LabNotes Environment, Health & Safety SPRING 2008 SAFETY NEWS FOR UC SAN DIEGO RESEARCHERS University of California, San Diego-Environment, Health & Safety ) (858) 534-1954 - 0920 : [email protected] : http://blink.ucsd.edu/ehs No. 80 Equipment protected from overhead flooding with plastic sheeting. A well-organized chemical storage facility. Inventory of Hazardous Chemicals EH&S conducts a continual inventory of hazardous chemicals on campus as part of a hazardous materials business plan required by San Diego County. In addition to chemical inventories, the plan includes floor plans indicating where hazardous materials are located, site maps, and emergency notification procedures for every building where hazardous materials are used or stored. UC San Diego’s hazardous materials business plan provides valu- able information for local fire and hazmat departments respond- ing to emergencies on campus, helps us achieve chemical inven- tories within allowable fire code limits, and contributes to a high standard of health and safety protection for the campus com- munity and the environment. When EH&S performs a pre- scheduled annual inventory of hazardous materials in a facility, it not only satisfies regulatory reporting requirements, it en- courages discovery and proper disposal of degraded or unwanted materials, making UCSD a safer and more efficient work environment. When the inventory is complete, the Principal Investigator and Area Safety Coordina- tor are provided with an electronic copy for their assigned space. Use the inventory to monitor and manage your chemical supplies advantageously. One of the challenges facing UC San Diego is ensuring unhin- dered research while managing our chemical quantities within allowable fire code limits. Help balance the need for a ready but lean inventory of chemicals by doing the following: Promptly dispose of unwanted chemicals through the • EH&S Hazardous Waste Program (http://blink.ucsd.edu/ menu/hazwaste) at no charge to the researcher. Order the minimum quantity of a chemical you will need for • the foreseeable future; please do not stockpile chemicals. Stay on top of your inventory to avoid duplicative • ordering. Obtain free chemicals and donate usable, surplus • chemicals through the ChemCycle program at http:// www-chem.ucsd.edu/facilities/Safety/Reuse/. Questions about the hazardous chemical inventory? Contact the Research Assistance Program specialist assigned to your build- ing: http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/rap Pacific Hall Lab Fire An early morning blaze on February 15th occurred in a Pacific Hall basement lab when an electrical motor used for research seems to have malfunctioned and caught fire. Due to the early hour, no one was in the lab. Water appears to have caused more damage than fire or smoke. The ceiling sprinkler above the flame may have been prevented from immediately dousing the fire by an acrylic plastic cover positioned over the burning equipment. The cover was in place to protect the equipment from second- ary flooding from the floors above (in the event that water released from fire sprinklers, an emergency shower, or any other source were to seep down from the floors above). The sprinkler was activated but didn’t douse the fire until the blaze burned through the acrylic cover. Best practice: Keep lightweight plastic drop cloths handy to cover and protect equipment from overhead flooding. Contact ehsfi[email protected] if you have questions about fire and life safety at UC San Diego. Material Safety Data Sheets http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/msds A material safety data sheet (MSDS) provides hazard information for a specific chemical or product. MSDSs vary in style and content, but all contain certain required information that includes: Chemical identification, composition, and physical properties • Health, physical, and environmental hazards/toxicity • Emergency and first aid procedures • Safe handling and storage properties • See Material Safety Data Sheets Sources at http://blink. ucsd.edu/go/msds for an extensive list of MSDSs and other chemical hazard information resources. New to UC San Diego? Find Research Safety Resources on Blink at http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/researchsafety.
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LabNotesEnvironment, Health & Safety
S PR I N G 2 0 0 8S A FE T Y N E W S F O R U C S A N D I E G O R E S E A R C H E R S
University of California, San Diego-Environment, Health & Safety ) (858) 534-1954 - 0920 : [email protected] : http://blink.ucsd.edu/ehs
N o . 8 0
Equipment protected from overhead flooding with plastic
sheeting.
A well-organized chemicalstorage facility.
Inventory of Hazardous ChemicalsEH&S conducts a continual inventory of hazardous chemicals on campus as part of a hazardous materials business plan required by San Diego County. In addition to chemical inventories, the plan includes floor plans indicating where hazardous materials are located, site maps, and emergency notification procedures for every building where hazardous materials are used or stored.
UC San Diego’s hazardous materials business plan provides valu-able information for local fire and hazmat departments respond-ing to emergencies on campus, helps us achieve chemical inven-tories within allowable fire code limits, and contributes to a high standard of health and safety protection for the campus com-munity and the environment.
When EH&S performs a pre-scheduled annual inventory of hazardous materials in a facility, it not only satisfies regulatory reporting requirements, it en-courages discovery and proper disposal of degraded or unwanted materials, making UCSD a safer and more efficient work environment. When the inventory is complete, the Principal Investigator and Area Safety Coordina-tor are provided with an electronic copy for their assigned space. Use the inventory to monitor and manage your chemical supplies advantageously.
