Dangers of working in a biological and chemical lab

Working with biological and chemical substances in a laboratory can pose a risk to employees and the environment. To reduce the risks, employers are required to provide personal protective equipment to their employees. But who is responsible for the use of these resources? This issue addresses Gijsbert van Willigen of LUMC during his presentation. In addition, Marcel van Bergen from Radboudumc on setting up a biorisk management system to manage risks within an organization.

Gijsbert van Willigen gives a number of examples during his presentation of where things can go wrong. This concerns the incorrect use of personal protective equipment or the non-use of personal protective equipment. The conclusion of the presentation will be that working safely in laboratories is a joint action of many players in the field of safety and therefore everyone's responsibility.

Marcel van Bergen explains why it is important to perform a Risk Inventory and Evaluation in order to be able to make statements about the safety level and to map risks. Quantification of bottlenecks can help to prioritize actions. A special branch of sport in this is microbiological safety in laboratories. When performing work, employees run a good chance of being exposed to biological agents. In case of exposure, these agents can pose a health hazard. Many laboratory infections can be prevented by taking precautions. Measures that are often applicable in microbiological laboratories concern safe working methods and biological and physical restrictions.

Interested in attending both presentations? Register here for a visit to LabSafety 2019.