For example, climate-controlled rooms, which are usually sealed with no ventilation provided, are commonly occupied by lab workers for hours at a time. At the same time, volatile chemicals, such as liquid nitrogen, dry ice or solvents are commonly stored and allowed to vent in these rooms. This is a high hazard situation, but most lab people have little awareness of this. Another area in which lab safety culture has not developed is fume hoods. In general, lab people have little knowledge about the proper use of fume hoods.
Academia is well known for being a distinct sub-culture.
In fact, academia itself is made up of many different sub-cultures, often aligned among various academic fields. In order to answer this question, it is necessary to consider the cultures that we are operating in. In considering the American risk culture, it is clear that Americans accept and enjoy risks in their personal lives. Drinking, smoking and bungee-jumping all owe part of their strength in our culture because they carry elements of risk. However, Americans tend not to enjoy risks at work, particularly if they are unexpected.