reported monthly inspections
∙Eleven of 18 general safety management practice categories showed improvement compared to 2011

"As this year's lab safety survey reveals, lab safety practices continue to improve for the most part, though not to the same degree as was reported from 2010 to 2011. We can only hope that the upward trend continues, no matter how small the percentage increases," Lab Manager Magazine adds.