The Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI)

The Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI) The Laboratory Safety Institute is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering people to practice safer science worldwide.

No lesson is so important & no task is so urgent that we cannot take the time to Teach, Learn, and Practice Science Safely. The Laboratory Safety Institute is an international nonprofit education organization for laboratory safety. LSI provides the highest quality laboratory safety training, audits, inspections and consultation services throughout the world.

Understanding risk is one thing; overcoming it is another.We often rely on our experience to keep us safe, but neuroscie...
03/11/2026

Understanding risk is one thing; overcoming it is another.

We often rely on our experience to keep us safe, but neuroscientists point to a phenomenon called ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐š๐ฌ, the natural human tendency to believe we are uniquely "exempt" from accidents because of our skill.

The reality?
๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฅ๐š๐› ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ก๐š๐ฏ๐ž ๐š๐ง ๐ž๐ ๐จ. While we pride ourselves on our expertise, individual skill is only one layer of protection. True safety happens when we stop relying on intuition and start building ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐ข๐œ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ž๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก.

Our Two-Day Lab Safety Short Course is designed to help you bridge that gap. We move beyond "bland legalese" to give you a real-world framework for protecting your team and your lab.

Why Attend?
- Master the Fundamentals: 19 core topics covered in depth.
- Lead with Authority: Learn to communicate safety effectively.
- Verified Expertise: Walk away with 1.4 CEUs and a certificate.
- Real-World Impact: Apply tested strategies for a safer lab.

Upcoming 2026 Dates (Live via Zoom):
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ March 19โ€“20
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ April 22โ€“23
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ May 12โ€“13

๐Ÿ”— Secure your spot and strengthen your safety culture: https://www.labsafety.org/2-day-lab-safety-short-course

Discounts Available:
๐Ÿ’ฐ Groups, LSI Members, and K-12/College Teachers.

Canโ€™t make these dates? We have more available on our website, or we can bring a private course directly to your organization.

Why our brains "whisper" that weโ€™re safe (even when we aren't).As experienced lab professionals, we pride ourselves on o...
03/10/2026

Why our brains "whisper" that weโ€™re safe (even when we aren't).

As experienced lab professionals, we pride ourselves on our competence. But did you know our own biology can sometimes work against our safety?

Neuroscientist Tali Sharot identifies a phenomenon called ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐š๐ฌ: our natural human tendency to overestimate the likelihood of positive outcomes while underestimating the risks.

In the lab, this often manifests as a "๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐„๐ฑ๐ž๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง." We know intellectually that chemicals are volatile, but our brains can quietly whisper: "Accidents happen to 'other' people, those who are poorly trained or rushing."

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐‘๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐’๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐ข๐œ ๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ:
Itโ€™s not about anyone's "incompetence." An incident rarely happens because of one person. It happens when multiple systemic holes like equipment, protocol, and environment align at the exact same time.

No one is immune to the laws of chemistry; our individual skill is only one layer of protection. True safety depends on the entire system working together.

Letโ€™s move beyond the ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐š๐ฌ and strengthen systemic safety culture together.

Join us this month:
- March 13: Leadership in Safety Webinar
- March 17: Lab Waste Management Course
- March 19-20: Two-Day Lab Safety Course
- March 31: How to be a More Effective CHO (Chemical Hygiene Officer)

Learn more at: https://www.labsafety.org/courses-calendar

๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐š ๐๐ž๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ. ๐ˆ๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐š ๐๐ž๐œ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง.Whether you oversee a research enterprise, lead an academic division, or mana...
03/06/2026

๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐š ๐๐ž๐ฉ๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ. ๐ˆ๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐š ๐๐ž๐œ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง.

Whether you oversee a research enterprise, lead an academic division, or manage complex laboratory operations, safety does not live in the EHS office, ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐๐ž๐œ๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ ๐š๐ซ๐ž ๐ฆ๐š๐๐ž.

In high-consequence environments, safety is not just a compliance checkbox; it is an ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ฒ. True leadership, whether formal or informal, is the foundation that protects your people, minimizes liability, and makes sustainable innovation possible.

