Lab Safety Training

Today I attended a general Lab Safety training coordinated by UMass EH&S in order to obtain a certification needed to work in a laboratory. The training started out talking about different hazard signs, including but not limited to: flammable, acutely toxic, environmental toxicity, and physical hazards. The woman then went on to say things about engineering solutions to safety protocol, and how those should be the first line of defense against a harmfl situation. I was surprised to learn that personal protection, aka safety goggles, gloves, and lab coats, are the last line of defense and should only be used when they absolutely need to be. Because these items are personal, there is more of a gray area when it comes to who needs to be protected at which times. Ife negineering allows the whole lab to be safe at once, then steps should be taken to improve that before relying on PPE equipment. At the end of the training I got a free pair of safety glasses, and I have my Fire Safety training on Friday.