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J Chem Health Saf. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2021 April 05.
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Published in final edited form as:

J Chem Health Saf. 2021 March 22; 28(2): 103–111. doi:10.1021/acs.chas.0c00109.

Incorporating Identity Safety into the Laboratory Safety Culture

Ann C. Kimble-Hill
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University Purdue University
Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States

Abstract
Chemistry practitioners, particularly in educational settings, often associate building strong safety
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cultures with compliance or regulatory requirements around laboratory glass-ware, equipment,

flammable and incompatible materials, signage, container labels, and safety data sheets. Other
fields of science also emphasize biohazardous materials, animal handling, human subject, and
ergonomics. However, little attention in the literature has gone toward describing the interpersonal
interactions and behaviors affecting the physical and emotional safety and wellbeing of laboratory
trainees and personnel from marginalized backgrounds. This work unifies known approaches of
building strong safety cultures and principles for preventing identity cues that threaten safety
within a laboratory environment. Specifically, this work uses the four principles of chemical safety
RAMP model as a conceptual framework for integrating identity safety within the laboratory
safety culture.

Graphical Abstract
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Keywords
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laboratory safety; identity safety; diversity; inclusion

Corresponding Author: Ann C. Kimble-Hill – Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University Purdue
University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202, United States; ankimble@iu.edu.
Author Contributions
The manuscript was written by contributions of all authors. All authors have given approval to the final version of the manuscript.
Complete contact information is available at: https://pubs.acs.org/10.1021/acs.chas.0c00109
The author declares no competing financial interest.
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INTRODUCTION
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The American Chemical Society (ACS) recently updated its core values to include a
statement on diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect. It states, “[w]e embrace and promote
diversity in all its forms, not only to create a more inclusive environment for the practice of
chemistry, but also to provide fair and just outcomes for all to achieve their full potential.
Inclusion of and respect for people of all backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, and ideas
will lead to superior solutions to world challenges and advances chemistry as a global,
multidisciplinary science.”1 The intent of this statement is to lead the chemistry enterprise
into appropriate approaches for making all levels of chemistry and chemical engineering
education more equitable and inclusive environments, particularly for people of diverse
backgrounds and identities. Incorporating divergent experiences broadens the collective
perspective of threats and opportunities (cognitive diversity) that drives innovation and better
problem solving.2–5 This aspirational call is particularly important as these environments
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often lack a critical mass of diverse people, therefore increasing the likelihood of blind spots
toward safety-threatening events. These blind spots can persist due to an organization’s
collective thinking that systematically distorts information and inhibits communication
despite carefully defined procedures, checkpoints, and official protocols. Such organizations
are susceptible to a culture of behavioral rigidity void of true dialogue with people deemed
outside of that societal identity norm.6 Informed changes to the laboratory environment can
be a targeted approach towards addressing this disparity and rigidity.

Laboratory environments include those used for training and research and development to
advance the chemistry enterprise at large. The regulations that guide them are different, but
many of the experiences remain very similar. During my time as Chair of the ACS
Committee on Minority Affairs and member of the ACS Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect
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Advisory Board, I have become aware of many of these unequal, discriminatory, and biased
experiences that affect people from nonmajority groups. Many of these stories often mirror
my own as I traversed educational pursuits in various chemistry and chemical engineering
departments and throughout my professional pursuits in academia. From those experiences,
my fellow committee members and I have tried to provide guidance to ACS governance as
well as to our external organizational partners as they strive to improve their active
demonstrations of commitment to building diverse and inclusive environments. One of these
requests for a framework to systemically change the environment came from the ACS
Committee for Professional Training (CPT), which added a diversity section to the
guidelines for ACS Approval of Bachelor’s Programs. However, when CPT discussed this
addition with department chairs, it exposed an urgent need for guidelines or a framework
that organizations can use to “cultivate a culture that embraces diversity in [their] department
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and at [their] institution”.7 This concern echoes throughout the chemistry enterprise and
STEM as a whole, as practitioners aim to transform their environmental policies and
practices.

This work documents approaches from various known models for building strong safety
cultures in laboratory environments to incorporate interpersonal and behavioral strategies for
diversity, inclusion, respect, and equity. It then introduces the breadth and suggested

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interventions of this literature as a transformative and sustained conceptual framework that

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can be easily adopted into any laboratory environment.

