Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/18/2023
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location
Rhines Hall 125
Categories
Shailendra Singh, Ph.D.
Director, UF Environmental Health & Safety Division
University of Florida
Dr. Shailendra Singh is the Director of the Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Division at the University of Florida. He oversees laboratory and research safety, occupational safety and risk management, and facility support programs. His team supports the University’s mission to establish a safe and healthy environment for the university community and to lead compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
Prior to joining UF, Shail also served as the Director of EH&S at Carnegie Mellon University, established the EH&S program at Brammer Bio, and managed the Chemical Hygiene Program at the University of Delaware.
Before moving to the EH&S world, Dr. Singh worked as a Research Scientist in the Department of Chemistry and in the College of Pharmacy at UF to develop new molecules for green technology, cancer and iron-overload treatment. He has published over 40 peer-reviewed research articles in international journals. He has a Ph.D. in physical science, an MBA, and recently completed an MPH from Johns Hopkins University. He is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) and certified as Chief Risk Officer. He has volunteered during natural disaster emergencies in Florida and has served as a judge at various Science and Engineering Fairs.
Abstract
Over the past two decades, there have been several major accidents in academic laboratories around the world, which resulted in significant injuries and fatalities. Contributing factors to these accidents can be identified at multiple levels: risk associated with the materials or equipment, risk associated with the skills, knowledge and choices of the research personnel, characteristics of the research lab and PI and the risk factors arising from the department or institutional level.
As scientific discoveries advance research and innovation, scientists have become more aware of the health and safety risks laboratory work poses to both lab workers and the general public. It’s important to have safeguards put in place to minimize the chance of a laboratory accident or accidental exposure. The longer a lab goes without an accident, the easier it is to forget that there are safety protocols.
This seminar will include a discussion on the various ways labs can prepare their space for common lab emergencies and how they can handle those accidents and incidents. We will also share a couple of the new initiatives UF EH&S division started in 2021 to improve the university-wide safety programs.