Laboratory Safety Practices

Hi Everyone, I would like to hear from other Universities how you handle Research labs that work with opioids. Do you require them to have Narcane on hand and if yes how do they purchase it? Are they required to have protocols that get reviewed by....? ...

Forwarded Announcement: FYI  --   Here's the schedule for LSI's upcoming live courses and webinars in November, December 2020 and January 2021 https://www.labsafety.org/courses-calendar ;  https://www.labsafety.org/lab-safety-webinars . You can ...

Hello Lee, At UT Dallas, we request that the PI/lab members disinfect lab surfaces in the event a confirmed positive or presumed positive (due to exhibiting symptoms) individual occupied the lab space.  We have a lab occupancy scheduling system in ...

Becky, Unsurprisingly, we're right there with you in terms of the six furlough days. However, beyond the length of our holiday break, haven't made plans for any changes this year. We normally have limited on-campus staffing from our Campus Fire Marshals ...

Hi Joy, A few years ago I put a PPT presentation together on this issue.  I'll attach it here as well as some other resources.  Hopefully this will get you the information you need. Kindra ------------------------------ Kindra Kelly-Quagliana Biosafety ...

Good morning everyone! This is your monthly reminder that our COP meeting will be tomorrow at 3pm. Make sure to check the COP page to get the updated Zoom link and password as those have changed. Our planned agenda is below: Icebreaker - Who's used ...

I'm looking for a little light to be shed on the ANSI markings on safety goggles/glasses. Specifically, help my historical and current understanding. 'Back in the day' it was my understanding that if it looked like a google and had the Z87.1 marking that ...

Hi All, I'm the new-ish co-leader of the Lab Safety Community of Practice, along with Tristan. Our meeting is coming up this Thursday, and I had a topic in mind, hoping to spark some discussion so we can talk more at the meeting. I hope all of you are ...

Hello Lee, Labs are asked to close for seven days from the date the confirmed positive researcher was last in. If the lab wants to open sooner than that, EH&S is consulted to determine the appropriate level of cleaning/disinfecting with a suitable disinfectant. ...

Penn's procedure for lab cleaning/disinfection for probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19 (as of today) can be found here: https://ehrs.upenn.edu/covid-19/recommendations-cleaning-labs-suspectedprobableconfirmed-covid-19-cases Recommendations ...

Good morning. Who is responsible...If a lab worker or someone who is using a Core facility reports they are covid positive or symptomatic, does your institution hire a (covid) cleaning contractor or do they expect the lab personnel to disinfect the lab. ...

Check out NFPA 600 guidelines Dennis ------------------------------ Dennis Terpin Retired, Manager Industrial Hygienist/Emergency Manager University of Illinois Chicago Bolingbrook IL ------------------------------

We want you to call 9-1-1 even if you've successfully put the fire out. As to when to fight or flee, this seems like a good starting point. Jeff https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/evacuation/portable_relation.html#Assessment -- ...

Jack, I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for... but in our general lab safety training we teach everyone how to use an extinguisher (PASS) and that they only have a limited amount of extinguishing capabilities and therefore, if a fire is ...

General fire extinguisher training guidance is that if the fire is bigger that a waste basket then you should not try to put it out but just evacuate. Take the fire extinguisher with you in case you need to clear a path or break a window. ...

All, We're currently considering working with labs to have them develop fire safety plans for processes that run a risk of fire. Part of this would be establishing the parameters in which it is considered safe for the lab to contain the fire themselves, ...

Our institution is hiring a new director of EHS; the position description is at the link below. If you have any questions about working at A-State, I'd be happy to answer. Bobby Clark https://www.higheredjobs.com/admin/details.cfm?JobCode=177336708&Title=Director%20Environmental%20Health%20%26%20Safety%20%28A00132%29 ...

Thank you Markus and Tristan - this is all very helpful!  Good that this question has come up because it isn't often raised based on the number of users who would have FR lab coats be a necessity for them.  In any event, I will take all this into account ...

Cross-posting (IH and Lab Safety Practices) The University of Pennsylvania's Office of Environmental Health and Radiation Safety currently has a position open for an Industrial Hygienist.  A link to the job posting is included below.   https://wd1.myworkdaysite.com/en-US/recruiting/upenn/careers-at-penn/job/Left-Bank-EHRS/Industrial-Hygienist-B_JR00025206 ...

Thanks Nancy, I got side tracked and missed the COP meeting. This is what I finally recommended (NOTE - although the ANSI standard is weekly flushing/testing, our MIOSHA consultant indicated MIOSHA would accept records for monthly flushing). ...

Hi Jeff, We discussed your question during the Lab Safety COP call yesterday. I'm sure it is no surprise that the answers varied and depended somewhat upon the size of the institution. To our knowledge, ANSI does not specify a retention time for weekly ...

Thanks for asking this question.  It prompted some research in practices and algorithms. For an outcome based PPE algorithm, you may consider  "pyrophoric" beyond the term appearing on a SDS.  For example, in synthetic chemistry, there are laboratory ...

Hey Ryan! Duke doesn't have specific fabric weight or arc ratings for FR lab coats, but one thing we have recently been encouraging labs to look at are the Flame and Chemical resistant lab coats. Bulwark makes one that we have had labs use and they ...

Hi everyone, We don't have a ton of lab personnel on our campus that handle pyrophoric materials or anything that requires an FR lab coat.  However, there are a few limited PIs and their research groups who do need them for their work.  One School @ ...

