Recognizing and understanding hazards — The key first step to safety

Keeping safe in the laboratory requires the active use of the four principles of safety — R ecognize hazards, A ssess risks of hazards, M inimize risks of hazards, and P repare for emergencies (aka RAMP ). Application of all four of these principles is essential to protect oneself and others while working in the laboratory. However, the first step of RAMP, Recognize hazards, must be completed before the next steps can be followed. This paper provides some examples of incidents that illustrate the need for recognizing and understanding hazards. It analyzes these incidents and suggest approximate root causes. The many types of hazards encountered in the laboratory will be discussed as well as the need to really understand the chemical, physical and toxic properties of these hazards so that one can critically think about safety. Several examples are provided that illustrate the kind of knowledge needed to understand several of these hazards. The need for chemists and other science-based professionals to recognize and understand hazards is emphasized as an obligation for the educational community to teach safety as part of the normal chemistry and science curricula.