THE RAMP MODEL AS A CONCEPTUAL SAFETY FRAMEWORK

The Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS) has taken the lead in authoring several
publications that shine a light on approaches for creating safer laboratory environments,
emphasizing public education and discussion about creating an effective safety culture in
laboratories.8–10 Specifically, CCS has described the safety culture of an organization as the
“actions, attitudes, and behaviors of its members concerning safety”.9 Its publications
suggest the use of the Recognize, Assess, Minimize, and Prepare (RAMP) model to shape
the safety culture of the laboratory environment.

The first step of RAMP is to recognize the hazards as anything related to the materials,
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equipment, and experiments that may be a source of potential harm or damage to a person’s
health.11 The second step of this model includes assessing the risks of the hazards by
determining the probability of occurrence and severity of the harm or damage from the
hazard.12 The dimensions considered in this step include studying the route of exposure and
understanding the possible results of exposure. This analysis then leads to a thoughtful
exploration of ways to minimize the potential risk of the hazard, the third step, which
includes identifying methods and safe practices that reduce the probability of the risk
occurring and determining the type of controls to prevent the risk.13 The final step is to
prepare for emergencies from uncontrolled hazards by incorporating procedures for all
personnel to understand their roles and responsibilities in responding to the risk.14

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety
and Health has described a hierarchy of controls to minimize risk by using basic categories
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based on attainability and effectiveness.15 The most attainable levels but least effective are
administrative controls and personal protective equipment programs. The next level includes
engineering controls, requiring strategic planning to remove the hazard risk before it can
occur. Its initial implementation cost can be slightly higher than for the previous level but is
independent of the personnel’s interaction. The highest level in the hierarchy includes
elimination and substitution of the hazard. It is difficult to implement, often requiring
changes to existing structures and procedures.

This work uses the RAMP Model and Hierarchy of Control language to demonstrate how to
incorporate identity safety principles into a laboratory environment to prevent interpersonal
interactions and behaviors that affect the physical and emotional safety and wellbeing of
diverse laboratory personnel.
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RECOGNIZING IDENTITY THREAT AS A SAFETY HAZARD

In exploring events that can threaten people based on their identities, this work defines
societal identities and describes events associated with the marginalizing of nonmajority
identities.

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Societal Identities.
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Societal identities are self-determined and externally applied characteristics that categorize
individuals in a society. These categories are used to differentiate people based on
similarities to or differences from a group.16 They are linked to stereotypes perceived by
other groups, which often leads to tribalism or “self-enhancement” of one group’s
characteristics being more acceptable than others in that society. We are all made up of an
assortment of identities whose intersection gives space for investigating individualized and
interconnected aspects, such as ethnicity, race, socioeconomic class, gender, gender
expression, sexual orientation, ability, citizenship, and native language.17–19 Each identity
axis has its own aspect of privilege, discrimination, bias, advantage, and disadvantage. An
example of this concept is that regardless of the educational background, training,
experience, and title within the chemistry-related organizations that lend to a level of
privilege, Black Women are multiply burdened by the stereotypes of being both an ethnic
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minority and female gendered person, with each aspect having their own negative impact on
intelligence, work ethic, preparation, financial, and physical perceptions.20,21 These burdens
are complicated by the additive effects of these marginalized identities, leading to
stereotypes that further disadvantage them in both educational and work environments.22–25
All of the individualized intersections of identity must be considered to understand the
potential risks, inequalities, and stigma that a person could experience in a laboratory setting
as well as to define the mechanisms within that organization where and when the use of
privileged identities can give rise to roles that minimize risks.26–28

ASSESS THE RISK

In general, laboratory hazard risks are directly proportional to the probability of occurrence
and severity-of-the-consequence value. There are many resources for determining and rating
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risks for chemistry laboratories on the American Chemical Society website.29 This work
highlights the factors to consider when determining the risk rating. To assess the risks
associated with various identities in a laboratory, one must assess the culture of the
environment before determining the probability that an identity-based threat may occur. A 2-
fold assessment of severity of consequence is necessary: (1) identify the organizational
values and policies, and potentially governing laws, that apply to those scenarios; and (2)
determine the hazard’s impact on the ability of an individual to feel safe in the environment.
The organizational values and policies, as well as the applicable governing laws, are all
specific to the individual laboratory environments. Therefore, we suggest seeking your
institution’s support units for appropriate operating parameters.

Social Identity Cues and Threats.

