DEAS/Physics/EPS Safety Committee

Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Noon-1:00PM

1. Video - "Using Hand and Power Tools" (16 minutes)

2. 2006/2007 Lab Inspection Schedules - Still missing schedules!

Lenny reported we are still missing the inspection schedules for the following lab areas:

1. High Energy Physics (Carl Gottlieb)
2. 60 Oxford Street (new chairperson will be Lenny)

Carl Gottlieb said he has contacted his teaam already. They will schedule a date soon.
Lenny said he will lead the inspection of 60 Oxford Street and will schedule a date sometime in march. He will contact the other members of the team.

3. Lab Inspection Results

A. Cruft/Maxwell Dworkin - Xuan Liang (inspected on 11/16/2006)

1. Maxwell Dworkin
   • MD-315
     There is a class IIIb Cascade Microtech Microchamber laser in the Lab, but no sign on the door and no curtain. The same issue was raised during our past inspection.
   • MD-316
     There was some paper on the desk touching the oven in. A sign on the oven says "beware hot surfaces." This potential fire hazard was also noticed and mentioned in the past inspection.
   • MD-B133
     It is a lab that is currently being set up. Should have MSDS sheets clearly available for hazardous materials used in the room.
2. Cruft
   • Cruft 109
     There is a class 4 laser at use in this room. The class 4 laser should be automatically interlocked to the "laser on" light at the door. At the time of the inspection team was there, the laser was on but the "laser on" light at door was not on.
   • Cruft 116
     The Chemical Preparation Room, wasn’t tidy. A bottle of flammable and skin irritant Pyralin was left on a countertop without secondary containment.
   • Cruft 312
     The Fire extinguisher in the lab was marked last inspected in 2003.
     Question: What class should "home-made" lasers (50 to 100 mw) be classified to? (according to its power told by the people working in the lab at the time of inspection -- range 50-100mw, it should be classified as class IIIb). Is there a standard procedure to register and official classification of these devices? Should they be interlocked to the "laser on" light at the door?

B. McKay Cleanrooms - Jenny Smythe (inspected on 1/9/2007)

1. Upstairs cleanroom:
   • Uncovered compressor in the outside chase
   • Expired calcium gluconate
   • An unlabeled bottle of liquid marked `Robin F´
   • Two hood labels have been rubbed/peeled off - the acid hood and the spinning hood
2. Downstairs:
   • Expired calcium gluconate
   • Shower needs to be tested
   • Bottle of PMMA belonging to `Shilpa´ in the Aziz group on shelves in gowning area
   • Raith area messy

4. Follow-Up Reports (responses to previous lab inspections)

A. Pierce Hall:

• B2-B6 (Thaddeus lab) Everything looks fine. Carl Gottlieb said all is ok in this area.
  
• G13 (Hoffman lab)
  • No hood, no eyewash or shower. -- They are relying on other labs for these things. They need to get together with Lenny to solve the hood problem.
  • Their SOP has been updated.
• G16abc (Habbal, instructional lab)
  • There are no fire extinguishers. -- Xuan Liang will look into the lack of fire extinguishers.
• G11 - needs to be inspected. Joe Ustinowich said this area was never inspected.

B. The Link and Hoffman - Greg Eischeid

• Hoffman G28A - John Budney said they have cleaned up the cylinders and will clear out the exit.
• Link 132 - Fire extinguisher unsupported on floor, serviced in 2002 -- Anthony said this has been mounted.
• Link 129A - No laser goggles at either entrance -- Anthony O'Brien said the goggles are in the lab itself.
• Link 125,127,129
  • Fume hood has old dated chemicals languishing in degrading containers and labels, messy and dirty -- this will be cleaaned up.
  • Full broken glass container -- this has been replaced.
  • 2X old vacuum pumps running in a pool of oil(within a secondary container) -- this will be cleaaned up.

C. McKay 3rd Floor - Robert Ackert (Team 3, inspected on 12/5/06 at 1:30pm)

• ROOMS 329A - 330 - no one was present to give follow-up.
  • ROOM 329A  -Laser setup did not have a curtain barrier around setup.
  • ROOM 329  -Emergency Access Sheet needs to be updated. Last done 2/03.
                         -Emergency Guide Sheet not filled out at all.
                         -Waste accumulation area needs to be cleaned up.
  • ROOM 328  -No Emergency Access Sheet on door.
  • ROOM 330  -Emergency Access Sheet needs to be updated. Last done 2/03.
                         -Laser goggles need to be placed in a central location. Scattered over lab
                          area.
• ROOM 318
  • Gas cylinder not secured. -- this has been fixed.
  • Three automobile type batteries are sitting on top of lab work area. -- placed in secondary container.
• ROOM 314 
  • Trip hazards. Cords on floor. -- a small bridge was placed over the cords.
    
  • Small gas cylinders stored in cardboard box on floor. -- these have been put away.
    
  • Small gas cylinders stored on table top horizontally. -- these have been placed in a drawer. The safety rep asked how to dispose of 15 -year old empty lecture bottles. Matheson wants $100 per bottle for disposal. Lenny suggested they could make sure the bottles are empty, remove the valves, cut the bottles in half and throw them out.
    
  • Thick slab of metal needs to be stored properly. It is hanging out in the air at knee level and could do damage. -- this has been moved.
• ROOM 312
  • Flammable chemicals (Methyl Alcohol/Trichloroethylene) not stored in flammable storage container. -- The chems have been disposed of.
  • No instructions for how to use HF antidote. -- They made the instruction sheet more obvious.
• ROOM 303
  • 2nd Egress being blocked by large tool box.
  • No instructions for how to use HF antidote. -- They are now taped on fume hood.
    
  • Antidote location not clearly marked. -- This will be made more obvious.

5. EH&S Report - Mike Labosky

• A dry-chem extinguisher was discharged in Harvard Yard as a prank by students. The Fire Department was not pleased.
• The recent fire in Cambridge at 1 Broadway in which an NSTAR employee died: There were a number of issues that made this fire deadly. One of the exits was blocked. The pressurized stairwells didn't work. The door to the transformer vault wasn't self-closing. The heat from the fire fused the sprinklers shut. The Fire Department told people not to try to evacuate from the building, but people attempted to do so anyway and then ran into trouble in smoke-filled stairwells. This is a reminder to ALWAYS follow the instructions of the responding Fire Department.
• EH&S has posted a new position for Health and Safety Officer.
• EPS is now working with ChemTracker.

6. Hazardous Waste Training Report - Rob Stanhope

Rob reported on several people needing retraining.

7. Old Business

• Lenny received an email from someone asking how to add new group members to the safety training database. He said they should email the names and contact info of new lab workers to Rob Stanhope who will enter the names into the database.
• Regarding odor complaint by the Scott Martin group: Ed Jackson said the odors could be coming from a neutralization tank and the glue that is used by the construction workers.
• Fire alarm testing in McKay: Linn Eichler could not hear the alarm when it was tested. A new fire alarm will be installed near her office.

8. New Business - none

Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 14, 2007, 12:00 noon, Maxwell/Dworkin 119