Promoting a culture of safety at Wayne State Chemistry

By Tamara Hendrickson

The chemistry department continues to make strides toward its goal of having a safety culture that rivals that found in most industrial settings. This year, the Safety Committee rolled out two contests to reward students for their commitment to safety.

In the first, Professor Tamara Hendrickson conducts random Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) inspections, during which she hands out raffle tickets to students wearing full PPE. The Safety Committee will also host a departmentwide Safety Party on December 13, which will include the raffle drawing. PPE-wearing students will be eligible for a variety of prizes, and the highlight will be a game show to identify the safest lab in the department.

Hendrickson and Professor Matthew Allen have been conducting monthly inspections to identify labs with demonstrated commitments to state and federal safety standards. The top labs will compete in the game show, and the winning team will receive financial support for a lab outing. We don't expect Men Without Hats to attend, but it is likely that the winning team will do the "Safety Dance" in celebration.