Promoting a Safe Laboratory Environment Using the Reactive Hazard Evaluation and Analysis Compilation Tool

Abstract

In the past several years, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board has found an increase in the frequency of laboratory accidents and injuries. An independent survey of industrial and academic laboratories by the authors indicated the shortage of documentation on best practices and lack of free and user-friendly risk assessment tools to be some of the key reasons for the occurrence of safety incidents. Thus, development of a framework to document, assess, and mitigate hazards is a critical starting point for ensuring safe laboratory practices. To address this requirement, Reactive Hazards Evaluation Analysis and Compilation Tool (RHEACT), an online platform to compile and scrutinize hazards-related information, was developed. When planning an experiment, the researchers provide RHEACT: (1) information about the chemicals involved in the reaction, in the form of Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and (2) operating parameters of the reaction. Through the user-supplied SDS, an operational hazard matrix and a chemical compatibility matrix are generated. In addition, adiabatic temperature rise of the reaction is estimated to ensure that the chemistry is within user-controlled bounds. The user is provided with a broad initial evaluation of potential hazards and is notified of safety concerns associated with the reaction before conducting the experiment. We believe that this user-friendly online tool will help engender a safer laboratory working environment.

Toward Improved Safety Culture in Academic and Industrial Chemical Laboratories: An Assessment and Recommendation of Best Practices

“…At the department level, 23 out of 25 respondents were aware that their departments have a safety committee (Figure 2a). For the respondents ( 23), the committee is composed of predominantly faculty (20), department safety officers (19), and graduate students (16), and in rare cases, the committee is composed of undergraduates or industrial representatives (Figure 2b). Furthermore, 87% of the same respondents were aware that their department safety committee provides guidelines to ensure consistency in safety expectations and training across different research groups.…”

“…On the other hand, the industrial lab safety survey was aimed to assess the safety practices in industrial R&D labs/pilot plants, understand their hazard evaluation processes, and obtain helpful insights for the development of a hazard evaluation tool. 16 of 10 questions were open-ended; the remaining two questions were close-ended questions on software tools and databases used for hazard evaluation. 2.3.…”

“…Finally, the learnings from this survey also contributed to the planning and development of an online tool to support preliminary hazard and safety analysis. 16,29 This tool called Reactive Hazard Evaluation & Analysis Compilation Tool (RHEACT) provides a convenient platform for researchers to compile, analyze, and prioritize hazard-related information when planning laboratory experiments. 16…”

“…16,29 This tool called Reactive Hazard Evaluation & Analysis Compilation Tool (RHEACT) provides a convenient platform for researchers to compile, analyze, and prioritize hazard-related information when planning laboratory experiments. 16…”

“…Summary of the number of reported incidents and injuries identified by the CSB in laboratories between January 2001 and July 2018 (adapted from ref , American Chemical Society, 2021).…”