Appendix E: Best Practices
in Laboratory Safety Management
Annual
Department Safety Orientation and Quiz (top)
Chemical Engineering has instituted very effective safety orientation programs. It includes
a presentation by the Chemical Hygiene Officer, Public Safet and EHS about
safety in their department, where to find information, emergency procedures,
etc. This is followed by a quiz that tests the knowledge of the information
presented.
Safety
Resource Centers (top)
Chemical Engineering, PRISM, Electrical Engineering and CEE have established safety
resource areas. In Chemical Engineering, this involves a safety information
bulletin board and an area of the lounge. In CEE, it includes a locked cabinet,
with keys posted in each laboratory. In Electrical Engineering, it includes
a shelving unit. These areas include material safety data sheet collections,
Chemical Hygiene Plans, other safety publications, forms, waste stickers,
spill control materials and more.
Professor Sherer in CEE has also established a safety drawer for each
laboratory. This drawer holds extra safety glasses, gloves, a flash light
and other safety equipment.
Departmental
Safety Committees
Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, MAE, Physics, and CEE have
effective safety committees that include faculty, staff and graduate students.
EEB is beginning such a committee this year. Molecular Biology has an organization
of laboratory managers that meet regularly and discuss safety issues along
with other agenda items.
Graduate
Student Training
The School of Engineering, Molecular Biology, Chemistry and Physics have
established training programs for incoming graduate students. For Chemistry
and Molecular Biology, training is given as part of the orientation during
the first weeks of school, before classes begin. For SEAS, training is given
as a series of one hour seminars during lunch time. Beginning this year,
virtually all departments will offer department-specific laboratory safety
training, given by EHS, every fall.
Undergraduate
Safety Training
Chemistry, Molecular Biology and Chemical Engineering have established training
programs for undergraduates. All are conducted as part of the core laboratory
and are considered part of the curriculum. MAE has suggested mandatory training
for all SEAS undergrads.
Professor Royce in MAE developed a computer-based laboratory notebook
with safety considerations and procedures for use by undergraduates in
his laboratory.
Orientation
of New Faculty and Staff
The Department Safety Manager in Molecular Biology meets with all new personnel
to give them the keys to their laboratory and other assigned areas. During
that time, he reviews safety policies and explains where to find additional
resources for health and safety issues.
Molecular Biology has an orientation program for
new lab managers. Part of the orientation includes an explanation of the
various safety programs and the lab manager's responsibility for safety
in the laboratory.
Laboratory
Checkout Procedures
Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and CEE have established checkout procedures
for departing faculty, staff and students. This program is meant to ensure
that all chemicals are labeled and wastes removed before a person leaves
the university.
Safety
Information Postings
- Chemical Engineering, Chemistry and CEE have safety information bulletin
boards outside the main office.
- Physics posts safety information in the elevators.
- Chemical Engineering developed an emergency information and evaluation
poster that is placed inside the door to each laboratory area.
- Professor Hecht's laboratory in Chemistry has waste procedures
posted in the laboratory.
- Professor Shenks' laboratory has outstanding signage posted to
aid in properly labeling chemical waste containers. This includes
a poster
with samples of correctly completed labels for its regular waste
streams.
- Chemistry has specially made holders for Emergency Information
Posters outside each laboratory and chemical storage area.
- MAE machine shop and SEAS machine shop post Shop Rules
- CEE has MSDS holders outside the entrance to each laboratory.
- EEB posts an EHS directory, established by EEB from information
on the EHS web page, posted in each laboratory.
Performance
Appraisals (top)
Psychology and Physics include safety as part of their performance appraisals.
Safety
Policies (top)
The School of Engineering has an extensive safety policy that is distributed
to all personnel each fall, along with a letter from the Associate Dean
explaining that everyone is expected to read, understand and comply with
the policy.
Laboratory
Inspections
In addition to the limited laboratory inspections conducted annually by
EHS technical staff, all SEAS departments conduct their own internal inspections at least annually. Chemical Engineering involves their safety committee.
Laboratory
Practices (top)
- Professor Sherer's (CEE) laboratory serves as an excellent example
for proper chemical segregation and storage.
- The laboratories in PRISM using highly toxic
gases have excellent gas cabinets and specialized monitoring
systems.
- The clean rooms in PRISM and Electrical Engineering are well designed.
- Physics has an effective program in place for regular inspection
of hoisting and rigging equipment.
- The Molecular Biology 214 lab instructors have modified laboratory
procedures to significantly reduce the use of hazardous materials
and
production of hazardous waste. The use of acrylamide has been
completely eliminated.
- The SEAS machine shop emphasizes and enforces the use of personal
protective equipment by keeping a supply of safety glasses at
the entrance
and by having several safety glasses cleaning stations set
up around the shop.
Laser
Laboratory Practices (top)
- Professor Prucnal's laboratory in Electrical Engineering uses
fiber optics to enclose the laser beam and still be able to direct
the beam
however needed.
- Professor Austin's laser facility in Physics is well designed,
labeled and posted with operating procedures.
- Professor Scoles developed a simple means for storing tools off
the laser table, out of the way of the laser beam.
 Appendix
D: Health and Safety Design Considerations for Laboratories
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