Review of the LabSafety 2022 event in the Van der Valk hotel in Vianen.

Working safely in the lab remains an important theme. The LabSafety event was therefore once again a well-attended meeting of the Laboratory Technology sector with approximately two hundred visitors. The varied program and exhibitors were able to optimally inform visitors at the Van der Valk Hotel in Vianen.

Rik Bleijs from the RIVM Biosecurity Bureau kicked off. He discussed the dangers surrounding high-risk pathogens, toxins and technologies if they fall into the wrong hands. We spoke Bleijs before, but his argument immediately made a difference awareness among the visitors.

After a number of company pitches and a well-deserved break, Iris van 't Leven gave a lecture on preventing exposure to carcinogenic, mutagenic and other substances of very high concern. Van 't Leven has been working on safety in the lab for 35 years and during this presentation the risks for the environment were also discussed, as well as replacing chemicals with less dangerous variants.

The lectures by Jos Euser (Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate) and Marieke Klaver (TNO) also attracted many visitors. Klaver discussed how good cyber resilience is necessary to be able to work digitally safely in a lab, like she does previously reported to FHI. Because ransomware can also seriously disrupt work in a laboratory.

Paulien de Bruine-Mulder from Het Waterlaboratorium emphasized the importance of safety awareness among employees, while the lecture by Paul van Dam (Kuijpers) emphasized the importance of good ventilation. The program ended safely with the lecture by Corné Bulkmans (Muopo) about the role human behavior plays in safety aspects. Afterwards, many exhibitors and visitors of LabSafety chatted with each other during drinks.