Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) again joins the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) and academic institutions nationwide in recognizing Lab Safety Awareness Week. This week is dedicated to acknowledging the accomplishments of laboratory safety programs and providing awareness of program policies, procedures, and other valuable resources available to help ensure the safety of faculty, staff, and students during laboratory research activities.
Researchers and others working in campus laboratories are encouraged to maintain a positive safety culture throughout the performance of their work.
Topics for
2026 Lab Safety Awareness Week
Select any of the links below for a downloadable and printable copy of the safety poster.
2026 LSAW Activities
Is your fume hood being used safely — or as storage?
Help improve lab safety and airflow efficiency by participating in our Fume Hood Cleanout Contest!
Remove unnecessary items from chemical fume hoods and ensure they are:
- Free of chemical storage
- Clear of clutter and unused equipment
- Ready for safe use and proper ventilation
How it Works
- Who can participate: All research and teaching laboratories
- What to do:
- Remove chemicals not actively in use
- Dispose of expired or unneeded chemicals properly
- Relocate stored chemicals to approved storage areas
- Ensure proper clearance for airflow
- Submit before and after photos to EH&S by scanning the QR code or clicking on the submission form link below.
Lab Safety Awareness Week 2026: Fume Hood Cleanout Contest – Fill out form
- Submissions will be accepted during Lab Safety Awareness Week.
- Deadline to enter is by 5:00pm on Friday, February 13th.
- A winner will be recognized and receive a small prize!
Labs will be evaluated on:
- Clear and unobstructed hood workspace
- Proper chemical storage practices
- Removal of expired or unnecessary chemicals
- Overall organization and safety compliance
Need Help?
EH&S is happy to assist with:
- Chemical disposal guidance
- Storage compatibility questions
- Fume hood safety requirements
Do you know someone who goes above and beyond for lab safety? Recognize an individual or lab group as a Lab Safety Superhero by submitting a nomination!
To submit a nomination, scan the QR code or click on the submission form link below.
2026 Lab Safety Superhero Nomination – Fill out form
- Nominations will be accepted now through the end of Lab Saety Awareness Week.
- Deadline to enter is by 5:00pm on Friday, February 13th .
- Winner will be chosen based on the following criteria:
- # of nominations received
- relevance of contributions
- impact made on lab safety and/or others
Additional Resources
MEET YOUR EH&S TEAM
Team Members
-
Darren Burkett — Executive Director
-
Aaron Pourciau — Director
-
Kaitlin Mejia — Laboratory & Biological Safety Officer
-
Sterling Smith — Safety Program Coordinator
-
Samantha Lindsey — Chemical & Radiation Safety Officer
-
Michael (Mike) Forrester — Safety Program Coordinator
-
Maribeth Ross — Safety Specialist
Contact Information
Environmental Health & Safety
1901 Perdido Street #1205
(504) 568-6585
safety@lsuhsc.edu
Safety Spotlight
EH&S recognizes the following Principal Investigators and their lab staff for receiving a laboratory inspection score of 95% or higher during the previous inspection cycle (July 2024 - December 2025).
Gold Level – The highest recognition given to the lab with zero (0) corrective actions (i.e., a perfect lab inspection score).
- The Taylor Lab
- The Cameron Lab
- The Gasparini Lab
Silver Level – This level represents the labs who received one (1) corrective action.
- The Lazartigues Lab
- The Primeaux Lab
- The Schoendorf Lab
- The Ronis/Pedersen Lab
- The Byerley Lab
- The Grabczyk Lab
- The Smith Lab
Bronze Level – This level represents the labs who received two (2) corrective actions.
- The Ramsay Lab
- The Mukherjee Lab
- The Desai Lab
- The Foster Lab
- The Wiese Lab
- The Wen Lab
- The Kim Lab
- The Gilpin Lab
- The Crabtree Lab
- The Belayev Lab
- The Lan Lab
- The Maiya Lab
- The Pahng Lab
- The Rosebush lab
- The Zhao Lab
Thank you for creating and maintaining a safe and compliant laboratory and for setting a model example for the LSUHSC community. Congratulations to all of you and keep up the great work!
Ways to incorporate safety
into everyday processes:
- Collaborate with designated EH&S staff to evaluate safety risks and use inspection findings as opportunities to incorporate preventative measures into everyday procedures.
- Include the discussion of current safety issues as a permanent agenda item in team and faculty meetings.
- Ask for guidance whenever there is uncertainty about a procedure or activity.
- Integrate and implement safety-checks into complex procedures and activities.
- Understand how to respond in the event of a safety incident.
- Openly discuss any near misses or incidents that occur to understand root causes and prevent future occurrences.
- Lead by example, demonstrating that safety and environmental protection are important facets of all university operations.
The dedication of teams across our campuses is essential to keeping LSUHSC’s research community safe, elevating the university’s reputation in research and scholarship.
Working together, we will continue to strengthen LSUHSC’s culture of research safety, ensuring all faculty, staff and trainees work and thrive in a safe environment.
