SEAS/Physics/EPS Safety Committee
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Noon-1:00PM
A. McKay 4th Floor - Jeff Miller
- All rooms ok unless noted below.
- 427: Coffee mug near an acetone squeeze bottle
- 427: Rods and plywood sitting on drillpress at eye-level...poking hazard?
- 406-408: Glass tube storage in downward-tilted box...hazard of tubes falling on floor or foot.
B. McKay 5th Floor - Liz Main
- Weitz
- 531—missing SAA sign
--should have separate secondary containment trays for corrosive and flammable waste in SAA
--some unlabeled chemicals in fumehood
--biological cabinet was extremely cluttered. I don’t know whether this presents a safety hazard
--chemicals being stored in fume hood
--eyewash pressure insufficient. Ed Jackson has not responded to them
--no safety-shower access
--safety contact sheet not visible because door open
--GOOD: very tidy; all flammable cabinets vented- 519/523—we felt that laser goggles should be by the door
--class 4 laser was on, but laser warning light not on
--chemical bottles with cryptic labels- 520—a few unlabeled chemical bottles in cupboards
--Weitz fridge: inventory needed?
--spill kit needed
--lots of bottles stacked on top of each other in SAA- 513—no safety shower
--gas cylinder being used as coat rack
--no label for chemical powder and liquid inside refrigerator- GOOD: weekly lab cleanup seems to be working!
- Manoharan
- 532—what class laser? precautions?
- 530/32/34
--HF without antidote, warning signs or instructions
--when filling out waste form in SAA, forgot to check box for which hazard
--large, mysterious, unlabeled waste container.
--should label fridge explicitly “No Food”
--laser warning lights are a “work in progress”
--no fire extinguisher present
--eyewash didn’t appear to have enough pressure. Not inspected weekly.- Aziz
- 516—one argon cylinder was poorly secured.
- 512—class 4 laser with no warning light.
- 510 (w/ Spaepen)—what class laser?
--no eyewash or safety shower
--no SAA label
--in 510b: laser was on when we went in. There was no warning and no goggles readily available- 506—flashing lamp
- 502—spill kit currently used as a trash can
--anonymous flashing light
--lasers were on but nobody there. Unclear which laser goggles to wear.
--gas cylinder stored on transport rack
--some unlabeled chemicals in small glass bottles- Stone
- 507—SAA needs another secondary containment tray (not all waste currently fit in first one)
--Biohazard area could be more clearly marked
--gas cylinder stored on transport cart in middle of floor (not permanently affixed)
--lots of unlabeled jars and vials of chemicals. They’re mostly food-colored water and oil, but it would be nice to know.C. 60 Oxford Street - Lenny Solomon
- Stanley Lab
- Unlabeled glass vile filled with colored liquid
- Bicycle in lab-unsecured
- Howe Lab
- Unlabeled bottle of liquid- say “A” on it
- Food and drink present. Even though there are not a lot of chemicals in the lab, there are some.
- Mahadevan Lab
- Unsecured compressed gas bottle with regulator attached. This is a real problem. We were told by safety officer that it was left this way for about a week.
- Two unlabeled bottles of liquid on the countertop
- Unsecured bicycle in a walkway opposite a counter that contained chemicals
- Unlabeled liquid in hood
- Several empty bottles of wine in lab
- 1” plastic air hose across floor that could be secured to ceiling to eliminate possible trip hazard
- Unlabeled liquid container on scale
- Wu Lab
- Didn’t even know this lab existed. The safety committee has no representative from this group. We found a refrigerator with no label; a lathe, band saw. drill press, grinder etc with no indication of who can use them; several heavy looking power supplies stored on shelves at least 8’ off the ground. Since there’s no safety rep, there is no SOP.
- Samuel Lab
- Unlabeled beaker by sink.
- Not sure if receptacles by sink have ground fault protection.
- 110V power strip on floor about four feet away from deluge shower that has no floor drain.
- Lots of liquor in office area. One hopes that no group member drinks while doing an experiment.
- Wood Lab
- Unlabeled refrigerator No satellite accumulation area.
3. Follow-Up Reports (responses to previous lab inspections)
A. McKay 1st Floor
- McKay 106 A-J E - PI, David Bell, Microscopy Lab - NO FOLLOW-UP WAS REPORTED
- Emergency contact sheets were dated 2004. There is no need for updates according to the safety officer.
- One of the scanning electron microscopes did not have an emergency shut off switch. All of the others did. Not sure if this is necessary for these instruments.
- Fume hood failed inspection and is used only as a satellite accumulation are for waste chemicals. Signage makes this clear.
- McKay 117 - PI, Golovchenko, Advanced Sensors Lab - All issues have been taken care of.
- McKay 121 - PI, Frederico Capasso, Quantum Electronics Lab - All issues have been taken care of.
- McKay 122 - PI, Markus, Low Temperature Physics
- Emergency contact info was dated 2004. - Contact sheet has been updated.
- Satellite accumulation area was in a less than optimal place at the bases of a rack of shelves which was difficult to access and without proper signage. -- The SAA is ok.
B. McKay 2nd Floor -
- Rm 202 – Leaky oil pump sitting on the floor; unsecured argon tank on mobile lab cart with no cap- NO FOLLOW-UP WAS REPORTED
- Rm 212 – Lecture bottles unsecured: several bottles are laid across a shelf at shoulder height- NO FOLLOW-UP WAS REPORTED
- Rm 209 – Hallway cabinet for chemical storage: latex glove covering photoresist in place of cap- NO FOLLOW-UP WAS REPORTED
- Rm 213 – Hallway cabinet containing large vacuum pump for Tinkham group has a variavac inside an exposed chassis (wood)-- will be fixed.
