PLSC Safety Committee Minutes

Department of Plant and Soil Sciences

Laboratory Safety Committee

Meeting Minutes

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Robin Elliott Announcements

Summer 99 Minutes

Spring 99 Minutes

Fall 98 Minutes

Summer 98 Minutes

Spring 98 Minutes

Winter 97 Minutes

Fall 97 Minutes

Summer 97 Minutes

Spring 97 Minutes

Winter 96 Minutes

Fall 96 Minutes

Fall 99 September 1, 1999

Attendees: Gerald Hendricks, Mark Radosevich, Caroline Golt, Stacy Dean and Robin Elliott.

Absent: Allan Shapiro.

The meeting was called to order by Gerald Hendricks at 2:35.

Order of Discussion:

Old Business

1. Jerry reported that the Poster of the Month program was continued through the summer, but due to the renovation move and the smaller student population, each poster was hung for six weeks. The first addressed the new Ozone Action information available and the second dealt with Gas Cylinder Safety. Jerry thanked Caroline for providing the information on gas cylinders. Robin expressed appreciation that the poster directed workers to DOHS's training classes.

ACTION ITEM: Jerry will address Bicycle Safety for the next poster.

2. Jerry reported that the committee's lab inspections for spring were mostly routine, except for 307 Worrilow which was inspected for the first time. We decided to include this lab in our inspections although responsibility has not been determined. The lab is shared by by Animal Science and our department, and includes an autoclave, ice machine, centrifuges and fume hood. Numerous violations were reported. Dr. Sparks has received a copy of the report and Mark reported that the issue was raised during the PLSC Faculty meeting, although responsibility has not been assigned.

ACTION ITEM: Dr. Sparks with meet with Dr. Rosenberg concerning the status of 307 WOR and Jerry will send a copy of the inspection report and of the minutes to Dean Nye.

3. Notices went sent to Faculty to perform lab self inspections except for 112, 302, and 304/306 WOR which Kelly Morgan will handle.

4. University wide standardized signs will be created for each lab on campus. Requests were sent to Faculty to identify which of the following hazards apply to their labs.

1. Flammable gas
2. Biohazard

3. Radiation

4. OSHA Designated Area (carcinogens, reproductive toxins or highly

hazardous chemicals)

5. Flammable liquids

6. Laser

7. High Pressure Reactions

Caroline asked if a Magnetic category can be added.

ACTION ITEM: Robin will check with Kelly Morgan about adding the category and when all the information is collected, Jerry will send it to Kelly.

5. A notice has been sent to PLSC Faculty and grad students reminding them that the requirement of Graduate Student Safety Training can be fulfilled by attending a Safety Orientation at DOHS. Robin reported that several PLSC students attended this morning's session and that the one scheduled for September 7 is nearly full.

ACTION ITEM: Robin will schedule an additional Safety Orientation and Jerry will add the newly trained students to the web site list, and then follow up with the students who have not received training.

New Business

6. Concerns have been raised about the cold rooms. The new one in the Greenhouse currently contains two trash cans filled with rotten melons. This is another instance of a shared space with apparently no one person in charge. Jerry has sent a request to Krista Murray to check into the the air quality. It was noted that Stacey Chirnside was responsible for the cold rooms before the Townsend Hall renovation, but that she did not want that responsibility for the the new ones. Caroline Golt volunteered to be responsible for the cold rooms in 121 Worrilow. The cold room in 301A Worrilow was also discussed. It was noted that as long as it is designated for Radioisotope use, it remains a restricted use area, and training is required before use. An incident report has been prepared citing a untrained student for improperly disposing of benchtop paper.

ACTION ITEM: Jerry will contact Doug Tallamy about the rotten melons and ask Greg Rumsey about responsibility for the cold rooms.

7. Kelly Morgan has reported that she is updating the Chemical Hygiene Plan and will be including additional appendixes. The first two address workplace hazards on reproductive health.

ACTION ITEM: Jerry will inform PLSC-ALL of the availability of the pamphlets and place them in the Safety folder in the Business Forms cabinet.

8. Mark reported that due to the closure of the chemical storage room in Townsend Hall, his lab is now faced with excess quantities of solvents without adequate storage capacity. Caroline offered to store flammables in her outside storage cabinet.

