I was always told that when you go to build a house, talk to the folks that have already done it. A quick check of "fires" on the Safety Listserv will show two recent ones and I suggest you ask those folks directly. In the last few years, those fires would have been University of California (Irvine, I believe) and University of Vermont. I would find the EH&S folks and talk with them directly on what went right and what went wrong and learn from them. Remember, it is always better to learn from a horrible example than to be one. The UCI fire was very extensive and the after-fire clean up huge. Univ. Vermont's fire was smaller, but there are still lessons to be learned from there as well. Good luck. H -----Original Message----- >From: Yung Morgan>Sent: Dec 14, 2007 3:51 PM >To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU >Subject: [DCHAS-L] Aftermath of a fire > >Dear members, > >I like to ask any idea from the group about what to do in the aftermath of a >fire. Do you have a certain set of protocols you make all personnel go >through before the lab or space can be cleared for reoccupation? Do you ask >for a thorough clean up by the department? How about air and surface >samples? > > Recently one of our biology labs had a fire from an oven which overheated >to 500 F with some plastic which was left in with the glassware. The fire >which resulted blew out black soot throughout the lab and into adjoining >bathrooms though the vent system. Our group responded with the local fire >department who put out the fire and went in to investigate the fire without >any respiration protection. The researcher and her group were in the lab >cleaning out all the sooty glassware with only dust masks given to them by >the custodial staff who refused to go in. They were not too happy when we >made them clear the lab for a few days whereby a contractor was brought in >at the PI expense to hepa-vacuum the area( including the adjoining >bathrooms).Another consultant was also brought in for wipe samples and air >samples for VOCs and particulates. We let the group occupy the lab as soon >as surface samples were taken as they can open the windows but not the small >interior office where all graduate students congregated. The lab was then >cleared for reoccupying after I have a verbal confirmation from the lab that >all samples have below detection level. It took about a week for the lab to >be reoccupied. > >My questions: >1. Is this overkill? >2. What do other institutions do in the aftermath of fires? Spills of >hazardous materials? >3. How about your fire response group? do they have a procedure to >reenter the area with respiration protection? > >Any thoughts or comments you all may have would be helpful to rewrite our >fire and spills responses procedures. Thanks in advance. > >Have a fantastic (and safe) Holiday season! > > >Yung Morgan, MsPH >Chemical Safety >Industrial Hygiene Services >Environmental Health and Safety >117 Draper hall >UMASS,Amherst MA 01003 >phone (413) 545-2682 >Fax (413) 545-2600 >email : pmorgan**At_Symbol_Here**ehs.umass.edu > Harry J. Elston, Ph.D., CIH Principal Midwest Chemical Safety, LLC www.midwestchemsafety.com Editor, Chemical Health & Safety http://membership.acs.org/c/chas/ "I'm your wife. I'm the greatest good you're ever gonna get" -Mrs. "Frozone", The Incredibles
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