I'm a Ph.D. student who has recently become aware of several health and safety hazards in my lab, which I have been unable to address with my supervisor/other lab members. These hazards include alphabetical storage of chemicals (ignoring chemical compatibility), leakage/spillage of chemicals in storage, large quantities of waste being stored in the lab for years at a time, contaminated items being left unlabelled in fume hoods for years at a time among others (I don't want to be too specific in case it could be identifiable).

The university is aware of some of these issues (not all, and in my opinion, not the worst), but there has been little progress in remedying the problem. Undergraduates and postgraduates use this lab.

I feel I am responsible for reporting these issues to the Health and Safety department. Still, I'm worried about retribution from my supervisor - I wouldn't want to be fired for this. Additionally, if the lab is shut down, this is likely to have significant negative impacts on some other Ph.D. students working there.

What would you suggest I do? On the one hand, it is a health and safety hazard. On the other, I wouldn't want to risk my position and the other Ph.D. students working in the lab. The university is already aware of some of the issues. Should I report my concerns to the university?

Thank you.