We invite administrators, managers, and safety leaders to our upcoming ๐‹๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐ข๐ง ๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ ๐–๐ž๐›๐ข๐ง๐š๐ซ to explore the critical role leaders play in the development of effective, organization-wide safety programs:

โœ… ๐ƒ๐‘๐ˆ๐•๐„ ๐‚๐”๐‹๐“๐”๐‘๐„: Understand the six leadership principles that define safety success.
โœ… ๐Œ๐ˆ๐๐ˆ๐Œ๐ˆ๐ฟ๐„ ๐‹๐ˆ๐€๐๐ˆ๐‹๐ˆ๐“๐˜: Align regulatory compliance with institutional risk management.
โœ… ๐’๐„๐“ ๐“๐‡๐„ ๐’๐“๐€๐๐ƒ๐€๐‘๐ƒ: Move beyond manuals to active, visible safety involvement.

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐œ๐ก ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ‘ | ๐‹๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐•๐ข๐ซ๐ญ๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ
๐Ÿ”— ๐‘๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐ž: https://www.labsafety.org/events/leadership-in-safety-3-13-26

Canโ€™t make this date? Explore our upcoming scheduleโ€”or better yet, contract ๐‹๐’๐ˆ to deliver a dedicated session built specifically for your teamโ€™s unique needs.

๐‚๐ฅ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐, are you ready to lead the way in safer science?We are thrilled to announce that the ๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ ๐’๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐’๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ is c...
03/04/2026

๐‚๐ฅ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐, are you ready to lead the way in safer science?

We are thrilled to announce that the ๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ ๐’๐œ๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐’๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ is coming to ๐‚๐ฅ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ this August, and the best part? Registration is ๐‚๐Ž๐Œ๐๐‹๐„๐“๐„๐‹๐˜ ๐…๐‘๐„๐„!

This is four immersive days of high-impact, real-world learning specifically designed to bridge the gap between safety expectations and classroom reality. For administrators and classroom teachers alike, this summit serves as the ultimate roadmap to a stronger, more confident, and NGSS-aligned science program.

๐–๐‡๐˜ ๐‰๐Ž๐ˆ๐ ๐”๐’?
โœ… ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ% ๐…๐‘๐„๐„ professional development.
โœ… ๐‡๐€๐๐ƒ๐’-๐Ž๐ workshops and real-space inspections.
โœ… ๐„๐—๐๐„๐‘๐“ guidance to protect your students and your staff.
โœ… ๐‚๐Ž๐‹๐‹๐€๐๐Ž๐‘๐€๐“๐ˆ๐•๐„ sessions built for school leaders and teachers.

Donโ€™t miss this incredible opportunity to transform your schoolโ€™s safety culture without breaking the budget.
๐Ÿ”— Register Here: https://www.labsafety.org/safer-science-summit-cleveland

We canโ€™t wait to see everyone at !
03/03/2026

We canโ€™t wait to see everyone at !

Attendees โ€” registration is still open!Leading Safer Labs goes beyond the rulebook. Most courses explain the regulatio...
03/03/2026

Attendees โ€” registration is still open!

Leading Safer Labs goes beyond the rulebook. Most courses explain the regulations. This course shows you how to implement them โ€” strategically and effectively โ€” in high-consequence environments.

You wonโ€™t just leave with a certificate. Youโ€™ll leave with a practical, field-tested toolkit ready for Monday morning.

Register now:
๐Ÿ“ Pittcon Short Course -7337
๐Ÿ“… March 8, 2026
๐ŸŽค Presented by: Elizabeth Braun, Ph.D.
๐Ÿ”— Register here: https://app.swapcard.com/event/pittcon-2026/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfMzkxODYyMQ==

๐—œ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ, "๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ด๐—ต" ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ธ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป'๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ.Don't wait for a "near miss" to reveal th...
03/02/2026

๐—œ๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฆ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ, "๐—ด๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ด๐—ต" ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ธ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ป'๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ.

Don't wait for a "near miss" to reveal the gaps in your safety protocols. This March, sharpen your skills, earn CEUs, and ensure your lab remains the safest environment possible for your team and your students.

Join us:
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ March 13 | Leadership in Safety (Webinar)
Secure administrative buy-in and create a top-down safety culture that lasts. Safety starts with leadership.

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ March 17 | Laboratory Waste Management Course
Stop second-guessing your disposal protocols. Master EPA and local regulations to save your facility time, money, and liability.

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ March 19โ€“20 | Two-Day Lab Safety Short Course
Gain the total confidence needed to run any instructional or research lab safely and effectively.

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ March 31 | How to Be a More Effective CHO Course
The Chemical Hygiene Officer role is evolving. Learn how to transition from a "rule enforcer" to a strategic safety partner.

Don't just learn the rules, learn how to apply them in real-world scenarios.