- Rm 214 – Old waste bottles being used as sharps container- NO FOLLOW-UP WAS REPORTED
- Rm 225A – General clutter- NO FOLLOW-UP WAS REPORTED
C. Lyman Lab - All issuses in the following Lyman Labs have been taken care of.
- Lyman 21 and 23 - PI: Professor Lene Hau ( Safety Representative: David Kaz)
- Lyman 24 (A-D), 27, 29, 30 and 31 - PI: Professor John Doyle (Safety Representative: Edem Tsikata)
- Lyman 126 & 128 - PI: Professor Paul Horowitz (Safety Representative: Curtis Mead)
- Lyman 127, 130, 131, and 132 - PI: Professor Isaac F. Silvera (Safety Representative: Jieping Fang)
D. High Energy Physics - All issues have been taken care of.
E. Jefferson - All issues have been taken care of.
- J150a: Prentiss
- J158: Golovchenco
- J164: Golovchenco
- J162: Gabrielse
- J160: Gabrielse
- J167: Golovchenco
F. Hoffman 3rd Floor & Museum -
- Museum Basement
rock cutting room: no emergency shut-off button on 2nd saw - They say it doesn't need one.- Hoffman 3rd floor, Pearson lab:
- no biolevel safety sign - No need for one.
- coffee mug sitting out in the lab space - Lenny said there should be no coffee in the lab space.
- no label or date on biohazard waste box outside of lab room - The box is gone.
- a few unlabeled samples - These are gone.
- Chemical fume hood to crowded (waste containers too close to hood sash) - These have been cleaned out.
- Solvents in squirt bottles hanging from apparatus in fume hood - This is not a problem.
- Reagent storage (acetic acid) requires better (deeper) secondary containment - This needs to be fixed.
- Hoffman 3rd floor, Schrag lab:
- eyewash in hallway not run in a while (brown water + LOTS of air) - Will be tested more regularly.
- coffee cups on sink - Coffee is not in the chem room.
- syringes in glass waste box - Syringes must go into an infectious container. There is no compromise on this. This issue needs to be fixed.
- a couple of chemical bottles (bleach?) in office room - Not a problem.
- large amounts of samples stacked in cabinets - Will be cleaned up.
- hazardous waste area in 337 not properly separated - This has been fixed.
- gloves on hot plates and next to tubing - This has been fixed.
- samll sample labeled "waste" in acids cabinet, doesn't seem to belong - This has been removed.
- food containers used for storing lab stuff - Not a problem.
- loose power cord on floor in 336 and in 333 - Tightened
- lamp in laminar flow hood OK?- Heat lamp is ok.
- eye wash hidden and pressure bad in 333 - This is ok.
- 333 doorway exit obstructed by large liquid gas tank- You can get through the door.
- Unlabeled or insufficiently labeled containers present - This will be removed.
- Could add "No food" signs on the fridges - This will be labeled.G. ESL Floors 3 & 4
- Mitchell Lab - Room 309, 301
- Needs initial inspections: hood, safety shower, eyewash - Hood inspected, need fire extinguishers, need inspection tags.
- Hansel Lab - Room 305
- Hood, shower, fire extinguishers need inspection - This has been tested.
- Martin Lab - All issues have been addressed.
- General
- Update emergency contact info on doors
- Have goggles in each room where they would be needed (currently all goggles are stored outside a single room)
- Room 322
- Fire door outside is propped open (labeled “keep shut at all times”)
- One compressed nitrogen cylinder needs a cap
- Room 323 - Eyewash looks particularly old, untested
- Room 325 - Some compressed gas cylinders unsecured [already fixed by safety officer] Cap the cylinders if not in use (rather than leaving with heavy flow regulators attached)
- Room 326
- Sulfuric acid out on counter (in a jar)—recommend secondary containment here
- General clutter (more than other rooms)
- Room 328
- Some unlabeled glassware
- Glassware dangerously close to table edges
- Outlets dangling from ceiling … perhaps there is a better way to run extension cords
- Edwards Lab - [FOLLOW UP REPORT WILL BE GIVEN IN MAY]
- Room 406
- Fire extinguisher blocked by flammables cabinet [fixed by safety officer, but still a tight clearance]
- Some glassware near edge of tables
- Double-check the BL2 hood inspection date [we didn’t see a sticker, but a lab member told us later that it was there]
- Eyewash/Shower are in the next lab … would have to go through a door to reach them
- Parker Lab - [FOLLOW UP REPORT WILL BE GIVEN IN MAY]
- Room 405
- Satellite Accumulation Area not clearly marked [fixed by safety officer]
- Label the goggle drawer
- Half of the compressed gas cylinders are empty—might as well return them
- Could not inspect room 404 (darkened for experiment)
- Mooney Lab - [FOLLOW UP REPORT WILL BE GIVEN IN MAY]
- Room 415
- Label the Satellite Accumulation Area (needs the standard big green sign)
- Some confusion on how to record percentages on hazardous waste labels. Technically (we think) the percentages should always add to 100, e.g. a 4% solution should be labeled explicitly as 4% chemical and 96% water.
- Recommend secondary containment for reagents
- One hood (above SAA) particularly cluttered—flow might be an issue
- Recommend a background monitor for radiation, near the waste area and radioactive hoods (radioactive materials are well-segregated in this lab, but perhaps they should also have a badge or active Geiger counter running as a constant monitor, in case of any leaks)
- Glassware near shelf edges—started to install plexiglass barriers, but unfinished
- Room 419
- Recommend UV goggles and/or some indicator to make clear when UV is on.
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