Safe techniques advance research science: An innovative method of delivering laboratory safety instruction to students

Students studying science or working in scientific research laboratories may receive minimal laboratory safety training prior to the start of their research and during the tenure of their research. Safe laboratory techniques are not emphasized enough as an integral part of every research science experience. Academic and research laboratories are considered hazardous environments; biological, chemical, and physical hazards are prevalent. Hazardous environments put students at risk of serious injuries and illnesses. In an effort to decrease the risk of laboratory-related injuries in the younger student population, an innovative approach to laboratory safety training was developed and implemented. The Division of Occupational Health and Safety at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) overhauled traditional laboratory safety training and provided a well-needed facelift to this essential administrative tool. We designed an interactive computer-based laboratory safety training package for our target audience comprising students from high school to university age. The game-like training incorporates common features of entertainment video games, i.e., selection of an individualized character, first-person views, and three-dimensional graphics. The method of instruction integrates visualization of consequences (e.g., slips/trips/falls, inhalation of chemical hazards, spills of biohazardous liquids), development of critical thinking proficiencies, and application of problem-solving skills. The easily-downloadable computer-based training package will be available through the NIH for distribution to high school and university academic laboratories, government agencies, and private industries that hire summer students to conduct laboratory research.