In Marvel’s latest Captain America movie, I knew I was going to be treated to seeing two villains, and I wondered if they would be handled well. If you know me, you know I want the movies to stick to the source material and not wander too far away. I was happily surprised. The villains were handled well, and it was fun watching the origin of one of them unfold as the movie progressed. All heroes and villains have an origin story. Sometimes its worthwhile to know them so you can understand the character motivations as their stories progress.
As a laboratory safety consultant, I have billed myself as “the Superhero of Lab Safety.” I did that in part because I have been reading and collecting comic books for many years, and I wanted to insert my hobby into my work where possible. Superheroes are exciting, but they wouldn’t have much to do without super villains to battle. If I was truly a superhero for lab safety, I had been wondering in the last few years, who or what is the super villain? What creates a lab safety super villain?
Like many of the heroes I love to read about, I had an origin story. Terry Jo Gile, “the Safety Lady” was a renowned lab safety expert who took me, a new safety officer, under her wing and trained me. She taught me how to write, how to speak and present, how to seek out and fix safety issues, and how to run a business using these skills. We both wore capes the first time we presented together. Now she is retired from her work, and I fly around training up a sidekick of my own.
When I read my favorite comics, I noticed that many super villains were scientists, and they were created in a lab setting. Lex Luthor became a villain as a result of a chemical exposure that caused him to lose his hair. Dr. Doom was involved in a laboratory fire that burned him so badly he had to wear an iron mask and a suit of armor to hide his features. Scientist Norman Osborn exposed himself to an untested mixture which empowered him but drove him insane, turning him into the Green Goblin. The man who would become the Joker slipped on a gantry and tripped into a vat of acid which eventually drove him mad.
So, what unsafe environment allowed these villain origins to occur? What allows safety super villainy to occur in your labs? Is it the unsafe laboratory environment? Is it the technologist who refuses to put down his cell phone or wear PPE? Is it the co-worker who sees this bad behavior and refuses to coach him? Is it the laboratory leader who does not adequately support safety? Or maybe it is a combination of some or all of these factors.
Chemical safety, fire safety, exposure control, and physical safety played a role in the creation of these villains. In real life, however, unsafe practices and surroundings can result in consequences that are not as simple as becoming a villain. They can lead to time away from work, an end to a career, costs to the department, and even loss of life. Teaching laboratorians about these types of consequences is both informational and motivating.
Train laboratorians in the safe management of chemicals and biologicals in the department. Show them the location of fire safety equipment and provide regular training on how to use it. Enforce good safety practices like using PPE, washing hands, and utilizing protective engineering controls properly. Conduct regular inspection of the lab physical environment to make sure hazards are mitigated before an employee can be injured or exposed. This ongoing complete management of the lab safety program can prevent the origin story of an unwanted and pesky lab super villain.
To stop a super villain, a hero needs to shut down the environment where the villain can be created. Work around potential bumps in the road by outsmarting the villain. Manage up when necessary, and model the safety change you want to see. Lastly, a safety superhero never gives up. They keep pushing forward until they have that final victory. If pieces of a villain’s origin story are sneaking around your laboratory, put on your cape and get to work! A safety superhero’s job is never done!
–Dan Scungio, MT(ASCP), SLS, CQA (ASQ) has over 25 years experience as a certified medical technologist. Today he is the Laboratory Safety Officer for Sentara Healthcare, a system of seven hospitals and over 20 laboratories and draw sites in the Tidewater area of Virginia. He is also known as Dan the Lab Safety Man, a lab safety consultant, educator, and trainer.
