The library is a relatively safe work place, but no place is completely free from hazards. This paper examines the major health and safety concerns of staff and patrons of academic and public libraries, based on a literature review of approximately 60 articles. According to this literature, general safety hazards are not considered a major problem in libraries, as evidenced by the fact that they are mentioned infrequently, and each hazard is referred to an average of only two times. Fire can be a major hazard, and insufficient emergency procedures training for staff is the largest concern, at 16.7% frequency (9 times) in the literature, followed closely by arson (8 times), locked or blocked exits (8 times) and defective exit signs (8 times). Harassment was found to be the largest crime threat, referred to 14 times in the literature, followed by assault (8 times) and arson (7 times). Having a clearly written safety policy and training staff on emergency procedures are important safeguards in minimizing safety concerns. The major health concerns reported in the literature were repetitive strain injuries (referred to 6 times), carpal tunnel syndrome (5 times), tendonitis (5 times), eye strain (4 times) and general stress (4 times). The following precautions were recommended to avoid these health problems: have "ergonomically" designed work areas, alternate tasks to prevent excessive repetitive motion and take frequent breaks. Two appendices include a supplemental bibliography and listings of all health and safety issues examined in the paper. (Contains 24 references.) (MAS)