Survey Says: Comfort Improves Safety (Part 1 of 4)

By Brian Garrett, LEED Green Associate, Product Manager

Between May and June 2013, fifty-three (53) laboratory managers and professionals were polled on LinkedIn to gauge the importance of the correlation between comfort and safety. Of those respondents, 49 (92%) indicated that comfort does increase laboratory safety.

Beyond the scope of the study, a conversation developed; Sanbyemba O. (Burkina Faso) noted that, “comfort helps carrying out duties in [the] safest and easiest manner. Discomfort leads to pains, stiffness, fatigue, … etc.” This is neither anything new, nor novel to laboratory-based professions, and there is little doubt that laboratory workers are at even greater risk due to the very nature of the substances (chemical, biological, pharmaceutical, etc.) they handle. Yet one time accidents, such as spills, are not the only risk, says another participant.