Why is storytelling so important? People have been doing it for thousands of years so there must be something behind this practice. Storytelling can be a form of entertainment, such as in plays, operas, and even movies. Passing down stories has been responsible for keeping many cultures alive. Think of a group of early homo sapiens gathered around a campfire, telling the tale of a caveman who ate a smooth, round, red berry and they did not wake up the next day. Stories have also been a part of our advancement as humans, and as a society. Without storytelling, early civilizations may not have been able to farm, build cities, or even navigate the open oceans. When it comes to laboratory safety, stories are also very valuable and should be shared for several reasons. These stories help employees and staff stay safe, but equally as important, they can protect patients. Safety stories not only shed light on the dangers found in the laboratory but can also strengthen the lab’s safety culture by igniting conversations around safety withing the team itself.
So, what kinds of laboratory safety stories can be shared? The most obvious might be stories involving employee injuries or exposures. This type of safety story really has two purposes. First, it can generate discussion around how the injury could have been avoided. If a coworker sustained a hazardous chemical splash to the face, but was wearing safety goggles, staff should conclude that full-face shields must be worn for that process to provide adequate protection. Secondly, the story can make the possibility of an incident more of a reality to others not involved. Have you ever heard someone say, “that could never happen in my lab?” Telling true stories about incidents raises awareness that those types of things can and do happen.
Probability and science demonstrate that almost every possible accident can happen in a lab, it just has yet to occur. Without events occurring over time, employees may become complacent with the biological and chemical risks in the lab. Once this feeling of “immunity to incidents” sets in, employees begin to take short cuts or to pay less attention to tasks, then the chances of an accident increase. Something else could make someone deliberately let their guard down. A person may choose to perform an unsafe act because they do not perceive a risk associated with their actions. If an individual feels that the risk is low or absent, they may not take the necessary precautions (like donning their PPE) before answering a lab phone or pouring xylene into a beaker. Sharing the details around lab accidents will help eliminate any false feelings of security staff may have when working with hazardous substances.
Safety stories do not always have to be centered around negative outcomes, though. Safety stories can also highlight near misses or great catches. It is just as important to discuss (or even celebrate) when bad outcomes are avoided. Talking about events with a positive spin can help motivate staff and boost morale. Some safety stories may not be directly lab-related. It might be just as meaningful to share a story about walking out of the office without your keys and getting locked out of the department.
When is it a good time to share a safety story? Luckily, I work for an organization that believes in starting every meeting with a safety story. Each morning, managers from all hospital locations, along with other key support staff, meet virtually to discuss important items and the status of their labs. Before the team members report out, the person leading the meeting will ask a participant to share a safety story. Of course, injuries and exposures are shared, but other times team members may talk about a successful conversation they had with an outside department. Recently, when an unusual amount of snow fell in the state, many safety stories were shared about how to safely walk on ice and why it might not be a good idea to use hot water to help defrost your car windshield.
It is great that the managers get a chance to share these stories, but it should not stop there. The safety stories have a greater impact in the lab if the lessons learned make it to the staff level. Sharing these stories at a shift change or huddle can be very helpful. Labs with the greatest safety culture are those that routinely discuss safety daily.
One goal of sharing safety stories in the lab is to ultimately avoid unfavorable events. To accomplish this goal, the lab must first understand how the event occurred and what might be missing from the current process that created the opportunity for failure. Like the stories of old that helped keep cultures alive for generations, safety stories are an awesome tool that will maintain your own strong safety culture for years in the laboratory.
-Jason P. Nagy, PhD, MLS(ASCP)CM is a Lab Safety Coordinator for Sentara Healthcare, a hospital system with laboratories throughout Virginia and North Carolina. He is an experienced Technical Specialist with a background in biotechnology, molecular biology, clinical labs, and most recently, a focus in laboratory safety.