(58f) Process Safety, Moving From the Classroom to the Research Lab

Instructors with experience with the US Chemical Safety Board, classroom instruction, and application of process safety techniques to research application will describe how a combination of classroom instruction on process safety, along with application of techniques learned in the classroom to academic lab research processes, provides multiple benefits to both students and principal investigators.   Benefits of process safety to research operations are many, including but not limited to the generation of P&ID drawings which can be used for both training and management of change as students and processes change, a solid understanding of the error modes and safety controls needed, and the non safety, process quality and reliability benefits which are also derived from a process safety review of laboratory processes.  An example of a team approach involving the principal investigator, students, and EH&S staff is included along with discussion of various lessons learned through the application of hazard analysis techniques in laboratory settings.  Application of process safety techniques need not wait for deployment after graduation and employment in the industrial sector.