The Micro Gram: PSU's Lab Safety Newsletter
Welcome to The Micro Gram's landing page! Below you will find the archive of previously released Micro Grams from over the years.
Welcome to Fall term! The Fall is a wonderful time of year to instill best lab and field work practices, to make sure your safety equipment is working as it should or is all stocked up (in the case of a spill kit), and to get rid of any lab waste that may have been missed over the Summer.
Exciting things you can learn a bit more about in this edition are:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and General Lab Attire
- When and how to sign up for the upcoming Lab Safety Trainings, including the Hands-on Fire Extinguisher Training (6 dates this quarter!)
- Proper Chemical Waste Practices
And last, but not least...
- Deep Thoughts with the Chemical Hygiene Committee Chair
May is a great time to look out of the lab and into the field, if that is where your research may take you.
Learn more about these topics in this edition:
- Field work safety training will be offered virtually May 2nd, from 10am-1pm. Register today!
- All about labeling! Start to incorporate best practices and avoid common pitfalls when it comes to chemical, sample and specimen labeling.
- New from the Chemical Hygiene Committee: Guidance for working with service animals and their handlers in labs and shop spaces on campus.
February houses Lab Safety Awareness Week (February 10-14, 2025)! Learn more about these topics in this edition:
- Annual chemical inventory review - how to get started!
- How to safely navigate in icy conditions
- How to prepare your lab for an earthquake
- Meet the new Chemical Hygiene Committee Chair: Nic Meier!
October is Biosafety Awareness month! Learn more in this edition:
- *New* things coming your way, if you work with dichloromethane (DCM)/methylene chloride
- October is Biosafety Awareness month!
- Chemical storage tips
- Upcoming lab safety training dates
It's Metal Health Awareness month. Learn more in this edition:
- How to prepare for hot weather and potential wildfire smoke
- May is Mental Health Awareness month
- Is your lab prepared for a planned or unexpected lab closure?
- Upcoming lab safety training dates
It's Lab Safety Awareness Week! Learn more in this edition:
- Proper Chemical Storage
- Lab Safety Awareness Week events
- Field Work Safety Training - May 3rd, 2024
- Upcoming lab safety training offerings
In this digest, you will learn a bit more about:
- How to report a lab incident that occurs on campus or while performing field work
- The brand new field work safety manual and resources
- Lessons Learned: freezer turned off due to alarms sounding - 20 years of research lost
- Upcoming lab safety training offerings
Exciting things you can learn a bit more about in this edition are:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and General Lab Attire
- When and how to sign up for the upcoming Lab Safety Trainings
- Lessons Learned: Nitrogen Dewar Tip-over Incident
- PSU Green Lab Tip of the Spring
Springtime is a great time of year to take a good look at what is currently being stored in your lab's fridge/freezer.
Are there:
- things that can go?
- things to be inventoried?
- areas that need cleaning/defrosted?
- ways to decrease the impact on the environment?
A shortened version of this flier can be found here: Spring Laboratory Freezer Cleanout (short)
Featured in this edition:
- Help PSU be More Green
- Freezer Challenge
- Laboratory Safety Leads
- Become a My Green Lab Ambassador
- Upcoming virtual lab safety training schedule
Featured in this edition:
- Laboratory Hot Plate Safety Tips
- PPE for the Laboratory
- Lessons Learned: Peroxide Explosion
- Upcoming Winter Term events
- Upcoming Lab Safety Training Dates
Featured in this edition:
- Lessons Learned: PSU Lab Incident Review 2017-2018
- New Training: Undergraduate Laboratory Safety Training
- Chemical Fume Hood Use
- Science News: The Chemistry Grad School Experience
- Tips for Avoiding the Flu
- Upcoming Events
- Upcoming Lab Safety Training Dates
Featured in this edition:
- Lessons Learned: Flash Fire
- Shut the Sash
- Be Aware of Peroxide Forming Chemicals
- Proper way to Smell a Chemical
- Upcoming Lab Safety Training Dates
- Message from the Chemical Hygiene Committee
Featured in this edition:
- Lessons Learned: Understanding Procedures
- Five Steps to a Greener Lab
- Message from the Chemical Hygiene Committee
- Preventing Winter Slips, Trips and Falls
- Fume Hood Operation Tip
Featured in this edition:
- Lessons Learned: Incompatible Waste Containers
- Chemical Storage Tips
- Prevent Lab Electric Hazards
- Thanksgiving Pet Safety Tips
- New Training Opportunity: Formaldehyde
- Got Waste