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Steele et al. (2002) describe social identity cues as being tied to the perception of a given
social identity and directly affecting a person’s ability to trust both the environment and its
people.30,31 We must consider risks from several sources, including from other people and
the visual cues within that environment, as well as the policies that govern that area. Some
events that can threaten a person based on their identity include isolation, bias,
discrimination, harassment, and assaults. Diverse individuals experiencing these cues
question their fit for their role and feel higher concerns about their safety than their

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nondiverse counterparts. The most dominant social group often overlooks these cues,
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therefore discounting the valid threat. As a result, people with different identities can
experience the same cue in psychologically distinct ways due to that society’s identity-
specific sociocultural and historical legacies.32–34 It may be easy to categorize identity
safety as purely a form of psychological safety, as it includes the perception of interpersonal
risk in that setting and enables groups of people to learn and perform at higher levels;35
however, this view disregards threatening cues, including physically aggressive behaviors,
macroaggressions, and systemic policies preventing the promotion and success of
historically marginalized groups in an environment or discipline. Much of the broader work
in understanding methods for fostering psychologically safe working and learning
environments may serve as a primer for individuals beginning to implement identity safety
within the RAMP model, but that literature is beyond the scope of this work.

The person(s) responsible for assessing the risk associated with this hazard must have input
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from better versed and trained resources in the diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect space.
These people have been trained to view an environment from an equity perspective, which
may influence the ability of people to learn, feel included, or perform.36 Furthermore,
applications of critical race theory in these scenarios have shown that higher concentrations
of similar but diverse identities in a setting can often remove the perception of stereotypes,
judgments, or restrictions for the individual, as they place a value on diversity and inclusion
in that space. O’Hara (2020) lists other applications of critical race theory in this scenario,
including acknowledging the convergence of interests from all parties desiring to achieve
solutions, focusing on asset (instead of deficit) building in marginalized people,
deconstructing the simple binary association of people into either black or white identities in
policies and spaces, and reworking policies and procedures that have lent to systemic
favoring toward the majority societal group.37–42
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Possible Results of Risk Exposure.

Exposure to identity threats can lead to several outcomes, including increased concerns
about belonging, fit, and acceptance;30,43,44 decreased trust;45,46 increased anxiety;47–49
impaired executive functioning;50–52 disparities in job and career satisfaction and career
aspirations;53–56 lower job performance and fewer promotions from supervisors; and
increased turnover and absenteeism.55,57–62 Diverse persons entering spaces that lack
diversity start by asking questions about connecting with others, being valued, and being
seen as more than the stereotypes of their identity.36,43,44 Sustained exposure to these threats
has been linked to increased self-reliance, acting as less of a team player, overworking
beyond exhaustion, increased stress levels, and inability to sleep. In a laboratory setting,
these symptoms would lead to depression, burnout, increased sick days, decreased
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productivity, inability to abide by laboratory protocols, increased hazardous activity, and

physically unsafe behaviors with the materials they handle.63–68 Ultimately, these can lead
to an increased turnover and, worse, injuries. Much of the literature and common practice in
this space points toward mitigating the effect of these threats by investing in training with
objectives such as instilling coping strategies and improving resiliency or empowering the
targets of the threat. The literature also suggests that continued exposure to the threats
eventually leads to not only psychological but physical ailments. In short, while the risks are

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often behavioral in nature, the results of this exposure are both physical and economical.
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Therefore, nonmarginalized people in the laboratory must share in the ownership of

minimizing the identity-based risks.

MINIMIZE THE RISK

The results of exposure to identity threats within the laboratory environment can be
minimized by building and instilling a supportive environment.69 This is particularly
important when learning and training occur, as previous reports have shown that the
psychological safety of team members is related to the team’s emphasis on a shared learning
goal and greater levels of team learning.70 Harvey et al. (2019) report that the relationship
between emphasizing the shared goal of learning and the actual learning provides a vehicle
for developing psychological safety.70 This insight suggests that the dynamic environment of
laboratories is an important point of focus for introducing identity-safety measures that
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mirror those we establish after other safety events and near-misses.71

To fully embrace DIRE principles applied to identity safety, we must identify effective
methods and safe practices described in the literature toward minimizing identity threat and
maximizing identity safety. Here, we present a review of the literature and provide context
for application within the framework of the hierarchy of safety controls in laboratory
environment (Figure 1).