โžก๏ธ Secure your spot for March: https://www.labsafety.org/courses-calendar

"Lightning never strikes twice." โ€” A Deadly Bias in Lab Safety ๐Ÿง โšก๏ธPsychologists call this the ๐†๐š๐ฆ๐›๐ฅ๐ž๐ซโ€™๐ฌ ๐…๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ฒ, the mis...
02/26/2026

"Lightning never strikes twice." โ€” A Deadly Bias in Lab Safety ๐Ÿง โšก๏ธ

Psychologists call this the ๐†๐š๐ฆ๐›๐ฅ๐ž๐ซโ€™๐ฌ ๐…๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ฒ, the mistaken belief that if a disaster just happened, we are "due" for a stretch of safety. This belief causes us to treat a near-miss like a 'get-out-of-jail-free card' by assuming our tragedy quota is filled instead of treating it as a ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐š๐ฅ.

๐‹๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ: Safety doesnโ€™t live in the EHS office; it lives wherever decisions are made. Whether formal or informal, leaders are the ones who must interrupt these myths. Every time a leader ignores a "lucky" near-miss, they are allowing a ๐›๐ข๐š๐ฌ to lead their team.

Instead, every incident must be recognized as a ๐’๐ˆ๐†๐๐€๐‹ that the system's defenses have failed. If leaders do not interrupt these cognitive traps, the traps will lead the team toward the next incident.

๐ƒ๐จ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฐ๐š๐ข๐ญ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ข๐ค๐ž ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ข๐œ๐ž. Dive deeper into how leaders can dismantle the psychological traps that underestimate real risk and danger.

๐Ÿ—“ ๐–๐ž๐›๐ข๐ง๐š๐ซ: ๐‹๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐’๐š๐Ÿ๐ž๐ญ๐ฒ | March 13, 2026
๐ŸŽŸ ๐‘๐ž๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐‡๐ž๐ซ๐ž: https://www.labsafety.org/events/leadership-in-safety-3-13-26

Are your safety documents "living tools" or just "dust collectors"? ๐Ÿ“–๐Ÿ•ธ๏ธWhen was the last time a human eye reviewed your ...
02/25/2026

Are your safety documents "living tools" or just "dust collectors"? ๐Ÿ“–๐Ÿ•ธ๏ธ

When was the last time a human eye reviewed your safety manual from page 1 to the end? ๐Ž๐’๐‡๐€ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง ๐š๐ง๐ง๐ฎ๐š๐ฅ ๐ซ๐ž๐ฏ๐ข๐ž๐ฐ ๐š๐ฌ ๐›๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐ž, ๐›๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐š ๐›๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฒ ๐ฅ๐š๐›, ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ฌ๐ž ๐๐จ๐œ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ๐ญ๐ž๐ง ๐›๐ž๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž "๐ฌ๐ก๐ž๐ฅ๐Ÿ๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž."

How to know if you're ready for a review:
1๏ธโƒฃ ๐“๐ก๐ž "๐๐ž๐ฐ ๐‡๐ข๐ซ๐ž" ๐“๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ: If a new employee started today, could they find the specific spill response for your most dangerous chemical in under 60 seconds?
2๏ธโƒฃ ๐“๐ก๐ž ๐’๐ข๐ ๐ง๐š๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ž ๐‚๐ก๐ž๐œ๐ค: Is the person listed on the document still actually in the building? (Youโ€™d be surprised how often this is out of date!)

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐‚๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ ๐…๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ: If you haven't had these documents reviewed by an outside eye in the last 12 months, your lab and people are at risk:

- Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP)
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Emergency Action Plans (EAP)
- Lab Safety Manuals

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐‘๐ž๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ: An outdated safety document is a false sense of security. A professional review is the cheapest "insurance policy" a lab can have.

Ready for a fresh set of eyes? Email alie@labsafety.org to learn more about our document review services.

Is your school lab up to code? ๐Ÿงช๐Ÿ›ก๏ธInstructional labs aren't just classrooms, they are specialized environments with uniq...
02/24/2026

Is your school lab up to code? ๐Ÿงช๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ

Instructional labs aren't just classrooms, they are specialized environments with unique risks. ๐—ก๐—™๐—ฃ๐—” ๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿฑ, ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฎ is the national blueprint for protecting students and educators in these high-density spaces.

