Leading the safety landscape

Abstract

The American Chemical Society has long advocated for best practices for laboratory chemical safety in academic institutions. Since its creation in 1963, the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS) has served as a resource to other ACS units on matters related to chemical safety and health. CCS has, for example, produced a number of safety guidance resources, which are available at www.acs.org/safety. The committee also works with other organizations to promote safety. CCS contributed to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine report “Safe Science: Promoting a Culture of Safety in Academic Chemical Research” and the Association of Public & Land-grant Universities’ “Guide to Implementing a Safety Culture.” The committee exceeded expectations in response to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s recommendation to develop guidance to support risk assessment in chemical research labs. In 2015, the committee’s Hazard Identification & Evaluation Task Force published the guide “Identifying and Evaluat...