Research labs can be both safe and productive, report shows

Cambridge, MA — Enhanced safety measures don’t reduce productivity at research laboratories, a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research concludes.

The report details how labs in the University of California system operated under additional safety regulations that were put in place after the 2008 death of a research assistant at the University of California, Los Angeles.

“UCLA, as well as the entire UC system, responded by implementing major changes to its safety programs,” the report states. “These measures included more frequent lab inspections, more stringent protocols for dangerous chemicals and more safety training for laboratory scientists.”

The new safety protocols didn’t significantly affect the publication rates of so-called “wet labs” – where experiments with chemical or biological substances are conducted. The report states that researchers in wet labs in which more dangerous compounds are used more frequently have reduced their reliance on unfamiliar hazardous compounds and flammable materials “even though their overall research agenda does not appear to be affected.”

The report’s authors conclude that their findings suggest that “laboratory safety may shape the production of science, but they do not support the claim that safety practices impose a significant tax on research productivity.”