Now is the Time to Plan for a Safer Laboratory in 2025

AUSTIN, Texas - Jan. 23, 2025 - PRLog -- Non-Fatal Laboratory Accidents Were Up in 2023 Compared to 2020.

In a worrying trend, newly released data compiled in the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) shows a marked increase in non-fatal accidents in laboratories and related workplaces during 2023 as compared to 2020.

For example, employer-reported accidents in Medical and Diagnostics Laboratories (NAICS code 6215) rose from 2 recordable non-fatal accidents per 10,000 workers to 8.6 non-fatal accidents in 2023 – a 430% increase.

(NOTE: Additional data on fatal accident outcomes will be available on December 19, 2024.)

Safe Handling of Dangerous Pathogens in the Laboratory is a Major Concern – Are New Regulations Needed?

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, academics and regulators have also been scrutinizing whether existing regulations and ongoing oversight of laboratories handling dangerous pathogens need to be tightened.

One of the big concerns is preventing a lab leak in which work by researchers investigating pathogens (such as viruses that harm humans) accidentally gets released into the community.

The type of research in question (which involves testing artificially enhanced pathogens to see how likely they are to, for example, lead to a dangerous epidemic) is collectively known as "gain of function research" but now is also referred to as PEPP (pathogens with enhanced pandemic potential.)

The Biden administration issued new oversight rules scheduled to go into effect May 6, 2025,* that would clarify the safe handling of biological agents, particularly those investigations labeled as of "Dual Use Research of Concern" (DURC), e.g. experiments that could add to our scientific knowledge but could also lead to great harm to public health and safety, as well as to agriculture, livestock, and the environment.

*Time will tell if the incoming Trump administration will alter or rescind these new regulations.

Design a Safer Laboratory Environment – Keep Up to Date with the Newest Changes to the NIH Design Requirements Manual (DRM)

The NIH has also updated its laboratory Design Requirements Manual (DRM) throughout 2024.

Laboratory professionals, architects, designers, and space planners should familiarize themselves with the new updates.

The current version, last updated on August 6, 2024, is designated as DRM Revision 2.1.

Within the document, the following chapters (signified with green page headings) have been updated (as of the date of publication of this article), with the NIH promising to deliver additional chapter updates on a rolling basis...

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