Health and safety in the laboratory and field

Introduction

Ths unit is an adapted extract from the course Postgraduate research skills in science (STM895)

This unit is designed to introduce you to the concepts of health and safety within a science laboratory or in the field. There are a number of legal requirements that must be adhered to before carrying out work in a laboratory. One of these is the necessity to carry out risk assessments on the chemical and biological agents that are to be used as part of your practical work activities. As part of this process you may be required to think about minimising exposure of yourself and colleagues to these chemical and biological agents. The following background and information is intended to make you more aware of health and safety aspects of your laboratory and field-based research work.