(58j) Safety Demands and Proposal Solutions for Laboratories and Searching Centers in Brazilian Universities

Laboratories are areas of work and / or teaching used to conduct experiments for purposes of teaching, research or application of scientific processes. This includes chemical, physical, medical, microbiological, genetic engineering laboratories, etc. Brazil lacks specific standards or safety manuals to guide a structured risk analysis to be applied to laboratories. It is left to the occupational safety professionals to associate several safety standards such as Governmental Regulatory Standards Norms (NR) from the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), Military Fire Brigade and RAGAGEPs from the Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (ABNT).

It is common to find professionals involved in laboratory experiments in universities and others publics research centers that. . Even highly qualified and specialized persons in their field of research, do not have safety training or education. The absence of a well-developed safety culture in these researchers, coupled with the lack of industry standards and legislation, can lead to deviations, neglect of simple safety rules, and improvisation. These factors have already resulted in serious accidents.

This article aims to cover the main risks involved in the activities carried out in the laboratories with a focus on the methods, technologies and main processes. It is important to note that specific risks, such as those associated with electrical, mechanical or biological hazards, for example, should be carefully evaluated so that appropriate measures can be defined.
The proposal is to present a comprehensive analysis of safety for the activities in research and teaching laboratories. This methodology can be applied to chemical, physical, research and pilot testing laboratories. Brazilian RAGAGEPs and international safety guidelines applicable to laboratories have been identified and will be presented.