Joel Ullom views safety as an opportunity. He relishes what he learns about the hazards of an experiment and how to mitigate them, much like how he enjoys what he learns from his research. He never stops questioning. In Joel’s mind, shortcuts to a high-quality hazard review don’t exist. He wouldn’t take one anyway. His method is to first master the parts properly before fashioning the whole. 

At the NIST Safety Colloquium held Dec.19, 2012 on the NIST-Gaithersburg campus, we heard from Vince Luciani from the CNST (safety in the CNST NanoFab), Mary Satterfield from MML (biosafety at NIST), and Matt Bundy from EL (safety in EL and its National Fire Research Facility) about how they and their colleagues developed safer facilities, collaborated to change safety practices, and used differing views on risk levels as an opportunity for change.

Many of our activities here at NIST and at home carry a low level of risk when viewed as isolated events, but if frequently repeated, they could result in mishaps if a false sense of safety lulls us into complacency. That’s why it is important for us to understand and keep in mind the effect of frequency on risk.

At the end of the Division Safety Representatives Summit held in Gaithersburg on Jan. 29, Pat Gallagher told the room of more than 50 DSRs that they play a critical role in improving safety at NIST. Although not scheduled to speak, Gallagher who was invited to the summit stood up at the end to share some closing thoughts.

If you work with biohazardous materials, bloodborne pathogens or cryogens, or plan to, you should be aware that NIST has formalized safety requirements to help you work safely with or around these substances. This spring, NIST plans to implement these requirements across its campuses; impacted staff will have several months to meet them. Find out what to expect and how to prepare.

Many events and programs at NIST invite students to join us to learn about various fields of scientific research and gain some valuable hands-on lab experience by working next to NIST researchers. Now, NIST is formalizing safety requirements for minors who come to work here.

The biggest misconception people have about working safely says Oliver Borchert, an ITL Division Safety Rep., is that they believe if they do something day in and day out, and they believe they know what they are doing, nothing can really happen to them." 

In Boulder, laboratory and other space owners who have fire extinguishers and emergency lighting in their spaces are required to conduct basic monthly inspections of this safety equipment. They can now download a simple checklist to ensure they are meeting inspection requirements and a lab inspection form to record the inspections.

Since respirators are not typically used daily or frequently here at NIST, inspection before use is especially important. Learn more about other respirator safety requirements and how to meet them.