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The COVID-19 Pandemic as a Stress Test for Laboratory Safety Teams

Laboratory safety teams (LSTs), led by graduate student and postdoctoral researchers, have been propagating across the U.S. as a bottom-up approach to improving safety culture in academic research laboratories. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, LSTs relied heavily on in-person projects and events. Additionally, committed Champions from the ranks of safety professionals and faculty were critical to their operation and continued expansion. As was the case for many existing systems, the COVID-19 global crisis served as an operational stress test for LSTs, pushing them to unexpected new limits. The initial spread of COVID-19 brought with it a shutdown of academic institutions followed by a limited reopening that prohibited in-person gatherings and disrupted standard lines of communication upon which LSTs relied. Safety professionals and faculty members were required to take on new duties that were often undefined and time-consuming, substantially impacting their ability to support LSTs. In this case study, we report the impact of this operational stress test on 12 LSTs, detailing the adaptive means by which they survived and highlighting the key lessons learned by the represented LST leaders. The key takeaways were to spend time nurturing relationships with a diverse array of Champions, securing stable funding from multiple sources, and networking with members of LSTs from different institutions to strengthen moral support and broaden ideation for common challenges.