Laboratory safety programs at Princeton University

1. Setting the Bar: Safety
Education at Princeton
University
Robin M. Izzo
Associate Director, EHS
Princeton University

2. Princeton Profile
• 13 Science and Engineering Departments in 17 lab
buildings… and growing
• Population
– 4600 undergraduates
– 2000 graduate students
– 1100 faculty
– 11,500 staff (5500 FTE)
• ~150 Principal Investigators
• ~600 Laboratories
• 13.45 FTE EH&S

3. Policy on Lab Safety Training
All individuals working in Princeton
University laboratories, paid or unpaid,
including faculty, staff, students and
visitors, must attend Laboratory Safety
Training provided by Environmental Health
and Safety. Attendance at similar
laboratory safety training provided by other
institutions does not satisfy this
requirement.

4. Undergraduates
• Undergraduate course labs
– EHS reviews all lab manuals
– T.A.s receive Train the Trainer
• Lab Safety
• Managing risk-accepting students
• Escalation process
– Hazards and precautions written
into procedures

5. Science Majors
• Declare major junior year
• Junior core labs
– Chemistry
– Molecular Biology
– Physics
– Chemical & Biological Engineering
– Electrical Engineering
– Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

6. Core Lab Training
• All undergrads receive same level of
training as graduate students, faculty and
staff
• Conducted as a lab class or
mandatory evening meetings
• Purpose
– Undergraduate majors will work
independently
• Junior Project, Senior Thesis
• Work study

7. Others
• Any student working or studying in a
research laboratory MUST attend full Lab
Safety Training
– Often unsupervised
– Change from teaching lab to research lab
• No TA feeding safety information
• Hazards not always spelled out
• Learn to conduct a hazard assessment and
determine appropriate safety requirements

8. Princeton Lab Safety Training
• At least 3-hour classroom training
• Lecture, case studies and test

9. Princeton Lab Safety Training
• Safety Culture at Princeton University
• Raising Safety Concerns
• Risk Assessment, Risk Acceptance
• Emergency Procedures
• References and Resources; how to use
them
• Risk Assessment
• Health Hazards

10. Princeton Lab Safety Training
• Particularly hazardous substances
• Nanomaterials
• Controlling vapors
• Flammable materials
• Corrosives
• Compressed gases
• Cryogenics

11. Princeton Lab Safety Training
• Electrical Safety
• Pressure vessels
• Ergonomics
• Engineering controls and PPE
• Shipping chemicals and samples
• Hazardous waste minimization
• Hazardous waste management

12. Princeton Lab Safety Training
• Case studies
– Split into groups
– Conduct hazard assessment
– Discuss how to proceed safely
– Talk about process when things
go wrong
– Discuss why people choose not to work safely
• Test
– EHS test or test as part of course

13. In-Lab Training
• PI or Lab Manager conducts additional
training
– General issues recommended by EHS
– Other issues specified by the lab
– Specific equipment
– SOPs for unusually hazardous materials
– For equipment and SOPs
• Document instruction
• Document proficiency demonstrated
• Specify requirements for prior approval, supervision,
working alone

15. Graduate Students
• All receive Lab Safety Training
• School of Engineering and Applied
Sciences
– 6 week non-credit course
– Mandatory for all students except strict theory
students (who will not be allowed in labs)
– General lab safety plus
• Fire extinguisher training
• Physical hazards
• Laser safety

16. Art Students
• Specialized safety training
• Chemical safety
• Media-specific issues
• Environmental impact
• Mandatory for all visual arts majors

17. Reinforcing Training
• Lab Safety Advisories
– Single page with photos
– Single idea
– Intended for posting
– Bar codes to point to additional information
• Lab visits
• Recurrent training

18. In a Nutshell
• Undergraduate science
majors should have same
base of information as
graduate students and
staff
• FUTURE: Web modules
and short videos to
complement classroom
training

19. Questions?