Create a Culture of Lab Safety: Interview with Dr. James Kaufman of the Laboratory Safety Institute

AUSTIN, Texas - Dec. 23, 2020 - PRLog -- Today we have the pleasure of introducing Dr. James Kaufman, who is the Founder/President Emeritus of the Laboratory Safety Institute – a leading voice in the lab community that has promoted safer lab practices for more than 40 years.

Dr. Kaufman, who goes by Jim, was kind enough to join us in an extended Zoom call to discuss how he got started his lab safety career and what tips he can share with architects, facility planners, lab managers, academic partners, as well as others  who are interested in improving lab safety.

Two Accidents In The First Month Of A Career As A Professional Chemist

Two accidents marked the start of Jim Kaufman's first month working at Dow Chemical in Wayland, Massachusetts – incidents that were to change the course of Jim's laboratory career forever, setting him on his lifelong mission to promote lab safety.

The first accident was caused by Jim himself, working as the new guy in Dow's chemistry laboratory.

As he mixed tertiary butyl alcohol in DMSO with potassium metal in a round-bottomed flask, it suddenly ignited, turning the glassware into a Roman candle with purple flames and black smoke. The spewing flames quickly emptied the building. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the next day, the lab manager sarcastically thanked the sheepish "Dr. Kaufman" for his colorful display of pyrotechnics but also pointedly asked if he could please save them for the next 4th of July celebrations instead.

The second accident that took place during Jim's first month at Dow was much more serious, causing a life-changing injury at the lab of his alma mater, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where Jim had received his Ph.D. in chemistry and had recently concluded his postdoctoral work.

Jim got the news of the accident from a radio news report as he was driving home after work at Dow. He quickly diverted to the scene of the accident, which had taken place just hours before. Upon arrival, he was shocked to find the force of the explosion had taken down all of the ceiling light fixtures, blown out all the laboratory windows and completely obliterated the entire corner of a lab workbench. Worse news was yet to come: the graduate student working in the lab had lost fingers on both hands in the explosion.

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