- Respiratory hazards in nonbiochemical academic laboratories, studios and workshops are varied and can pose risks to staff and students.
- Local exhaust ventilation or respiratory protection usage and maintenance are lacking or insufficient in these settings. As with biochemical academic laboratories, there are opportunities to improve the safety culture in nonbiochemical academic workspaces.
- This exploratory study sought to identify and assess the risks associated with respiratory hazards generated by equipment and processes in nonbiochemical academic laboratories, studios and workshops.
Laboratories are central to practically every research-based university. Typically, academic laboratories are closed, crowded spaces with various hazards including dangerous equipment and chemical agents to which staff and students are exposed daily (Ali et al., 2015; AlShammari et al., 2021; Ozdemir et al., 2017; Salazar et al., 2020). In addition, students in academic laboratories often work alone with little or no safety and health training (Abu-Siniyeh & Al-Shehri, 2021; AlShammari et al., 2021; Cook et al., 2020; Groso et al., 2012; Ozdemir et al., 2017). It is therefore not surprising that studies have found a general lack of awareness among students about the hazards and associated risks that may be found in the labs where they work (Abu-Siniyeh & Al-Shehri, 2021; AlShammari et al., 2021; Groso et al., 2012; Ozdemir et al., 2017). Furthermore, studies have concluded that most academic laboratories lack a positive safety culture, which is the shared beliefs, attitudes and behavioral norms concerning safety in the workplace; therefore, safety and health is not necessarily a priority (Gutiérrez et al., 2013; Schröder et al., 2016). Consequently, students and staff who work in academic laboratories are at risk of experiencing incidents, injuries or, in some extreme cases, death (Ali et al., 2015; Salazar et al., 2020).
