Lab Safety Binder
Laboratory Safety Manual
This laboratory safety binder template is specifically geared toward paleontology fossil preparation laboratories and was presented at the 2026 annual meeting of the Association for the Materials and Methods in Paleontology. It was developed to establish clear, practical standards for maintaining a safe and efficient fossil preparation environment. Working with fossils often involves specialized tools, fine particulates, adhesives, and equipment that require careful handling. This manual brings those considerations together into a single, accessible guide.
The purpose of this manual is threefold:
1. Protect People
To ensure that staff, volunteers, and visitors understand potential hazards and are equipped with the knowledge to work safely. This includes proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), safe tool operation, and awareness of environmental risks such as dust and chemical exposure.
2. Protect Specimens
Fossils are irreplaceable scientific resources. The manual outlines best practices that minimize the risk of damage during preparation, handling, and storage, ensuring that specimens are preserved for both research and public education.
3. Standardize Procedures Paleo-Wide
By creating and sharing consistent workflows and expectations, this manual improves efficiency, training, and communication within all labs in the field of paleontology, finally removing the need for lab managers to reinvent the wheel every time they are tasked with creating one. Volunteers and staff can confidently contribute knowing they are following established, professional standards.
This document is a template and is not (and should never be) static—it evolves alongside the lab. As new tools, techniques, and challenges emerge in your laboratory, the manual needs to be updated to reflect current best practices and lessons learned through hands-on experience. Use all, some, or edit as you see fit. Most of this cobbled together out of the lab safety manuals of many institutions such as AMNH, DMNS, and UNM. I do not claim to own any of this information.
Ultimately, this manual represents a commitment to safety, stewardship, and professionalism in the preparation and care of fossil material. Please send any additional sections or language to consider for inclusion.