One of the challenges facing UC San Diego is ensuring unhin-dered research while managing our chemical quantities within allowable fire code limits. Help balance the need for a ready but lean inventory of chemicals by doing the following:
Promptly dispose of unwanted chemicals through the •EH&S Hazardous Waste Program (http://blink.ucsd.edu/menu/hazwaste) at no charge to the researcher.Order the minimum quantity of a chemical you will need for •the foreseeable future; please do not stockpile chemicals.Stay on top of your inventory to avoid duplicative •ordering. Obtain free chemicals and donate usable, surplus •chemicals through the ChemCycle program at http://www-chem.ucsd.edu/facilities/Safety/Reuse/.
Questions about the hazardous chemical inventory? Contact the Research Assistance Program specialist assigned to your build-ing: http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/rap
Pacific Hall Lab FireAn early morning blaze on February 15th occurred in a Pacific Hall basement lab when an electrical motor used for research seems to have malfunctioned and caught fire. Due to the early hour, no one was in the lab.
Water appears to have caused more damage than fire or smoke. The ceiling sprinkler above the flame may have been prevented from immediately dousing the fire by an acrylic plastic cover positioned over the burning equipment. The cover was in place to protect the equipment from second-ary flooding from the floors above (in the event that water released from fire sprinklers, an emergency shower, or any other source were to seep down from the floors above). The sprinkler was activated but didn’t douse the fire until the blaze burned through the acrylic cover.
Best practice: Keep lightweight plastic drop cloths handy to cover and protect equipment from overhead flooding.
Contact [email protected] if you have questions about fire and life safety at UC San Diego.
Material Safety Data Sheetshttp://blink.ucsd.edu/go/msds
A material safety data sheet (MSDS) provides hazard information for a specific chemical or product. MSDSs vary in style and content, but all contain certain required information that includes:
Chemical identification, composition, and physical properties•Health, physical, and environmental hazards/toxicity•Emergency and first aid procedures•Safe handling and storage properties•
See Material Safety Data Sheets Sources at http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/msds for an extensive list of MSDSs and other chemical hazard information resources.
New to UC San Diego?Find Research Safety Resources on Blink at
http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/researchsafety.
Printed on Recycled Paper
Please post or circulate
Steelcase Criterionlab stool withfoot support
Steelcase footrest
Safety Training on Enrollment Central http://enrollmentcentral.ucsd.edu
Browse “EH&S—Safety” under Course Topics for schedules and registration. Learn more about safety training resources at http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/safetytraining.
Laboratory Ergonomics:Supportive Seating
Does your back ache while sitting on a stool at a lab bench or biosafety cabinet? Follow these simple seating tips to help re-lieve discomfort:
Sit with your back supported •Adjust the stool for proper work height •Use arm rests when available •Use the foot support •Try different types of stools•
The HAG Capisco stool (see images at left) provides support in a variety of positions to allow workers to change posture fre-quently while providing maximum support. This stool can be used at the microscope, microtome, chemical fume hood, or biosafety cabinet.
Where to find ergonomic stools and foot-rests:
Marketplace Preview Ergonomic Solutions •Web page, http://marketplace.ucsd.edu/ergonomic.asp, can help you make ergo-nomic equipment purchasing decisions. Steelcase Criterion lab stools and footrests are featured.
For more information about the HAG Capisco •stool, e-mail an EH&S ergonomics specialist at [email protected].
Need new ergonomic lab equipment? Labs may be eligible for funding assistance through the EH&S Ergonomics Resource Fund: http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/ergofund.
Learn more on Blink about the ergonomic risk factors associ-ated with laboratory tasks, and how to minimize or eliminate them. See http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/ergorisk.
For more information about laboratory ergonomics, con-tact Keri Harris, EH&S ergonomics specialist, at (858) 822-0294 or [email protected].
Share Your Laboratory Ergonomic Success Stories
What are your success stories? Did you purchase new ergonomic pipettes that helped minimize discomfort in lab work-ers’ hands? Did you purchase chairs that helped reduce discomfort and fatigue in workers’ backs? Did you redesign your workspace to provide comfort and in-crease productivity?
Share Your Success Story With UsE-mail your story to [email protected]. Type “Success Story” in the subject line. If your story is chosen as an outstanding example of how to improve comfort and reduce the risk of ergonomic injury in the lab, you’ll be eligible for Ergonomics Resource Funds (up to $1000) to help purchase new ergonomic equipment for your lab to continue working safely.
Selected success stories will be published in Lab Notes newsletter so everyone in the UC San Diego research community can benefit from good ergonomic solutions.
Foam pipe insulation taped over the sharp table edge cushions the forearms when a microscope operator leans against it. This inexpensive and easy way to increase comfort is a success story. Note the foot rest under the table.
Find more information about how to make your lab ergonomically friendly on Blink at http://blink.ucsd.edu/go/ergo.
Capsico lab stool used for basic back support. Short arm supports allow the user to get closer to the bench.
Front support for leaning into your work.
Another option: turn the back support to the side.
Our Ergo Chair Winner for March isShirley Arellaga, External Relations
Complete Web-based ergonomics training and you could win a free Steelcase chair for your workplace*. How it works: Log in to Enrollment Central at http://enrollment-central.ucsd.edu and complete the Evaluating Your Computer Workstation for Comfort and Productivity Web-based training program. A winner will be randomly drawn each month from a list of employees who have successfully completed the training during that month.
* Chairs awarded through this program are the property of the winner’s UCSD department.
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