Administrative Controls.
Administrative controls are generally instituted with a top-down approach using the
organization’s infrastructure to generate and provide training. This is particularly important
as the organization typically maintains an institutional knowledge resource of the most
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current (both internal and external) language, legislation, and policies that apply in the
diversity, inclusion, respect, and equity (DIRE) spaces.45,46,72–75 These trainings
communicate the organization’s DIRE beliefs and values, as well as the consequences for
policy violations. These trainings also clarify the federal and municipal laws and statutes
that govern the organization and the external repercussions violating them. All laboratory
personnel are responsible for attending the training and applying its content.

The literature suggests that organizations using factors such as empowerment and
recognition increase a person’s motivation to accomplish the organizational goal.76 This is
particularly important, as McGregor’s Theory X suggests that people are self-protective,
shying away from responsibility, especially when there is a lack of motivation or when their
own physical and safety needs are not met.77 Dobre (2013) describes empowerment as
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giving “people responsibility and authority to act as if they are in control of their destinies”
and instilling an organizational norm of decision makers recognizing the employee’s quality
and results of work.78 This type of intentional involvement and empowerment of laboratory
members is key in making them less resistant to incorporating identity safety into the
laboratory culture. Additionally, Theory Y suggests that when people are properly
motivated, they will be self-directed and highly motivated to achieve the organizational
goals.77 Once they understand the importance of creating identity-safe environments and the
relative reward mechanisms, laboratory members should have a correlative shift in

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interpersonal behavior and group dynamics.79 Chiang and Hsieh (2012) report that
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organizations having psychological empowerment and positive changes in organizational

citizenship behavior positively influenced the performance of employees, an impact that
most laboratories would enjoy.80 This foundation sustains approaches and assumptions
about the organizational DIRE culture for all laboratory members in their work conduct.81

Proper motivation of laboratory members toward more identity-safe practices requires

leaders to understand that their leadership is essential in motivating employees.82 The
laboratory leader is responsible for reiterating organizational beliefs and values and for
incorporating them into environmental norms, such as censuring the use of identity-specific
stereotypes and targeting prejudicial opinions and biased decisions.83–88 The leader of a
research or teaching laboratory builds the foundation for the laboratory culture. In a research
laboratory, the principal investigator should consider implementing requirements for yearly
training updates, obtaining signage from administrative units as continuous reminders of the
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organizational values, participating in laboratory-supported programs focused on training of

a diverse workforce, and setting clear repercussions for violations. In an educational
laboratory, the instructor carries a heavier burden for building and maintaining the identity-
safe environment. Dorothy Steele suggests that the instructor can attain identity safety by
reinforcing to students that their identities are an asset rather than a barrier to success,
acknowledging the diversity of student identities, and designing challenging opportunities
where the application of a student’s totality of experiences is welcomed, supported, and
valued.89–91 In this approach, the instructor should seek an institution’s teaching resources
that provide more opportunities for incorporating student-centered teaching approaches,
including motivating autonomy in student learning;92–96 teaching in cooperative, interactive
teams;97–99 and encouraging diversity of the students’ voices and experiences.100–102
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Engineering Controls.
The next level for minimizing the risk of identity threat is establishing engineering controls
that allow the laboratory leader and principals to strategically plan for removing sources of
the risk before threats can occur. Achieving laboratory safety control demands more
intensive work at the onset than providing administrative controls. The least intensive part of
the step is to perform an environment scan, whose objective is to examine décor (i.e.,
posters, objects, ambiance builders) that may suggest exclusion of certain identities.30,103
For example, the scan may reveal that posters in the space represent only a traditional
Eurocentric narrative, communicating that only an old, white male is successful in that
scientific discipline. While much of the laboratory décor may be discipline-specific in
nature, personnel may also bring in objects with cultural references. Scanning the space can
determine if anything may communicate that other groups are not welcome to freely express
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their identity or if the laboratory is dominated by a specific culture. The next step is
implementing an all-inclusive multiculturalism (AIM) approach,104,105 which openly
recognizes the intersectionality of identities of all the laboratory personnel and emphasizes
the importance of diverse perspectives and experiences for the success of the group’s
objective. For example, an instructor could give the same amount of praise or credit to
students who use cultural and experiential references to solve a problem as those who use
normalized STEM resources. Another example with broader implications would be to

