Evaluation of awareness and safety among students and technicians in UTM research chemical laboratories

Abstract

Incidences in chemical research laboratories have been occurring at an alarming rate resulting in chemical-related injuries and illnesses ranging from skin and eye irritation to burns, chronic diseases, or death. Students need to make safety as part of their daily routine when working in chemical research laboratories by understanding particular hazardous characteristics of chemicals they are using in order to prevent accidents. Standards such as OSHA’s Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratory standard (29 CFR 1910.1450) can be used by institutions for safe work in research laboratories. The purpose of this study is to assess the awareness and safety of students and technicians in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) chemical research laboratories, to identify the type of hazards in chemical research laboratories and propose improvements to existing guidelines. For this study, a qualitative method was used for data collection using a self-administered questionnaire for students and technicians and laboratory checklist. The data collected was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPPS). After various observations and analysis, it is recommended that chemical spillage and handling should be included in the existing guidelines for awareness and safety on hazards caused by chemical and acutement substances in the chemical research laboratories; students should be given safety practices training to create awareness and prevent laboratory accidents when carrying out experiments; and laboratory inspections should be carried out to see whether the students and technicians are adhering to laboratory rules and regulations.