Safety by Design: From Concept to Lab Operations

Laboratory safety is about more than meeting codes and providing the right safety equipment. The decisions made during planning, design, construction, renovation, and commissioning can have a lasting impact on how safely a laboratory operates—and whether a space actually supports the way people work. This interactive workshop will examine how architects, lab planners, engineers, contractors, facility professionals, EH&S teams, and end users can work together to identify and address safety risks before they become operational problems.

Through real-world scenarios and facilitated discussion, participants will explore issues such as hazardous materials, workflows and adjacencies, ventilation and utilities, emergency response, construction and renovation hazards, equipment placement, access and egress, change management, and the gap between design intent and day-to-day laboratory use.

Attendees will leave with practical strategies for incorporating safety into project decisions from concept through occupancy and ongoing operations.

Learning objectives:
1 Identify common safety risks that can emerge during laboratory planning, design, construction, renovation, commissioning, and occupancy, and recognize opportunities to address those risks earlier in the project lifecycle.
2 Evaluate how laboratory workflows, hazardous materials, equipment, utilities, ventilation, adjacencies, access, and emergency response requirements should influence design and project decisions.
3 Apply collaborative strategies that bring end users, architects, lab planners, engineers, contractors, facility professionals, and EH&S personnel into safety-related decisions throughout a project.
4 Develop practical approaches for identifying gaps between design intent and real-world laboratory operations and incorporating lessons learned into safer, more resilient laboratory environments.