On the 15th of September, 2016, the College of Science of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology  run a one day Workshop on Laboratory safety and Management. This was an in-house training that was primarily an initiative of the technicians. It is the first of many of its kind in the college.

The workshop set out to look at five topics that fit the framework of laboratory management,safety and staff development. These were:

·         Staff Performance Appraisal in the KNUST

·         Leadership

·         Laboratory management

·         Chemical and Biosafety in the Laboratory

·         Mentoring and coaching

Prof. I. N. Oduro, the Provost of the College of Science gave the first lecture of the day. She spoke on leadership. She encouraged them to be leaders in the laboratory. She pointed out that as leaders, they should take initiative in solving the problems and challenges that they face in the laboratory and in so doing provide direction for the students who use the laboratory for learning and research.

In the words of Dr. C. Agyare the head of the Quality Assurance Unit of the KNUST, “Serious people and organizations need to continuously reflect on what they do and to see how best to better it in the midst of competitive forces.” He made this point as part of his seminar on Staff Performance Appraisal in the KNUST. He encouraged technicians to sit with the heads of Department and plan activites for the sesmter and academic year. He said that this would make it easier for assessments to be made for promotions. The technicians were particularly excited about his talk because he pointed out opportunities within the KNUST that would open up prospects for them.

Dr. Lawrence Sheringham Borquaye, a lecturer at the Chemistry Department of the KNUST, gave the lecture on Laboratory Management. His lecture was a refresher course for the technicians on their roles in their various laboratories. He challenged technicians to go beyond the status quo and design project topics and collaborate with Senior Members of the KNUST on research in order to put out publications in peer reviewed journals.

 

The talk on Chemical and Biosafety in the laboratory was given by Dr. David Azanu a recent PhD graduate from the Department of KNUST. His talk was on basic principles on laboratory safety. It focused on how to handle dangerous chemicals and wastes that were biohazards.

 

The final talk on Mentoring and Coaching, by Dr. Wireko Manu, of the Food Science department focused on how the technicians interact with the students.  She pointed out that they were the first contact for the students in their laboratory experience. She told the technicians that their roles as successful mentors and coaches was to ensure that they properly imparted a deep understanding of the use laboratory equipment and laboratory etiquette to the students to enable them function on the highest level as researchers wherever they found themselves.

The workshop was very well received by the technicians. There was a unanimous decision that such workshops be regularly organized to improve the quality of services offered in the laboratories to students and researchers.