Introduction

Occupational safety and health precautions are integral to protecting today's labor force in various domains and occupational classifications globally. More so, global and national laws and policies have been set up to ensure that the labor force is protected from any harm, hazard, or accident in their workplace. These hazards include life-threatening events, infectious diseases, mental and physical abuse, and any other damage a worker may face. This paper focuses on the health and safety measures set for laboratory workers and scientists in Canada and the risks they face in their workplaces. Thus, it is integral to identify the policies and regulations established for laboratory scientists to reduce the cause and adverse effects of accidents and other risky events in their workplace to better save lives and ensure more labor force security. 

Laboratory Workers

Nature, Context, and Dimensions of Laboratory Workers

Although laboratory workers vary according to the type of laboratory, most are similar in their job descriptions, tasks, and occupation requirements. Laboratory workers are integral in maintaining institutional lab samples and supporting scientific investigations and evaluations through various tests, experiments, and such activities ("Laboratory technician: job description"). Thus, the major tasks for any laboratory technician include undertaking scientific tests and experiments, ensuring proper storage of laboratory substances and equipment, collecting samples and their evaluation, and recording data on the samples, operations, and results from the laboratory. Laboratory workers are in charge of critical responsibilities ensuring laboratory safety, such as labeling samples and substances in the lab, planning for and safely managing tests and operations, and ensuring proper and safe storage of hazardous and non-hazardous materials. Since laboratory workers are in charge of their workplace, they also ensure others' safety while in the laboratory, including themselves. Hence, the requirements for laboratory workers include an adequate understanding of substances and operations in the laboratory, an adequate understanding of laboratory health and environmental safety management, and necessary background education. Additionally, laboratory workers must be medically fit and physically excellent for the occupation. Medical background checks must be done to ensure that the workers have no preexisting medical condition that makes them vulnerable to laboratory substances or activities. Thus, laboratory workers and technicians are not only responsible for standard lab tasks but are critical for their own safety and that of others while in their workplace. 

Nature, Context, and Dimensions of Laboratory Industry

The laboratory domain is wide based on the various types of laboratories which vary based on their functions. In this case, some categories of laboratories include research labs, forensic labs, health, and clinical laboratories, manufacturing laboratories, academic laboratories, and many others ("Laboratory technician: job description"). Similarly, other categories of laboratories depend on the scientific field the lab is involved in. These vary from biological laboratories, physics-based laboratories, chemistry-based laboratories, or biochemical laboratories. These different types are associated with different risk factors due to the different nature of possible hazardous devices, substances, and operations the laboratory workers undertake. Despite the lack of competition and minimal outside factor effects, laboratories are often high risk and a "dirty industry" based on the number of hazardous substances and possible infectious objects the worker contacts. More so, these substances may be life-threatening, including possible events such as laboratory accidents, which may be lethal for those in the laboratory and anyone else nearby. Therefore, laboratory technicians must be cautious with standard hazardous materials and new possible dangerous materials while collecting samples and be careful in operations not to cause accidents. 

Laboratory Risk Assessment

The management of laboratory workers' occupational health and safety measures is critical to ensure protection against a wide range of risks and potentially life-threatening events in the workplace. Although laboratory risks differ in their effects, the major laboratory direct risk causes include contact with hazardous materials, substances, or energies (Reese, 2018). These direct causes also vary with their types according to the kind of laboratory the worker is in. Laboratories types range from research labs, development labs, test labs, and clinical or medical labs such as pharmaceutical and necropsy labs to biochemical, chemical and physics laboratories. Thus, where the main causes of risk are hazardous materials and energies, these also vary in their types from energy sources such as explosives, electrical and high-voltage risks, noises, chemical and physical radiations, and thermal energies, to hazardous substances such as poison gases and materials, corrosive metals, dust, and infectious substances (Reese, 2018). More so, these hazardous materials are risky not only through direct contact but also through improper management and storage since workers can be exposed to them through inhalation and ocular invasion, besides skin penetration and ingestion. Energy releases such as noises, explosions, and radiations are more lethal and dangerous since they can create immediate life-threatening events, especially through laboratory accidents. Thus, laboratories need to determine all risk forms in their workplaces, the effects of each risk form, and the necessary measures needed to combat the risks, including emergency protocols such as first aid for laboratory injuries. 

