Common Interest Groups (CIGs)

Common Interest Groups (CIGs) are grassroots-organized groups with interests not related to technical areas or the purview of other official CSHEMA groups (e.g., career stage, personal identity, non-EHS issue/ideology, vendor user, social, etc.). CIGs may request a dedicated forum within CSHEMA Connect by contacting the Central Office and/or may post to the CSHEMA Cafe, provided discussions comply with the CSHEMA Community Guidelines. They are not actively supported by other CSHEMA resources including, but not limited to, use of CSHEMA name in group organization, AEG Central Office support, website support, virtual meeting rooms, or meeting space at CSHEMA-sponsored events. Board of Trustees (BoT) approval is not required to initiate a CIG. However, the BoT reserves the right to moderate CIGs if they are not adhering to the CSHEMA Community Guidelines.

CSHEMA Community Guidelines

CSHEMA is committed to providing platforms and tools to promote the connection of the member community to facilitate the sharing of experience and expertise. It is important that these are spaces where members feel safe and supported. To help everyone enjoy our community, we have developed the following guidelines:

All activity must be conducted in a way that is respectful to all members, with the overarching expectation that discussions focus on the advancement of the EHS profession within the group represented. Discrimination, hate speech, abusive language, or personal attacks are not allowed.
Our community is a relatively public space and is not set up to support distribution of confidential or sensitive content.
As a non-profit organization, we ask that members do not post political or lobbying content. Members with concerns related to issues that fall within this area may approach the Advocacy Committee for consideration.
While products and services may be discussed, solicitation posts are not allowed.
Activity found not to comply with these guidelines will be subject to moderation.

CSHEMA SCHOLARSHIP

CSHEMA offers a $3,000 scholarship (and a waiver to attend the CSHEMA annual conference) to encourage the study of environmental and occupational health, safety, and related disciplines. The program is open to all college undergraduate students preferably enrolled in majors geared toward an EHS career (such as, but not limited to, environmental science, fire protection, health physics, industrial engineering, industrial hygiene, occupational health, safety, etc.) enrolled in 12 credit hours per semester, trimester, or quarter.

Congratulations to the Recipients of the 2024 CSHEMA Scholarship:

Kale Gilbeaux, Southeastern Louisiana University

Arham Hassan, Texas A&M University

William Nuckels, Texas A&M University

SPECIAL PROJECT GRANTS

Note: CSHEMA is not accepting applications at this time.

CSHEMA will consider proposals for innovative special projects (e.g., trainings, research, etc.) that support the Association's mission, affect the broader EHS community, and can be sustained/disseminated after the project's completion. The Board of Trustees will determine the available funds for this program annually and the number of awards will be dependent on the funds available and the size of the grant requests received.

2026 cshema LSAW banner

Lab Safety Awareness Week

Lab Safety Awareness Week is an event held from February 9-13, 2026, that recognizes the successes of laboratory health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep our faculty, staff, and students safe.

Why Participate?

Successful laboratory safety awareness and programs can help identify and manage laboratory hazards before they cause injury. Participating in CSHEMA Lab Safety Awareness Week can help get your awareness programs started, boost one that already exists, or highlight your safety successes.

Award Submission

Submit Here

Get recognized for your creative initiatives in promoting Laboratory Safety Awareness on your campus. The award submission deadline is March 31st. Upload a summary of your institution’s initiative for the promotion of CSHEMA’s 2026 Laboratory Safety Week, highlighting the attributes described below:

Deployment strategy
Integration and quality of media and mediums
Message clarity
Originality

Lab Safety Awareness Week Resources

Posters

Below are LSAW posters with great information on a variety of lab safety topics. They can be customized on the bottom of each poster to include your institution’s logo and department contact information. The posters are available in English and Spanish, and come in SVG, PPTX, PNG, and PDF file formats.

Click the link next to each poster to access the poster’s files.

Greenhouse Safety

Greenhouses are integral to research and educational activities, yet safety concerns are frequently overlooked.

Greenhouse Safety

Makerspaces

Elements of safety-by-design, user training, and strategies for monitoring and access control are essential for makerspace safety.

Makerspaces

Engineering Controls

Identifying, getting familiar via training, and maintaining engineering control equipment is critical in protecting and saving lives and health.

Engineering Controls

Chemical Storage

Best Practices for Chemical Storage are critical to ensure community safety.

Chemical Storage

Personal Protective Equipment and General Lab Attire

Personal protective equipment (PPE) helps to minimize exposure to hazards that cause serious workplace injuries and illnesses.

PPE and General Lab Attire

We're All in this Together!

Safety is everyone’s responsibility. When each person in the lab does their part, the lab is a safer place to work.

