DEAS/Physics/EPS Safety Committee

Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Noon-1:00PM

1. Video - "How to Prevent On-The-Job Back Injuries" (18 minutes)

2. Subcommittee Assignments 2004-2005

• Showers and Eye Wash Stations - Showers must be tested twice a year (December and June). Eye wash stations should be flowed for 4-5 minutes every week. Safety officers should flow the eye wash stations in their area.
• Lab inspection teams - Each team must determine when it will inspect its assigned lab areas in December thru April . Chairpersons of each team must email Lenny before the December meeting (December 8th) their planned inspection date within their assigned month (see the Team assignments). The actual inspections are usually completed within a few hours on one day. PLEASE NOTE: Teams 1 & 3 are due to complete their inspections in December 2004!!!

3. EPS Fire Drills - Paul Kelley

• Within the last month, EPS held a fire drill in the Hoffman Building. Overall it went well. It was discovered that the alarm pull in the Hoffman Lobby set off the fire alarm in the Link and Mallinckrodt. This will be fixed.
• Some people did not leave the building directly and instead went into another building. This should not happen. When a fire alarm goes off, everyone must leave the building and go outside.
• There will be another fire drill in six months.

4. McKay Fire Drills - Chuck Lichtenwalner

• There was a fire drill in McKay as well. There were a few bad devices, but it basically went well.
• Some stairwell doors had been left open with wedges. This is absolutely not allowed.

5. Injury in Physics: Acid burns - Chuck Lichtenwalner, Eric Brandin

• Someone working in Physics was involved in an acid spill. He was cleaning a nanotude with sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide. The acid splashed the front of his shirt which very quickly burned away. Fortunately he was not alone and was rushed to a shower. Unfortunately, they did not realize a shower was right nearby, so they took him a block away.
• Eric Brandin has now made sure everyone in his lab area knows where the safety showers are located. He advised us all to do the same for our co-workers and urged people not to work alone after hours.

6. EH&S Report

• Mike Labosky reminded us that the University has its own Chemical Hygiene Plan, which is required by OSHA.
  • This is a general hygiene plan for the whole university and you can view it at: http://www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs/ind_pro_che.shtml.
  • Lenny also provides a Chemical Hygiene Plan that has been tailored more specifically to the needs of the DEAS/Physics/EPS community. the DEAS/Physics/EPS Chemical Hygiene Plan can be found at: http://www-safety.deas.harvard.edu/chp-das.html

7. Hazardous Waste Training

• Rob Stanhope handed out a list of names of people who need to update their online training.

8. Old Business

• Lenny provided RSI training for several people in EPS.

9. New Business - none

Next Meeting: Wednesday, December 8, 2004, 12:00 noon, Maxwell/Dworkin 119