Health and Safety Profile

The Canadian occupational health and safety standards are set to ensure most if not all institutions follow these guidelines, primarily federal and provincial government-run institutions. Depending on each job group classification according to the National Occupation Classification list, these occupations are mandated and protected by various rights and responsibilities that adhere to these guidelines ("National Occupational Classification 2021," 2022). For example, in Canada, job group O workers, which primarily consists of managerial, governmental, and administrative workers in society, are given more responsibility according to global and national guidelines to ensure their workforce safety and health management from any risks from their respective workplaces. Moreover, employers and managers are responsible for training and ensuring competence in safety guidelines for their workers. Still, employers must monitor and determine appropriate workplace conditions that may harm workers, such as radiation exposure, magnetic and electronic fields, hazardous substances, and any other risks, and provide technical solutions and guidelines to ensure health and safety. Therefore, the health and safety guidelines are primarily built through both technical policies and workforce understanding and competence of these safety measures.

Laboratory Workers and Scientists' Health and Safety Profile

According to the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System, workers' safety is managed through three crucial tasks that significantly apply to laboratory workers. This includes using labels for substances, the use of safety data sheets, and worker training and education on the necessary measures ("Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System"). The first two are primarily technical guidelines to ensure risks against hazardous materials are observed by identifying laboratory substances and their adverse effects. This is critical for laboratory workers, especially since their work is based mainly on handling various biochemical and physical substances. Other technical measures necessary for ensuring laboratory workers' safety include using protective instruments and equipment such as personal protective equipment and biosafety cabinets and segmentations. However, although technical protective measures are essential, health and safety profiles in laboratories are more determined by human attitudes, protective cultures, and administrative protocols. This includes the third Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System guideline, which determines that workers and employees are trained and competent with safety guidelines. Shekari, Shirali & Hosseinzadeh (2014) shows that human and behavioral-related causes largely cause laboratory accidents by a share of 90%. Therefore, using technical-engineering models is only as effective as the protective culture per each institution and laboratory. Cultures to ensure workers' behavior towards keeping up with technical measures such as wearing PPEs are more critical. Additionally, employers are responsible for their workers in determining any health conditions for each laboratory worker and respective allergies or adverse effects of different hazardous or non-hazardous materials in the laboratory. Hence, another primary safety guideline in laboratories includes administrative protocols limiting the number of workers accessing certain materials and studies (Gaudioso et al., 2014). Thus, with the example of laboratory workers, occupational health and safety are managed by high positive institutional culture and attitude toward protective and technical measures. 

Conclusion

Occupational health and safety protocols in Canada majorly determine that both technical measures are observed, and worker education and competency in responsibility are determined. A major example of this is laboratory workers' and scientists' health and safety profiles. Although laboratory workers and scientists have technical guidelines to ensure their safety, such as using biosafety equipment such as PPEs, health and safety are mainly orchestrated through workers' attitudes and cultural behavior toward technical guidelines. Studies show that laboratory accidents and hazardous events mainly occur due to human mishaps and behavioral insufficiencies in maintaining guidelines such as labeling materials and using safety data sheets. This is critical due to laboratories' wide range of risks and potential harm. Thus, laboratory workers' health and safety profiles are largely determined by the workers' understanding and management of necessary guidelines. 

References

Gaudioso, J. M., Boggs, S. E., Jones, L. E., & Williams, C. V. (2014). Mitigation measures (No. SAND2014-19585B). Sandia National Lab (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). From https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1574651

Laboratory technician: job description. targetjobs. From https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/job-descriptions/laboratory-technician-job-description.

National Occupational Classification 2021. Government of Canada: Canada.ca. (2022). From https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/eligibility/find-national-occupation-code.html#noc.

Reese, C. D. (2018). Occupational health and safety management: a practical approach. CRC press. From ISBN 9781138749573

Shekari, M., Shirali, G. A., & Hosseinzadeh, T. (2014). Safety culture assessment among laboratory personnel of a petrochemical company. Health and Safety at Work, 4(1), 65-72. From https://jhsw.tums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-25-89&slc_lang=en&sid=1

Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). Safety Office | The University of Winnipeg | Uwinnipeg.ca. From https://www.uwinnipeg.ca/safety/cheml-bio-control/whmis-information.html.