The emergence of laboratory safety

Laboratory safety must be an integral part of today's chemistry—a science based upon laboratory inquiry. We chemists have made many strides that have improved and strengthened our efforts in safety while working in our laboratories. Past experiences have shaped today's laboratory safety including incidents, innovations, legislation, litigation, regulations, and standards. This paper will discuss how laboratory safety has emerged from the earliest days of chemistry practice to today's modern laboratories—becoming a sub-discipline of chemistry and a critically important part of the education of chemists. The future outlook and how we can continue to evolve laboratory safety will also be discussed.