Hi Everyone! Our regularly scheduled Lab Safety Practices CoP meeting is tomorrow, October 1st at 3pm Eastern. Please see the CoP Community page for the most recent and up to date Zoom link and password. Our agenda for the meeting is below: New ...

ANSI standards recommend weekly flushing/test of eyewashes and annual inspections for flow.  Let's say your doing a good job keeping track of this information using hanging cards on the eyewash.  How long does your institution retain them (is it specified ...

Good morning, Please be advised of the upcoming conference. The CUHMMC is a great opportunity for professional development and networking with your EHS peers! And they are offering a campus wide registration options at $195! Registration is Now Open! ...

Good morning CSHEMA friends! Our University of South Carolina is seeking candidates for an Assistant Chemical Hygiene Officer position with EH&S.  Please spread the word if you know of anyone who might be interested.  Details for this job announcement ...

Hi Kate ... Smithing and forging are not unheard of in higher education. Actually, my high school taught smithing and forging in FAA Ag shop classes. (And, no, I wasn't in high school before the War of 1812.) Basic shop and tool safety precautions ...

Hi Kate, Like Ruth I've never built a forge or even personally worked with one, but I have watched (way too many) YouTube videos about forging and even about building forges. One video I remembered from Alec Steele (yes that's really his name...) has ...

Hi Kate, I have never built a forge but, from my horse days I know that most blacksmiths have mobile forges, see if you can rent one. It would probably be cheaper and safer than trying to build one. Ruth ------------------------------ [Ruth] [Horowitz] ...

Hello all, I have a student group that is focused on bladesmithing, and is looking to build their own forge for use within the next month or two. They've previously used a local blacksmith shop to do their work, but with the need for social distancing, ...

Hi everyone! Please join us for our monthly Laboratory Safety Practices CoP Zoom meeting this Thursday (tomorrow!), September 3rd, at 3:00 p.m EST. Y ou can join from the link and use the password on the Lab Safety CoP webpage. The agenda is below. ...

Fresno State uses a platform from Risk and Safety Solutions out of Davis.  If I'm not mistaken, this platform is used by the entire CSU and UC systems and it works pretty well overall, especially for chemical inventory.   If anyone wants to chat about ...

https://cfpub.epa.gov/giwiz/disinfectants/index.cfm There are a number of different hypochlorous acid formulations, contact time, surface type and post-rinse requirements approved by the EPA.  Sorry, no hands-on disinfecting experience with this chemical ...

UCLA is at the forefront there.  Would love to see others in the UC system do same to generate some forward momentum in this industry.  Our 3.party tester is reluctant to convert from SF6 to nitrous oxide tracer gas.  Apparently, it's not a simple gas ...

At UCLA we also use the full third-party certification to ASHRAE 110 for commissioning new fume hoods. One thing that's unique for the UC system is that we have a variance to use nitrous oxide as the tracer gas instead of sulfur hexafluroide. ------------------------------ ...

Hi all, My institute (HK PolyU) has a centralized chemical management system on campus and we have a designated team in my department to review chemical orders, place chemical orders, make chemical deliveries, manage chemical inventory system and arrange ...

Hi, At NC State University, we require all newly installed fume hoods to be tested and certified by a 3rd party, utilizing ASHRAE 110 test method.  The scope and details of the test and pass/fail criteria is defined through lab exhaust construction ...

In large academic research centers, a goal to track all chemical containers may still be difficult to achieve.  Complexity appears to increase with scale and non-uniform product codes.  At large scale, a centralized chemical inventory task may be more ...

Hello everyone.   I know this issue comes up quite frequently, but ASU is currently interested in learning about what chemical tracking/research materials management systems are being used by your teams to appropriately track and manage chemicals ...

Joan, thanks for posting this good and thorough information.  The laboratory hood certification/testing practices you describe are very similar to what we have asked our contractor to do.  I expect that additional technology may make the testing schemes ...

Good morning Jocelyn, At UT Dallas, we require all newly installed fume hoods to be commissioned by a 3rd party utilizing the full set of quantitative and qualitative performance testing parameters outlined in ANSI/ASHRAE 110 (including mannequin/tracer ...

Hi Brandon, Thank you for the note about the additional test position for ADA hoods. I don't think we do this currently.  I'll keep this in mind when commissioning a hood for a wheelchair user in the future. Jocelyn ------------------------------ Jocelyn ...

Hi Markus, Thank you for your insight.  I agree that a one time certification test at the time of installation does not guarantee good performance as used. This is the premise I'm considering when I first asked the question of whether getting this "passing ...

Thank you Tracy! We do have a few CAV hoods installed every now and then but majority are VAVs with sensor adjustments. Jocelyn ------------------------------ Jocelyn Locke Lab Safety Manager University of South Carolina Columbia SC 803-777-5269 -- ...

Ruth, Anytime a new chemical is ordered my approval is required.  Through this approval process I work with our researchers to determine if there are less hazardous options.  In many cases I will get the standard "This is the industry standard" or "This ...

Hi Clarissa, You might want to reach across the Pacific to The University of Queensland. https://ppl.app.uq.edu.au/content/2.70.14-working-safely-arsenic I had a museum curator I worked with ask about arsenic and UQ had some good information that I ...

Do you get involved in trying to get faculty to switch lab experiments and move to safer chemicals? If so, how did you approach it? What kind of push back did you get? How did you counter it? ------------------------------ [Ruth] [Horowitz] [HAZMAT/Lab/Radiation ...

To all: Does anyone have written procedures, or even simple guidelines, for using a  hypochlorous acid in a laboratory environment for post COVID disinfection?  Right now we only have the ability to spray it, but may have fogging capability in the future. ...