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Lab Safety Awareness Week 2026

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Lab Safety Awareness Week 2026 – February 9 – 13

Safety sparks innovation at UT! Get ready for a full week of demos, trainings, and campuswide activities as we highlight shops, makerspaces, studios, and support organizations that enhance research and experiential learning.

Monday, February 9th

IAMM Seminar with Brian Payne – Assistant Director, EHS & Garrett Carter – Process Engineer, Y12

Resilience: Prevention through Design & Systems Thinking by EHS Assistant Director Brian Payne with guest Y-12 engineer Garrett Carter on Safety in Industry

Location: IAMM HQ147

Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Tuesday, February 10th

Electrical Safety & Fire Demonstration

Location: Min Kao 435

Time: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Wednesday, February 11th

CPR/AED Training

Adult CPR/AED aims to help participants develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to respond to a medical emergency.

  • This is the adult-only course. It is commonly used to meet workplace compliance.
  • The HSI CPR and AED training program is intended for individuals who are not healthcare providers or professional rescuers, but desire or are required to be certified in CPR and use an AED.
  • This program is not designed to meet the regulatory requirements for pediatric first aid training in childcare and should not be used for that purpose.
  • There are no class prerequisites.

Location: Mossman 305

Time: 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Click here to sign up on K@TE to reserve your spot or be added to the waiting list!


Innovation & Collaboration Studio and Engineering Fundamentals Tour/Demo

  • Explore the Innovation & Collaboration Studio (ICS) and Engineering Fundamentals spaces during this guided tour and demonstration. Jeff Foote will lead participants through the ICS Orientation process, providing an inside look at the tools, safety practices, and workflows that support student innovation, prototyping, and project development within the makerspace.
  • The tour also includes a visit to the Engineering Fundamentals woodworking lab, led by Michael Allen, where attendees will see demonstrations of key equipment and techniques. As part of the experience, participants will have the opportunity to create their own wooden Power T, highlighting the foundational skills used by engineering students.

Location: ZEC 166

Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Click here to register!


Tabling Event with EHS + Vendor Expo

ThermoFisher Logo VWR logo    Scientific Sales logo

Grainger logo    SW logo

Location: Mossman – 3rd Floor

Time: 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Friday, February 13th

Robot Demonstration

Location: CEE

Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Lab Safety Culture Award Winners

In order to promote positive safety culture in UT labs, the Lab Safety Committee is continuing the Lab Safety Culture Awards Subcommittee. The theme for the second category of awards of 2025 was to submit a short narrative describing the values, attitudes, beliefs, and actions that support the overall wellbeing of your lab members Quarter 4 awards were distributed in November 2025:

1st place: Kriza Calumba – Graduate Research Assistant in Department of Food Science

2nd place: Veronica Brown – Lab Manager in ORIED

3rd place: Harleen Kaur – Graduate Research Assistant in Department of Food Science

Congratulations, winners!

New lab safety culture award categories will be announced quarterly. Submissions are open to everyone involved in research or working in a lab, shop, or maker space at UT. Announcements of new awards are sent through the Lab Safety ListServ, found on flyers around campus, and communicated during events. Please email ehs_labsafety@utk.edu to request to be added to the Lab Safety ListServ if you are not already enrolled.

EHS Spotlight: Kyle Whitaker Earns Fire Inspector I Certification

We’re proud to recognize Kyle Whitaker for earning his Fire Inspector I certification through the State of Tennessee!

Earlier this year, Kyle completed a rigorous 70-hour course at the Tennessee Fire Service and Codes Enforcement Academy (TFACA) in Bell Buckle, TN. The program covered the International Fire Code, code application, and the complexities of fire prevention. After successfully passing both the course exam and the Commission on Firefighting test—a challenging accomplishment with only a moderate success rate—Kyle earned Pro Board and ICC Fire Inspector I credentials. Most recently, he was officially certified by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

This achievement not only highlights Kyle’s expertise but also strengthens the Fire & Life Safety Program, ensuring our team continues to uphold the highest standards in fire code knowledge and prevention. With this certification, all current team members are now certified Fire Inspectors by both ICC and the State of Tennessee.

Congratulations, Kyle, on this outstanding milestone!

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