Design of a Computer-Aided Point-of-Use Safety Training Environment for Laboratory Equipment

Abstract

Increased awareness and regulatory scrutiny has given rise to an increase in the focus on safety training in engineering laboratories.  The delivery of training, and the record-keeping associated with training activities, places an increased burden  on laboratory administrators and technicians.  In this paper, a new system for computer-aided safety training in a laboratory environment is described.  The system makes use of computer-based training materials, coupled with novel computer-controlled equipment lockout hardware, to deliver and assess safety training at the point of use.  The motivation for the new system is presented.  The development of the novel lockout hardware and software architecture is described. An example implementation, involving a Charpy impact testing machine, is detailed, and testing of the system is described.  A future large-scale implementation is conceptualized and described.