Laboratory Safety Practices

The Kansas State University is looking for an Associate Director to lead their research safety, lab safety and industrial hygiene efforts.  Please share the posting with interested folks.   Job Ad:  https://careers.k-state.edu/cw/en-us/job/508447/associate-director-of-research-safety-and-industrial-hygiene ...

Hi All, Thank you all for your thoughtful suggestions regarding the student with the skin condition. I have not heard from him since he came to speak with me a couple weeks ago. As I mentioned, I gave him the cotton gloves to be worn as liners. I ...

On the agenda for tomorrow are: COP related content preparations for the annual conference in Tampa (July 10-15).  (PDS and Technical sessions deadline was December 1) Preparations for the development of the lab safety content webinars in addition what ...

I also volunteer in an animal shelter doing dog care. I work mostly with a population that has a bite history and/or very specific handling instructions. Without seeing the project or any associated information: Will the graduate student be doing the ...

UVA's Office of Environmental Health and Safety is seeking applicants for a Research Safety Specialist as part of the Chemical and Laboratory Safety Group. Please see the posting link below to learn more about this position and to apply. Research ...

Hi, Dogs are the incredibly anxious and upset while they at the Shelter. It makes them unpredictable, therefore at risk of bad behavior in the best of times. Any bad behaviour has a bad outcome for the dogs, at the very least. Can you tell I volunteer ...

Hello, A graduate student and the IRB have reached out to EHS to address safety in using dogs from a local shelter for a psychology research project. I understand the animals will have documentation of vaccinations and will be muzzled as a precaution.  ...

Hello, These are excellent questions. We have just begun mandatory chemical inventory at Oregon Health & Science University using the ChemTracker function within the BioRAFT software. Overall, it's been a positive process. To answer your questions: ...

Agreed that a national tracking system for student and non-employee injuries at colleges, universities and professional schools may be improved. Even with the tragic  fatalities cited in the article, at least in the US, BLS and OSHA classifies colleges, ...

Metrics, anyone?  If you're looking for "numbers" regarding lab-related incidents or near-misses among higher education institutions, you'll be hard pressed to find them.  The fact is, despite some tragic impacts to human life, there has been very little ...

Sorry for the late reply... I had asked a similar question a few months ago, although I'm embedded within the engineering faculty. I was asking not so much what I can do for enforcement (nor EHS), but what supervisors and administration can do ...

Hi, Our situation is fairly similar to yours.  Although there are a few grey areas and likely gaps in our process, we barcode and inventory a centrally purchased item if it falls within any of the WHMIS/GHS classifications (according to the SDS) - regardless ...

Hi everyone, A couple of questions have come up at my facility regarding safe operating procedures in petroleum research.  In particular, we are exploring use of dimethyl ether with PVT systems (pressure, volume, temperature).  I have found quite a bit ...

Hello CSHEMA, For approximately 10 years, we have kept an inventory of all chemical containers on our campus. In order to do this, essentially all chemicals intended for teaching or research must be purchased through an internal chemical research store ...

If you had HCl and ammonia in the same cabinet it's pretty common. It can form ammonium chloride crystals. The base bottles probably have salt crystals on them. That's also pretty common if the bottle isn't air tight and there's high humidity at some ...

A white residue has built up on some acid and base bottles - only in one particular acid cabinet and one particular base cabinet, and only on amber glass bottles. It doesn't look like peroxide build-up, and there are no peroxide formers in the area. Not ...

You might want to consider flocked nitrile gloves. https://www.yourglovesource.com/blogs/glove-knowledgebase/41043585-benefits-of-flock-lined-nitrile-gloves Often when I call vendors and explain that I'm trying to fix a unique problem, they will send ...

I'll second Jon's recommendation to contact your ADA office. Out of curiosity, does this condition prevent one from washing their hands, or using a safety shower/eyewash? ------------------------------ Chris Kolodziej Chemical Hygiene Officer UCLA Environment, ...

And piggy-backing on Brandon's good idea about other glove types ... when we'd have these one-off, special needs at my former institution our Chemical Safety Specialist got many glove types from a variety of makers to show and have researchers and students ...

The cotton gloves or specifically, some wicking cotton or wool liners would be the best option. I saw some that looked well made though thin at the ASSP expo from Magid Glove. There were also several vendors displaying flocked gloves. Depending on the ...

Hi Penny, It sounds challenging good for you to try to help the student! Here are some thoughts and suggestions: It falls under ADA ask for assistance from your person/office Ask the student what works for him Try to safely ...

Hi All, A student came to me indicating that he suffered from aquagenic keratoderma. This is a rare condition in which the palms peel and burn when exposed to water.  He has a problem wearing disposable gloves due to sweating which exacerbates the problem. ...

Thanks for posting this topic.  Likely there is agreement that exhaust from labs and lab hoods, even in an undergraduate laboratory can be hazardous in the common understanding of the term.  The Mechanical Code Section 510 "Hazardous Exhaust" is preceded ...

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCK2LF3 Virginia Tech is evaluating commercial SDS Management System options and would appreciate any feedback from other Colleges/Universities. If you have a moment, please complete our survey here .  Thank you! ...

Zack I was the acting as the proponent for the code change, with help from others, that put the lab exceptions update into Section 510 so that lab ductwork could be manifolded. Your A/E is misunderstanding that code section. As you note, the test ...

