Cultivating a safety culture, Chemistry’s Safety Day prepares 1st-year students for work in the labs

The newest cohort of graduate students learned lab safety at the Yale Chemistry Safety Day on Aug. 27 in the teaching labs of Sterling Chemistry Laboratory.

The annual event is organized by Yale Chemistry’s Joint Safety Team (JST) and Yale Environmental Health & Safety (EHS). These student, postdoc, and staff volunteers prepare 1st-year students for work in the lab by training them in safe practices and familiarizing them with safety resources.

At registration, students received a passport checklist and map to help them navigate the 17 stations they must visit to complete their training. As they watched demonstrations and participated in activities, volunteer leaders stamped their passports.

“This year, we revamped a few of our demos to make them more hands-on,” said Noah Gibson, 4th-year graduate student from the Mayer Lab, Joint Safety Team co-president, and event co-chair. “This included fluorescent dyes to show proper chemical hygiene and glove failure rates.

“We also staged hoods in the teaching labs to show the proper ‘do’s and don’ts’ of lab bench upkeep. This included infractions commonly seen by EHS officials.

“We added Biosafety Waste Training this year to bolster our biosafety representation. Big thanks to Wesley Bridges (EHS), Marisa Barilla (JST), Michael Burke (Safety Officer, Davis Lab), Matthew Pickett (JST), and Deepanshi Deepanshi (JST) for helping create and organize a great demo!”

Other demos included handling pyrophoric reagents and responding to emergency situations, including, appropriately, how to extinguish fires.  Fire Inspector Ryan Dudley was on hand to teach this skill.

Students were outfitted with safety goggles and perused a selection of personal protective equipment. They also learned the proper cleaning of glassware to prevent mishaps.

“We hope that this safety day not only equips our 1st-year graduate students with the critical knowledge and skills to work safely in the lab, but also empowers them to lead by example,” said Abbigayle Cuomo, 4th-year graduate student in the Batista and Newhouse Groups, Joint Safety Team co-president, and event co-chair. “For those serving as teaching fellows, it’s essential that they pass on proper safety protocols to undergraduates, fostering a culture of safety throughout our department.”  

After stamping all the training boxes on their safety passport, the students were that much more prepared to start their Ph.D. research.

More About the Joint Safety Team & Resources

The Yale Chemistry Joint Safety Team is a group of graduate students and postdocs from the Department of Chemistry who work with staff from Yale Environmental Health & Safety and faculty to cultivate a safety culture through trainings and educational outreach. Explore both websites for safety resources.

EHS Office Hours

Every Monday from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m., Paul Emery, Chemistry’s Environmental Health & Safety Advisor, holds office hours to discuss your safety concerns. Stop by room 205 of the Kline Chemistry Laboratory or email him for a virtual consultation.

View the photo slideshow of Safety Day.