At the University of Utah’s College of Engineering, lab safety is a priority. To increase awareness of university safety policies, the college is hosting its first annual “Lab Safety Day” for faculty, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students.

This free special event will be held Friday, Sept. 2, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Warnock Engineering Building (WEB). Click here to register.

“The College of Engineering cares about its researchers and strives to foster a culture of laboratory safety,” says Kevin Whitty, the college’s Associate Dean for Research. “‘Lab Safety Day’ is a great opportunity for faculty and students to meet safety professionals, learn more about safe practices, and complete required safety training.”

The day will begin at 12:30 p.m. with a pizza social in the Catmull Gallery in WEB, followed by a keynote in room WEB L101 from Daniel A. Crowl (pictured), Emeritus Professor and the past Herbert H. Dow Professor for Chemical Process Safety in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Michigan Technological University.

Crowl is author of the textbook Chemical Process Safety, Fundamentals with Applications, now in its 4th edition, author of the AICHE SAChE certificate module on Lab Safety, and author/editor of the process safety section for the past three Perry’s Chemical Engineering Handbooks.

His awards include AIChE’s Bill Doyle Award, the ACS Chemical Health and Safety Award, the Walton/Miller award from AIChE’s Safety and Health Division and the Merit Award from the Mary K. O’Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M.

After Crowl’s keynote presentation, representatives from the university’s Environmental Health and Safety department will lead training sessions, safety panels and demonstrations in the Catmull Gallery of the Warnock Engineering Building. Topics range from emergency management and fire drills to Personal Protective Equipment and spill cleanups in the lab.