Safety Education in the Context of the ACS Guidelines, "Undergraduate Professional Education in Chemistry: ACS Guidelines and Evaluation Procedures for Bachelor's Degree Programs"

Among the tasks that the ACS Committee on Professional Training undertakes is the periodic revision of the ACS Guidelines and Evaluation Procedures for Bachelor's Degree Programs (also known as "the guidelines"). Because the guidelines recommend and/or mandate practices for the safe education of undergraduate students, laboratory safety is addressed at multiple points within them. In the 2015 revision, laboratory safety instruction is addressed in the skills section, along with other aspects of student training that should be included throughout the entire degree program rather than in an individual course. The guidelines also address broader aspects of laboratory safety, including the physical plant and the training of lab instructors. Revisions of the guidelines are in progress, with the committee strongly considering enhancing the guidelines in the area of development of the safety culture within programs. This work is intended to introduce readers to laboratory safety in the context of the guidelines revision process and how proposed changes to the guidelines will further foster a positive laboratory safety culture.