Appendix E: Best Practices
in Laboratory Safety Management
Annual
Department Safety Orientation and Quiz (top)
Both Chemical Engineering and Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)
have instituted very effective safety orientation programs. Both include
a presentation by the Department Safety Manager and a faculty member 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, 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, 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 is currently implementing 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 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 Jacob's laboratory in Psychology has very nice safety
reminder posters throughout the laboratory.
- 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.
- Psychology has specially made holders for Chemical Hygiene Plans
for each laboratory, making the CHP easily identifiable.
- 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.
Graduate
Student Manual (top)
Chemical Engineering developed a safety manual for graduate students. This
includes all safety information that is specific to their department.
Spill
Kits
Chemistry has a mobile spill cart available for all laboratories. Psychology
has compact spill carts in each laboratory.
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
Safety Managers
EEB and MAE have assigned a safety manager for each laboratory. This person
acts as a conduit for safety information and is responsible for ensuring
that laboratory facilities are well maintained. Molecular Biology has assigned
laboratory managers for each laboratory. One of the duties of the lab manager
is to disseminate and oversee safety information and programs within the
laboratory.
Safety
Guide
EEB is developing a safety guide for EEB researchers. This guide will complement
the Chemical Hygiene Plan by pulling together information from EHS and other
safety resources pertaining to the types of operations in EEB laboratories.
Geosciences is also developing a guide for new faculty. Their health
and safety responsibilities, along with a copy of the Chemical Hygiene
Plan and the departmental review will be included in this packet.
Training
of Post-Docs
To address the issue of post-docs getting left out of laboratory safety
training, Electrical Engineering and Geosciences will include in the appointment
letters a statement about safety responsibilities and information about
contacting EHS to enroll in a laboratory safety training course.
Training
Matrix
Molecular Biology developed a training matrix to identify the training needs
for each classification of personnel.
Laboratory
Inspections
In addition to the limited laboratory inspections conducted annually by
EHS technical staff, CEE, Chemical Engineering, MAE and Electrical Engineering
conduct their own internal inspections at least annually. MAE conducts them
each semester and asks EHS to accompany the inspectors for one of the inspections.
Chemical Engineering also includes EHS along with their safety committee
for their annual inspection.
Security
of Controlled Substances (top)
Molecular Biology has a well organized, effective program in place for security
of controlled substances.
Laboratory
Practices (top)
- All chemicals are marked with the date purchased, date opened
and initials of user in Prud'homme's laboratory (Chemical Engineering),
Wornat's laboratory (MAE), Semmelhack's laboratory (Chemistry)
and Hecht's
laboratory (Chemistry).
- Professor Sherer's (CEE) laboratory serves as an excellent example
for proper chemical segregation and storage.
- The laboratories in Electrical Engineering using highly toxic
gases have excellent gas cabinets and specialized monitoring
systems.
- The clean rooms in Electrical Engineering are well designed.
- Professor Wornat's laboratory in MAE uses a great system for labeling
collections of small vials and samples.
- Physics has an effective program in place for regular inspection
of hoisting and rigging equipment.
- Professor Hughson's laboratory has excellent procedures in place
for work with highly toxic materials.
- 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 Felton in MAE developed an effective and practical means
for shielding lasers.
- 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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