On December 11, 2017, EH&S’s Laboratory Safety Initiative (LSI) team hosted an Innovation Event to share new practices developed to enhance the culture of safety in UW research and teaching labs. Provost Jerry Baldasty attended the event and gave the opening speech. 
Research leaders presented innovations instated in their labs and departments to improve safety practices and safety training completion. Innovative ideas put into action to address safety issues include:
- Creating lab websites that orient staff and students to best practices, SOPs, and training documents
- Creating checklists for training and best practice expectations for specific spaces, including shared spaces and teaching labs
- Using the cloud to continuously monitor, share and update safety documents and SOP
The labs participating in the LSI who achieved a safety performance rating of 85 or higher received a certificate of their Lab Safety Award. A new Lab Safety Award for Chemical Hygiene Officers (CHOs) was introduced at this event and given to pilot group CHOs in recognition of their efforts to enhance safety practices, which are often done in addition to their job duties and studies as a research scientist or graduate student.
Over 100 researchers, students, chairs, deans, UW executives and EH&S staff members participated.
View the Innovation Event poster.