9. A discussion was held regarding offices within labs and whether the prohibition of food and drinks in labs should be waived. It was noted that there is no lounge in Worrilow Hall to eat, although there are chairs at the ends of the second and third floor hallways. It was agreed that if exceptions were made to rule, that it would become more difficult to keep food and drink out of all labs, therefore, the policy remains unchanged.

10. A discussion followed concerning drinking water quality. Robin reported that University buildings are continually tested. It was noted that metal levels are usually higher during the first flush so it is recommended that taps should be rum momentarily before drinking.

ACTION ITEM: Jerry will ask Greg Rumsey about providing bottled water for Worrilow Hall.

11. There were no incidents or accidents to report.

12. Robin made several announcements.

Robin reported on the auditing subcommittee meeting of the Risk Management Advisory Council. Priority is being given the program in anticipation of possible EPA inspections. The goal is to increase documentation of safe working practices and to correct deficiencies. The program features audits of departments that fit one of two criteria: 1. They are experiencing incidents that indicate a failure of one or more safety programs, or 2. They have not submitted documentation to show that their safety programs are up to the University standard as set by the University safety policies. The proposed mechanisms would include giving those not in compliance one week to correct documented problems. If the problem has not been resolved within 30 days, a written response will be required. After 30 days, violators could face loss of lab privileges.

Robin announced the addition of Kevin Eichinger as the Environmental Health Specialist. Kevin worked with DOHS for more than three years as a miscellaneous wage employee. Kevin's responsibilities are for emergency response, hazardous waste, CPR and First Aid training.

Public Safety now has three AED units in their police vehicles for the Newark Campus. They have one each in Lewes and Wilmington. AEDs are Automatic External Defibrillators and are used for persons whose heart has stopped for some reason. DOHS has held training for the police on the proper use of the units as required by the AHA. Please remember when dialing 9-911 for an emergency to ask for this equipment if needed to speed the response time.

Robin reminded that all waste pick-ups from University locations can be scheduled by using the waste forms on the DOHS web site. The address for the form is: http://www.udel.edu/OHS/wastepickup.html

Robin suggested that meeting minutes and reports of problems regularly be sent to the Department Chair and Dean.

The next meeting will be held on December 1 at 1:00.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:10.


	Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Laboratory Safety Committee Meeting Minutes

