Analysis of injury data to improve safety and training

We used injury data to evaluate trends in laboratory-related injuries at Iowa State University from 2001–2014. We determined that students (graduate assistants and student employees) are the most frequently injured group, comprising 40.9% of the laboratory-related injuries, suggesting the need to expand and enhance safety training. To this end, we are moving away from classroom-only training and are incorporating multiple learning methods into our training program. In addition, we are utilizing near misses, narratives, and anecdotes to enhance learning. Given that lacerations was one of the most prevalent injury types, we determined the underlying factors that were contributing to this injury type. We ascertained that the three leading causes of lacerations were equipment, glassware, and blades, and determined that the vast majority (74.4%) of glass-related injuries were the result of glassware breaking during lab work. We are sharing this data with our campus researchers and are encouraging them to take the appropriate steps to limit these types of injuries, such as the use of appropriate containers and inspection of glassware before use to ensure that it is not cracked or broken. Changing the prevailing mindset of safety compliance and moving to a mindset of safety culture is perhaps one of the essential factors in increasing laboratory safety in academic laboratories. Thus the Iowa State University Environmental Health and Safety department is moving from a compliance-centered culture to one in which we use data to drive the decision-making process and our communications with researchers.