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provide time for laboratory members to share a culturally relevant experience that would
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contextualize the subject matter or problem. Using this approach embraces both the majority
and minority identities as important so that no identity feels excluded. However, the
laboratory team should take care not to engender stereotypes, such as one ethnic group being
more capable of repairing lab equipment. Finally, leadership should establish objective,
structured criteria and evaluation policies for personnel success with systematic, structured,
and transparent procedures.106–112 These criteria provide another level for analyzing
whether certain identities may be facing inequalities in the laboratory. Leadership should
consider identity stereotypes that may be associated with the various measures.113–116 A
reported example concerns a supervisor’s correlating a laboratory member’s age with
specific knowledge, skills, and abilities level and evaluating work performance against this
assumption. This practice unfairly penalizes people who start that career pathway later in
life.117,118 Engineering controls for identity threats become a feedback mechanism for
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determining policy and procedural effectiveness or alert the leadership of the laboratory
about whether to employ other safeguarding systems, such as implementing a system of
congruent performance evaluations by people having similar intersections of identity.119,120

Engineering controls must also account for interpersonal interactions that underlie the
identity safety culture, including those between laboratory leaders and the personnel they
manage.89–91 For both the educational and research environment, the relationship is built
upon trusting, positive interactions that promote an expectation for success. Scientists often
see socialization as unnecessary to the laboratory’s objectives. However, to fully attain
identity safety through engineering controls, the laboratory leader should intentionally
cultivate social skills and social relationships within the laboratory membership. The
laboratory safety culture must include an innate caring for each member’s emotional and
physical safety. Then, identity safety can become actively instilled as a collaboration
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between learners and employees, similar to the DOW academic partnership chemical safety
culture.121–123

Elimination.
The highest level of engineering controls is eliminating the hazard or risk of laboratory
personnel from experiencing identity threats. This level requires administrative and
laboratory leaders to implement the most resources from each of the levels as they address
critical mass, access, and support. The most prevalent of the three ideas discussed in the
DIRE literature is developing a critical mass. Doing so requires including enough
individuals of diverse identities who no longer feel discomfort for being or displaying their
identity in the laboratory.124 An intentional programmatic and hiring effort is to build a
“jigsaw” of collaborative, racially diverse work-groups.125,126 Additionally, people from
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diverse identities need to have access to a broad network of role models, mentors, and
sponsors, with a particular emphasis on structured interactions with more senior level
members of the organizational structure.127–129 In addition to providing access, this network
helps individuals visualize different identities as being capable of success in the
organization, defines success more broadly based on the organizational values, and helps
them to feel valued by their organization. Educators should also cultivate a challenging
curriculum with the regular and authentic use of diverse materials, ideas, and teaching

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activities. Together, these practices serve to increase the awareness of successful diverse
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scientific practitioners while increasing the success of diverse people within those
environments.54

PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES

The final step of the RAMP model is to prepare for emergencies with a multilevel plan for
addressing events during and after their occurrence. The most important part of this plan is
clearly identifying to all staff their roles and responsibilities in the response plan.

Roles and Responsibilities.

Since every stakeholder in the laboratory’s success has a role in the laboratory response
plan,8 every member is responsible for building and maintaining identity safety as part of the
laboratory safety culture. Laboratories can adopt the four-prong approach for roles identified
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by ACS CCS: (1) organizational administration, (2) support unit(s), (3) principal investigator
or instructor, and (4) lab worker or trainee.

The organizational administration role in developing the response plan starts in earlier steps
of the RAMP model by providing both the training and tools that prepare all of the relevant
entities for dealing with the various levels of identity safety. This extends to understanding
the organization’s top-down structures and policies that affect the response plan. The
administration should also direct hazard analysis, provide weighted value of response, lead
the mitigation process, and foster an environment that constantly evaluates the sufficiency of
the mitigating controls. The administration also communicates hazardous events to external
authorities.
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Generally, organizations have units to protect personnel rights based on gender/gender

expression, race/ethnicity, citizenship, ability, equal opportunity, DIRE, and other regulatory
responsibilities. These units have a specialized knowledge that should be sought when
developing the response plan, as their staff often have a role in receiving, investigating, and
reporting on complaints.

The Principal Investigator and Instructor are responsible for managing the daily events in the
laboratory. Their role is essential in the architecture of the response plan. These lead people
are responsible for reaching out to administrative personnel who can provide support and
subject-matter expertise on the appropriate response. They should address any risks directed
toward or received from visitors to the laboratory. They also should document the activities
and behaviors concerning the event. The relationship that these people have with the targeted
person during the event is key, as it provides the layer of trust necessary for the initial
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reporting. If a leader’s behavior is an identity-based hazard, or policies/procedures make the

laboratory an incubator for identity threats by other participants in that environment, then the
organizational administrators in the unit who oversee the leader must take on this role.

