Psychological Safety is Lab Safety: Using RAMP to Assess DEIR Hazards

Diversity of thought creates a culture to avert disaster and a workspace where safety can be proactive rather than reactive. In a recently published JACS article, anecdotes from academia and industry describe positive situations where a bench scientist who disclosed their pregnancy led to in-depth conversations around reproductive health and best safety practices in their lab. Individuals who came from different countries, universities, or companies were empowered to bring new perspectives to improve safety and challenge unsafe practices by suggesting alternative syntheses or chemical reagents. Individuals who felt psychologically safe enough to share their cultures with others had increased engagement.

Join authors of “Reducing Risk: Strategies to Advance Laboratory Safety through Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect,” Debbie Decker of ACS CHAS, Anna Dunn of Merck, and Daniel Jacques of SUNY Brockport, as they discuss the latest research regarding the intersection of Safety and DEIR with innovative ideas on how to mitigate this hazard. Register now to discover how addressing DEIR hazards or issues by using the RAMP risk assessment framework will advance safety for all laboratory personnel.

This ACS Webinar is co-produced with the Committee on Chemical Safety and the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety.

What You Will Learn

• What is a DEIR hazard and what are some ideas on how to mitigate these risks
• How one might apply the RAMP assessment concept to DEIR hazards
• Anecdotes from academia and industry regarding how marginalization, stereotyping, unconscious or conscious bias, or other forms of exclusion have directly or indirectly led to increased safety incidents in the lab

Meet The Experts

Debbie M. Decker, Retired Safety Manager

Anna L. Dunn, Director of Safety Engineering Laboratories, Merck

Daniel Jacques, Instructional Support Specialist, SUNY Brockport