DEAS/Physics Safety Committee
Wednesday, October 14, 1998
Noon-1:00PM
Lenny Solomon opened the well-attended meeting by welcoming everyone back from the summer break. The members introduced themselves for the benefit of anyone who was new to the Safety Committee.
A) Safety Training List - Lenny reported that during the summer we had compiled a master safety training list. The list will include anyone (both current and incoming staff and students) who needs safety training in any of the following areas: Radiation, Laser, Chemical, Electrical, RTK, Gas, Biological, and RSI. This will permit a more efficient assessment of gaps in individual training. Although the list is nearly complete, we are still lacking the supervisor names of some individuals. Lenny handed out copies of the list asking the committee to fill in any missing information they could provide.
B) EPA never came to Harvard. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will visit on October 20, 1998. Henry Littleboy and Lenny Solomon reminded everyone to make sure all labs and satellite accumulation areas are up to snuff.
C) Accidents:
- Jefferson - a plumber was hit in the head by a fitting; he was not wearing a hard-hat.
- Shair Group - a student spilled a chemical which caught fire. No one was hurt; however, there was smoke and water damage (from sprinklers). The building was evacuated for 2 hours while the Fire Dept. was present. EH&S hired an outside decontamination squad to clean up the affected laboratories.
Henry Littleboy reminded the committee that when such an accident happens, it is extremely important that someone with the most direct knowledge about the accident talk to the firemen and give them an MSDS sheet if any chemicals are present.
- McKay - at the same time as the Shair Group accident, a contractor (roofer) cracked his head when he fell from a ladder which he had placed in the back of his truck. He is OK.
D) Web page updates:
- The online Safety Manual was updated and many links were added.
- The Chemical Hygiene Plan was improved and updated.
- Emergency Evacuation Plans were added with floor plans showing exit areas. The floor plans will eventually show the locations of fire extinguishers and other safety concerns.
E) Safety Orientation: Lenny reported that he had given safety orientation talks for G-1s in Physics and DEAS
F) Shipping of Hazmats: Lenny attended a training in the shipping of hazardous materials.
G) Lenny and Ralph disposed of lecture bottles left in McKay.
A) November 1998: Subcommittees will be assigned. If you have an interest in being on a subcommittee, check the web site for a list of the available committees.
B) December 1998: Lab inspection schedules will be announced and posted.
C) January through March 1999: Lab inspections will take place.
D) February through May 1999: Safety Seminars will be held.
E) June 1999: Fire drills and extinguisher training to be held.
Lenny handed out copies of an old S.O.P. as an example of how to fill out SOP forms. This month he will be sending e-mail versions of the old SOP forms, so that Safety Committee members can easily fill them out and return them to Lenny as an e-mail message. It is very important that every lab have accurate and up-to-date SOPs. The goal is to have the completed SOPs posted on the web site by the November Safety Meeting (11/18/98).
Each month Rob Stanhope will announce at the committee meeting the names of individuals who need to complete the Hazardous Waste training or online refresher course. We hope that committee members who know these people will give them polite reminders to update their training. Rob will also be sending monthly e-mail reminders to people about their upcoming training and retraining needs.
Lenny reported there have been problems with materials stored in the satellite accumulation areas. He has found instances when caps were not tightly sealed and containers were not properly labeled. To remedy this situation, we have adapted a list from EH&S of the satellite accumulation areas. We assigned people from the Safety Committee (known as "area monitors") to make sure these satellite areas are in proper order on a weekly basis. Rob Stanhope will send a reminder via e-mail to all area monitors on Fridays. After they have checked their assigned satellite area, the monitors will send reply messages noting any problems and the actions they took to remedy the issue. The Satellite Accumulation Area List with the names of area monitors can be found on this web site.
NOTE: This meeting is on the third Wednesday because of the Veteran's Day holiday.