The laboratory workers or trainees are the front line of defense against events, but they can
also have complex roles in the hazard. These people can include the cause, target, observer,
and bystander of the event. As active participants in a strong safety culture, they are

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responsible for challenging others in the group who have violated the approved controls.
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Depending on the organizational policies, there may be mandatory reporting responsibilities

that a person must adhere to upon observing or being made aware of an event. The
environment has to promote a sense of security for the targets to uphold their responsibility
to report the event. Finally, the people who are the cause of the event must be dealt with
based on a predetermined weighted value scale. This may also mean that the other persons in
that laboratory may be responsible for removing the hazard and resecuring laboratory safety.
The responsibility of responding at this personnel level is limited to the administrative
training they have received as well as the policies and culture communicated by the leader of
that laboratory.

Developing a Response Plan.

Three parts should be included in any identity threat response plan: reporting the complaint,
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investigating or hazard analysis, and resolution.130 The complaint should originate from the
target of the event; however, it can also come from observers and trusted leaders in the
laboratory. In essence, the plan should include who the complaint should be reported to
when an event occurs and what will be expected of them during the investigation. There
should be specific reporting routes based on the role of the person who causes the event. The
plan should also describe how the reporter will be protected to further the identity safety
culture of the lab. There should also be clear repercussions for frivolous or bad faith
complaints, such as those filed with the sole intent of harassing or embarrassing someone.131
Once the complaint is reported, personnel should clearly understand who is conducting the
investigation, how complaints are generally investigated including a root cause analysis of
the culture surrounding the event, rights of all persons associated with the lab, general
timelines for the investigation, and any mechanisms for appealing the resolution. The
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investigation or hazard analysis should be objective about the harm inflicted on the target.
As most leaders in a laboratory are not trained for this level of response, this responsibility is
generally given to those in the organization’s support units trained in the identity-specific
results of the threat. These units have usually worked with the organization’s administration
to predetermine a weighted value scale for resolution of the event. These units are also
responsible for communicating the resolution to the leadership and other associated
personnel. Additionally, the leaders of the laboratory should consider the literature in this
space for appropriate consequences and responses to these hazardous events.132–136

Several examples for plans or strategies are published and used across various sectors. Sue et
al. (2019) describe one strategy for disarming racial microaggressions as setting levels of
“micro-interventions” that included unveiling the subvert aggression, disarming the
messaging of the aggression, educating the offender, and seeking external interventions
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using the various reporting mechanisms of support units.137 Many institutions have also
incorporated graphical or pictorial signage to help communicate their response plans. The
Massachusetts College of Art and Design created a Bias Response Flowchart, which
contains anonymous and nonanonymous tracks for reporting, investigating, and
communicating the resolution of events.138 Columbia University has created a response
policy and procedure for gender-based events139 and a graphic communicated via several
forums and suitable for posting within various spaces. The university’s plan includes

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reporting requirements, interventions, the responsible unit, and the weighted value scale of
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repercussions.

CONCLUSIONS
Chemistry professionals will be seeking ways to ensure that their research or educational
environment embraces the American Chemical Society diversity, equity, inclusion, and
respect core value. While many may see this directive as separate from the normal conduct
in their laboratories, the long-term success of an organization depends on integrating the
safety of individuals from diverse backgrounds into their overall safety culture. Broadening
our collective understanding of laboratory safety to include active recognition, assessment,
and mitigation of the various threats not only prevents marginalization of identities but also
enhances the overall safety, productivity, and competitiveness of the laboratory to better
address the global challenges of the 21st century.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author thanks Mr. Valery R. Hill (Eli Lilly & Co.) for discussion of the safety context that this work was built
upon.

ABBREVIATIONS
AIM all-inclusive multiculturalism

CCS Committee on Chemical Safety

CPT ACS Committee for Professional Training

DIRE diversity inclusion respect and equity

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RAMP recognize assess minimize and prepare

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Figure 1.
Hierarchy of identity safety controls. Applying to the general hierarchy of safety controls
various aspects of minimizing the risk of identity-threat cues from the laboratory
environment by using behavioral and organizational strategies developed to enhance
identity-safe environments.
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