Dear Colleagues, We are in the process of designing a new undergraduate research building, and the A/E is maintaining that the exception in Section 510.2 of the Mechanical Code means that laboratory exhaust is not hazardous exhaust , and hence section ...

We sometimes have certain individuals for which only the North 7230 N95 works. They are now discontinued. Does anybody have alternative recommendations for N95s that would fit similarly to the North 7230? We have tried the following: 3M ...

There actually is some regulation involved. The manufacturer has to guarantee that the product is viable and has the correct dosage for use. The expiration date is supposed to guarantee that the product has a minimum of 95% of its intended potency ...

Thank you, Sharon! That's a very industrial-type response from Calgonate, but I appreciate it. ------------------------------ Lindsay Henderson Laboratory Safety Specialist Portland State University Portland, OR 503-725-4312 ------------------------ ...

Hi Lindsay, This is a reply I received from Calgonate when I requested data: "The expiration date of the product is based on a rigorous program of stability testing.  That testing supports reliable product integrity in an array of categories, including ...

Thanks Markus. That was my line of thinking too. I was just curious if there was any explicit facts on what determines the very short shelf life of this product.  Better to be safe than sorry. ------------------------------ Lindsay Henderson Laboratory ...

Having software algorithms mandate standardized EHS work flows and safety behavior are powerful new tools.  Maintaining a healthy balance between interests and outcome is a good challenge. ------------------------------ Markus Schaufele Northwestern ...

Hi Markus, Thanks for your response. We don't have a specific non-compliance issue at the moment. Rather, as we roll out a new lab management/compliance software that is mandatory for all researchers, and which goes hand in hand with more frequent inspections, ...

Great, thanks for posting, Tristan.  David Breeding,  Texas A&M University has developed content for this topic and is interested.  Please connect through the CSHEMA directory. ------------------------------ Markus Schaufele Northwestern University ...

Hi Markus, Thanks for this! Like I mentioned on the call, I'd like to be involved in the second topic, Evaluating Hazards and Assessing risks in the lab. Thanks! Tristan ------------------------------ Tristan White HSSE Assistant Manager Duke University ...

The CSHEMA Board has charged all the Communities of Practice members to develop 101 level webinars for 2020.  Developing and delivering webinar content with 2-4 of your peers is terrific way to engage, share your knowledge, and practice communication ...

A cynical mind may suggest that expiration dates can drive demand, right?   It's likely not the active ingredient calcium gluconate though that expires, but the cream base.  In suggesting expiration dates of skin creams and gels, a manufacturer has to ...

Elyse, thanks for posting.  This topic comes up ever so often.  It's a complex issue as non-compliant can mean a lot of things ranging from possible criminal activity to much less egregious behavior.  If you can, share what the non-compliance issue is.  ...

Best practices is likely a model where EHS is funded and empowered to take care of an institution's hazardous waste disposal needs without charge backs.  Partially, this is what the large F&A portion of grant awards is for.  In rare cases, when researchers ...

Aloha all, Wondering if anyone out there has been able to address via policy the back end disposal costs of certain lab equipment (sealed sources, those that include hazardous materials that cannot be easily removed, etc.) on the front end of awarded ...

Howdy, y'all! Just a reminder that the Lab Safety CoP will be holding it's monthly call at 3 p.m. EST tomorrow, Thursday, November 7th. The agenda is below. The link for the online meeting room is available on our Laboratory Safety Practices Community ...

Hello everyone - How does your EHS department handle non-compliant PI's/researchers? What does your escalation pathway look like? We are re-assessing how we deal with this at OHSU and would appreciate input from other university EHS departments. Thanks ...

Hey Beth, wow! That's insane. What type of biosafety cabinet was it?  I could see that happening to a Type II B2 BSC if the sash were closed and the exhaust for the room was primarily through the cabinet. I have some smaller BSL-3 labs that are set up ...

Just as a follow up - the regulator did not point to a specific regulation, but rather encouraged us to check with our local PESH/OSHA office. In speaking with PESH, there are no regulations requiring the chaining of liquid nitrogen cylinders or dewars ...

Hello fabulous CSHEMA folks! Has anyone had a BSC sash implode?  There was work done over the weekend on the air handlers in our research building and they know the labs went negative.  One BSC had a shattered  sash.  There are other BSCs and fume hoods ...

Hi All- I'm curious if anyone has a good explanation for why Calgonate expires so quickly?  We replace ours once the expiration date approaches, but I've always been curious as to what exactly the reasons are that it expires. Thanks for any help ...

Restraining liquefied gas dewars with a chain is standard practice in California, but that's due to earthquakes. I second finding out what the exact OSHA citation is. If the inspectors are going to write you up for violating a regulation, they should ...

"Dewar" or "cylinder?" neither Air products Safetygrams 7 nor 27 discusses chaining or strapping dewars or cylinders. They are pretty detailed so it is hard to imagine they overlook it. https://www.bnl.gov/esh/shsd/PDF/Compressed_gas/SafetyGram_LN2.pdf ...

I don't think I've ever seen one of the large LN 2 tanks secured. What was the exact OSHA citation they used? Jeffrey Bernard, CHMM Environmental Programs Manager Environmental Health and Safety ...

Hi all - I just wanted to poll the community regarding restraints for Liquid Nitrogen dewars. Our campus recently had a NYC DOH inspector note that our large Liquid Nitrogen dewars (~5 ft tall, 2ft diameter) were not secured and cited OSHA as guidance. ...