We're All in this Together

Safety Equipment in the Lab

Identifying, getting familiar via training, and keeping and maintaining safety equipment are critical in protecting and saving lives and health in emergency situations.

Lab Safety Equipment

Lab Housekeeping

Good lab housekeeping reduces the number of accidents, minimizes risks & consequences of slips, trips, falls, unplanned reactions, and fire.

Lab Housekeeping

Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment

The process of identifying hazards, determining the severity of potential risks, and establishing suitable/proper control measures in place are key components to keep the academic community safe.

Hazard Assessment

Meet Our Team

Spotlight department leaders or key personnel.

Meet Our Team

Compressed Gas Safety

Keeping compressed gas cylinders secured, closed, inspected, and used correctly is key to preventing accidents.

Compressed Gas Safety

Peroxide Forming Chemicals

Dangerous explosive peroxides can form when peroxide-forming chemicals are stored or mishandled.

Peroxide Forming Chemicals

Activities (Member Only)

Pre-made activities to enhance your Lab Safety Awareness Week experience! Below are a variety of activities that can be used as handouts, played alone, or played together as a group.

Click the link below to access all the activity files. Note: these files are only available through the CSHEMA Member Resource Library.

Member Resource Library

LSAW Bingo

Review lab safety topics by filling out a bingo card! Prizes could be offered for completed bingos or filled-out cards.

Virtual Escape Rooms

Can you escape the dangerous lab or solve the lab mystery? The LSAW virtual escape rooms offer two experiences that use a variety of lab safety topics.

Weekly Checklist

Hand out this checklist at the start of LSAW for labs to review their safety equipment, chemical storage, and more!

LSAW Word Puzzle

Use your knowledge of lab safety topics to complete this word search and answer the questions.

Yearly Safety Tasks

Stay on top of lab safety tasks with this safety task handout!

LSAW Jeopardy

Get a group or groups together and test their knowledge of lab safety topics with a round of Jeopardy!

Contests (Member Only)

Pre-made contest activities to enhance your Lab Safety Awareness Week experience! Below are a variety of contests that can be used as handouts or played together as a group.

Click the link below to access all the contest files. Note: these files are only available through the CSHEMA Member Resource Library.

Member Resource Library

Safety Mascot Competition

Create a lab safety mascot to promote lab safety. The first-place mascot will be shown at the CSHEMA annual conference!

LSAW Photo Competition

Take a picture of your lab safety expertise and get a LinkedIn shoutout from CSHEMA! Topics are updated daily during LSAW.

Podcasts (Member Only)

Has your team ever wanted to host a podcast? Linked below are sample scripts for a 3-5 minute podcast based on the LSAW posters. Note: these files are only available through the CSHEMA Member Library.

Member Resource Library

Hazard Assessments and Risk
PPE
Peroxide Formers
Makerspaces
Lab Safety Equipment
Lab Housekeeping
Greenhouse Safety
Engineering Controls
Compressed Gases
Chemical Storage
All In This Together

Social Media Posts (Member Only)

If your department already has a social media presence or wants to start, below are pre-made social media posts that follow the LSAW posters. Note: these files are only available through the CSHEMA Member Library.

Member Resource Library

Hazard Assessments and Risk
PPE
Makerspaces
Lab Safety Equipment
Lab Housekeeping
Greenhouse Safety
Engineering Controls
Chemical Storage

October 18, 2022

Another free webinar added for CSHEMA Members...

Lab Safety Awareness Week

Lab Safety Awareness Week is an event held from February 12-16, 2024, that recognizes the successes of laboratory health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep our faculty, staff and students safe.

Why Participate?

Successful laboratory safety awareness and programs can help identify and manage laboratory hazards before they cause injury. Participating in CSHEMA Lab Safety Awareness Week can help get your awareness programs started, boosting one that already exists, or highlight your safety successes.

Award Submission

Get recognized for your creative initiatives in promoting Laboratory Safety Awareness on your campus. Award submission deadline is March 31st. Upload a summary of your institution’s initiative for the promotion of CSHEMA’s 2024 Laboratory Safety Week highlighting the attributes described below:

Deployment strategy
Integration and quality of media and mediums
Message clarity
Originality

Topics For 2024

Click below to download a packaged ZIP folder for "Engineering Controls" or "Chemical Storage." You can still download content from past topics under the "Other Topics to Consider" section below. Feel free to customize the content with your intitution logo and information. Each folder includes the following:

8.5"x11" Poster
8.5"x11" Spanish Poster
Digital TV Graphic - Horizontal versions of the posters. The size of the text and amount of space for bullets has been reduced to aid with readability from a distance. You will have to save the Word doc as a PDF, then save that as a JPEG.