Unlike professional research labs, instructional spaces have specific requirements for:
๐Ÿšช ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ถ๐˜ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜†: Requirements for clear paths & dual exits.
โš–๏ธ ๐—›๐—ฎ๐˜‡๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฑ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น: Limits on chemical quantities (Class C).
๐Ÿ›‘ ๐—ค๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Accessible master shut-offs for gas/power.
๐Ÿ’ฆ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜† ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜…๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†: Eyewash & showers within a 10-second reach.

At ๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ ๐—ฆ๐—ฎ๐—ณ๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜† ๐—œ๐—ป๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐˜๐˜‚๐˜๐—ฒ, we believe every student and educator deserves a safe environment to explore science. Understanding these standards is the first step!

๐Ÿ’ก ๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ๐—œ ๐— ๐—˜๐— ๐—•๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐—ฃ๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—ž: This webinar is ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜ for all members!
๐Ÿ“ฉ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น for your exclusive access code to register for free: https://www.labsafety.org/events/members-only-webinar-nfpa-45-instructional-labs

Not a member yet? Join our community to get the resources you need to stay compliant and keep your students protected.
https://www.labsafety.org/membership

Is your lab waste a ticking time bomb? ๐Ÿ’ฃIn 1974, burying chemical waste was considered "standard practice." Unfortunatel...
02/20/2026

Is your lab waste a ticking time bomb? ๐Ÿ’ฃ

In 1974, burying chemical waste was considered "standard practice." Unfortunately, at one university that meant nearly 50 lbs of mercury sat in trenches beneath a popular campus park for 16 years.

Students jogged over it.
Families picnicked near it.
No one knew until a retired professor spoke up in 1990.

The Public Health Reality:
For nearly two decades, this "accepted practice" put an entire community at risk of long-term neurological and environmental exposure.

What wasnโ€™t malicious in the '70s became a million-dollar remediation project in the '90s.

The reality of Lab Safety:
"Out of sight" is never "out of mind." What we do in our labs today dictates our institutional liability and community safety for decades to follow.

We invite you to our next Laboratory Waste Management Course and master the science of modern disposal.

๐Ÿ“… Next Session: March 17th
๐Ÿ‘‰ Register here: https://www.labsafety.org/laboratory-waste-management

Canโ€™t make these dates? Explore our upcoming schedule or contract LSI to deliver a dedicated session built for your teamโ€™s specific needs. Reach out today to bring world-class safety training directly to your facility.

Don't just learn safety, be a leader in safety. Most courses tell you what the rules are. "Leading Safer Labs" shows you...
02/18/2026

Don't just learn safety, be a leader in safety.

Most courses tell you what the rules are. "Leading Safer Labs" shows you how to implement them.

This course is a strategic deep dive into the practical, field-tested skills needed to manage high-consequence environments. You won't just leave with a certificate; you'll leave with a high-impact toolkit ready for Monday morning.

What Youโ€™ll Master:
โœ… Emerging Hazards: Navigate the safety complexities of nanotechnology and psychedelics research.
โœ… Regulatory Strategy: Effectively apply the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard to modern bioanalysis.
โœ… Risk Mitigation: Gain case-study insights to identify and close institutional oversight gaps before they become liabilities.

Course Details:
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Date: March 8, 2026
๐Ÿ“ Event: Pittcon Short Course -7337
๐Ÿ—ฃ๏ธ Presented by: Elizabeth Braun, Ph.D.

๐Ÿ”— Register here: https://app.swapcard.com/event/pittcon-2026/planning/UGxhbm5pbmdfMzkxODYyMQ==

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Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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Our Story

The Laboratory Safety Institute is a nonprofit educational institution providing safety courses and consulting for chemical laboratories worldwide.

We have taught courses to more than 100,000 people in 27 countries, spanning 130 different industries, including research, high-tech, government, medicine, and academia. Many of our students say they love our courses because they are engaging and make a wealth of information easy to absorb and retain. Virtually any lab, anywhere can benefit from our expert training, audits and inspections.

The Laboratory Safety Institute was founded by James Kaufman, Ph.D. in 1978. While driving home from work in 1973, he heard on the radio that there had been a serious explosion at nearby Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Kaufman had recently completed post-doctoral work at Worcester Polytechnic, and had earned his Ph.D. there a few years before. Upon hearing the news of the accident, he bypassed his house, driving straight to the Worcester lab instead.

"I got there two hours after the explosion," Kaufman remembers. "The light fixtures had been blown off the ceiling, the windows had been blown out of the room. A grad student I knew blew off portions of his hands, and he was lucky he wasn't killed."