Integrating safety into academic culture

Integrating safety with business operations is a problem which challenges all industries, and it can pose unique concerns in academia, as pointed out by a variety of recent reviews of academic safety. Academics must incorporate safety concepts into the engineering and science curricula without significantly adding to the students' course loads, and they must attempt to make safety education a facilitator of teaching and research activities instead of, as is often perceived, an impediment. Several factors drive this effort in addition to the risk of injury or illness, including litigation, societal expectations for "safe products," and potential for loss of research funding or tuition if safety is not included in the institution's core values. This paper will explore challenges faced and initial successes achieved by one university in enhancing its safety culture and reducing overall risk.