Please excuse the cross-posting. My searches of the CSHEMA-L, DCHAS-L and SAFETY list archives didn't produce any answers, so I appeal to the list. My Chemical Management Committee is going to look at the question of cell phones in academic and research labs, at the request of one of our professors. His primary concern is the cell phone as a vector for contamination. I think the committee will agree that cell phones should be banned from labs for hygiene reasons, but I am wondering about a couple of things: 1) If your institution has addressed this issue, was it a campus-wide policy decision, or dealt with on a building-by-building or lab-by-lab approach? What do you see as the pros and cons of those choices? 2) Have you addressed cell phones as a hazard outside of chemical or biological labs? I'm thinking of high-risk activities (aside from driving) where the reflex to answer the phone could present an additional hazard. 3) What do you think about including personal music players in the same policy? One could make similar arguments against them on the basis of chemical hygiene and distraction risks. I could see this being a point of contention in research labs. 4) Do you have specific policy statements or wording that you could share with me? My Google searches turned up a few lab safety agreement hits, but not many CHP or policy hits. I'm thinking about suggesting "Cellular telephones are not to be used in the laboratory at any time or for any purpose," as a starting point. Thank you in advance for your help. Matt Heinrich Chemical Hygiene Officer Radiation Safety Officer Walla Walla College Ph. 509-527-2148 Fax 509-527-2249 heinma**At_Symbol_Here**wwc.edu
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