This is Part 2 of our interview on laboratory emergency equipment with Sean G. Kaufman, CEO and founding partner of the lab safety company Safer Behaviors, covering necessities like fire extinguishers, spill kits, eyewash stations, and emergency showers.
Sitting in your laboratory, can you point out the nearest spill kit, fire extinguisher, eyewash station, and emergency shower? How long did it take you to locate them? Without looking, can you name the PPE and cleaning materials inside your spill kit? What type of fire extinguisher do you have?...
The purpose of a briefing is to create a shared mental model among all team members—whether there are two individuals on the team or 10. Simply stated, a mental model is a frame of reference used to interpret the world. In a given situation, we apply that frame of reference to make sense of...
Inside the laboratory there are many safety controls for hazardous materials—but what controls do you have when transporting those materials outside the lab? The substances and materials lab workers use to do their jobs don’t appear in the building by magic. Nor are they beamed to their final...
The Joint Commission (TJC) has released its annual list of the most challenging standards for laboratories and other healthcare facilities. In 2023, many laboratories were noncompliant when it came to investigating testing errors, performing preventive maintenance and competency assessments,...
Laboratories are a unique workplace of scientific inquiry and diagnosis, but they also pose specific risks to those who work within their confines. One significant concern is the potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens, which can lead to serious infections and health complications if not...
Should physicians with possible mental health issues be required to participate in specialized physician health programs? What programs are out there? What industry developments can medical staffs follow? What isn’t helping physicians and what is?
Darryl saw the low CO2 level alarm on the microbiology incubator and went to change the tank in the nearby storage room. The valve cover seemed stuck on the replacement tank and Darryl was unable to remove it with his hands. He found a hammer and began to hit the valve cover to loosen it. The...
