Biases in the Safety and Security Risk Management of Chemical-Related Academic Laboratories

Based on the interpretation of the identified risk biases from a narrative perspective, this paper studies the biases in safety and security risk management of chemical-related academic laboratories from four parts: risk identification, risk assessment, risk control and continuous monitoring. Mainly systematic error, inclusion of risk events, cognitive factors, model/algorithmic and social/interpersonal during risk management are discussed. The bias related to uncertain risk events, which is the most common and easily ignored during risk management, mainly including the imbalance between safety risk management and security risk management. Therefore, while protecting the laboratory from unintentional and unpremeditated safety risks within the system, it is also critical to protect the system from external, deliberate and premeditated security risks. This research paper is expected to spur and promote more discussion and the best practices in laboratory risk management among researchers, educators, managers and other stakeholders for handling biases in the risk management of chemical-related academic laboratories.