	Laboratory Inspections \| Chemical Inventories \| RTK/CHP Training \| Home
Robin Elliott Announcements Summer 99 Minutes Spring 99 Minutes Fall 98 Minutes Summer 98 Minutes Spring 98 Minutes Winter 97 Minutes Fall 97 Minutes Summer 97 Minutes Spring 97 Minutes Winter 96 Minutes Fall 96 Minutes	Fall 99 September 1, 1999 Attendees: Gerald Hendricks, Mark Radosevich, Caroline Golt, Stacy Dean and Robin Elliott. Absent: Allan Shapiro. The meeting was called to order by Gerald Hendricks at 2:35. Order of Discussion: Old Business 1. Jerry reported that the Poster of the Month program was continued through the summer, but due to the renovation move and the smaller student population, each poster was hung for six weeks. The first addressed the new Ozone Action information available and the second dealt with Gas Cylinder Safety. Jerry thanked Caroline for providing the information on gas cylinders. Robin expressed appreciation that the poster directed workers to DOHS's training classes. ACTION ITEM: Jerry will address Bicycle Safety for the next poster. 2. Jerry reported that the committee's lab inspections for spring were mostly routine, except for 307 Worrilow which was inspected for the first time. We decided to include this lab in our inspections although responsibility has not been determined. The lab is shared by by Animal Science and our department, and includes an autoclave, ice machine, centrifuges and fume hood. Numerous violations were reported. Dr. Sparks has received a copy of the report and Mark reported that the issue was raised during the PLSC Faculty meeting, although responsibility has not been assigned. ACTION ITEM: Dr. Sparks with meet with Dr. Rosenberg concerning the status of 307 WOR and Jerry will send a copy of the inspection report and of the minutes to Dean Nye. 3. Notices went sent to Faculty to perform lab self inspections except for 112, 302, and 304/306 WOR which Kelly Morgan will handle. 4. University wide standardized signs will be created for each lab on campus. Requests were sent to Faculty to identify which of the following hazards apply to their labs. 1. Flammable gas 2. Biohazard 3. Radiation 4. OSHA Designated Area (carcinogens, reproductive toxins or highly hazardous chemicals) 5. Flammable liquids 6. Laser 7. High Pressure Reactions Caroline asked if a Magnetic category can be added. ACTION ITEM: Robin will check with Kelly Morgan about adding the category and when all the information is collected, Jerry will send it to Kelly. 5. A notice has been sent to PLSC Faculty and grad students reminding them that the requirement of Graduate Student Safety Training can be fulfilled by attending a Safety Orientation at DOHS. Robin reported that several PLSC students attended this morning's session and that the one scheduled for September 7 is nearly full. ACTION ITEM: Robin will schedule an additional Safety Orientation and Jerry will add the newly trained students to the web site list, and then follow up with the students who have not received training. New Business 6. Concerns have been raised about the cold rooms. The new one in the Greenhouse currently contains two trash cans filled with rotten melons. This is another instance of a shared space with apparently no one person in charge. Jerry has sent a request to Krista Murray to check into the the air quality. It was noted that Stacey Chirnside was responsible for the cold rooms before the Townsend Hall renovation, but that she did not want that responsibility for the the new ones. Caroline Golt volunteered to be responsible for the cold rooms in 121 Worrilow. The cold room in 301A Worrilow was also discussed. It was noted that as long as it is designated for Radioisotope use, it remains a restricted use area, and training is required before use. An incident report has been prepared citing a untrained student for improperly disposing of benchtop paper. ACTION ITEM: Jerry will contact Doug Tallamy about the rotten melons and ask Greg Rumsey about responsibility for the cold rooms. 7. Kelly Morgan has reported that she is updating the Chemical Hygiene Plan and will be including additional appendixes. The first two address workplace hazards on reproductive health. ACTION ITEM: Jerry will inform PLSC-ALL of the availability of the pamphlets and place them in the Safety folder in the Business Forms cabinet. 8. Mark reported that due to the closure of the chemical storage room in Townsend Hall, his lab is now faced with excess quantities of solvents without adequate storage capacity. Caroline offered to store flammables in her outside storage cabinet. 9. A discussion was held regarding offices within labs and whether the prohibition of food and drinks in labs should be waived. It was noted that there is no lounge in Worrilow Hall to eat, although there are chairs at the ends of the second and third floor hallways. It was agreed that if exceptions were made to rule, that it would become more difficult to keep food and drink out of all labs, therefore, the policy remains unchanged. 10. A discussion followed concerning drinking water quality. Robin reported that University buildings are continually tested. It was noted that metal levels are usually higher during the first flush so it is recommended that taps should be rum momentarily before drinking. ACTION ITEM: Jerry will ask Greg Rumsey about providing bottled water for Worrilow Hall. 11. There were no incidents or accidents to report. 12. Robin made several announcements. Robin reported on the auditing subcommittee meeting of the Risk Management Advisory Council. Priority is being given the program in anticipation of possible EPA inspections. The goal is to increase documentation of safe working practices and to correct deficiencies. The program features audits of departments that fit one of two criteria: 1. They are experiencing incidents that indicate a failure of one or more safety programs, or 2. They have not submitted documentation to show that their safety programs are up to the University standard as set by the University safety policies. The proposed mechanisms would include giving those not in compliance one week to correct documented problems. If the problem has not been resolved within 30 days, a written response will be required. After 30 days, violators could face loss of lab privileges. Robin announced the addition of Kevin Eichinger as the Environmental Health Specialist. Kevin worked with DOHS for more than three years as a miscellaneous wage employee. Kevin's responsibilities are for emergency response, hazardous waste, CPR and First Aid training. Public Safety now has three AED units in their police vehicles for the Newark Campus. They have one each in Lewes and Wilmington. AEDs are Automatic External Defibrillators and are used for persons whose heart has stopped for some reason. DOHS has held training for the police on the proper use of the units as required by the AHA. Please remember when dialing 9-911 for an emergency to ask for this equipment if needed to speed the response time. Robin reminded that all waste pick-ups from University locations can be scheduled by using the waste forms on the DOHS web site. The address for the form is: http://www.udel.edu/OHS/wastepickup.html Robin suggested that meeting minutes and reports of problems regularly be sent to the Department Chair and Dean. The next meeting will be held on December 1 at 1:00. The meeting was adjourned at 4:10.