The University of California Center for Laboratory Safety, BioRAFT and Nature Publishing Group have joined forces to launch an international survey to identify issues impacting laboratory safety. The survey invites researchers to anonymously answer questions about lab safety practices and attitudes. The results will provide information needed to design policies and lab safety programmes that protect researchers from harm without unduly impacting their work, that reduce institutional risk, and that can be used to develop software solutions that ease compliance oversight and management.
The survey asks questions about types of materials used in research, training practices and policies, and attitudes and beliefs about existing safety practices and their impact on research. Researchers who do not receive a direct invitation are encouraged to complete the survey at go.nature.com/7LDJlI.
Laboratory safety practices are coming under increased scrutiny following several accidents that have resulted in injuries or death. Many institutions implement or alter policies with the intent of improving laboratory safety. However, without independent evidence and an understanding of existing culture, they cannot ensure that they are achieving the desired results, it is felt. This survey is seen as the first step to gather data required to study these issues more closely, and to better understand the reality of modern-day lab safety from the perspective of the researcher.
The survey builds off of existing work and interest of each of the collaborators. The UC Center for Laboratory Safety hopes the project will further its data-driven mission of improving safety. BioRAFT joins the other partners on the survey to better understand how to strengthen its laboratory safety and compliance management software solutions for researchers and institutions. It recently received an investment from Digital Science, the sister company of survey partner Nature Publishing Group, to support its work.
Nature Publishing Group is partnering on this survey project as a service to the community of scientific and medical researchers.
