Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 07:25:05 -0400
Reply-To: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: Kim Auletta <kauletta**At_Symbol_Here**NOTES.CC.SUNYSB.EDU>
Subject: Re: Emergency Action Plan for science labs
In-Reply-To: <8ADCF54F-409C-44BB-99BF-E87908865D8D**At_Symbol_Here**ilpi.com>


There is no OSHA regulation that covers this type of emergency. They only 
have the HAZWOPER reg (1910.120) for hazardous materials emergency 
releases and the requirement for a fire safety plan (1910.38). NFPA 45 
also has a requirement that labs develop their own emergency plan and they 
mention utility outages. 

Here is the lab emergency checklists & info that I have for our 
university: http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/lab/labemerg.shtml

As others said, each lab needs to plan for shutting down their own 
equipment. Some large groups here have an "on call" arrangement with the 
local dry ice distributor. That's been our biggest problem. We've lost 
power for extended periods here & the lab freezers are not on the 
emergency back up generators. Hard to see your life's work melt away......

Kim Auletta
Lab Safety Specialist
EH&S    Z=6200
Stony Brook University
kauletta**At_Symbol_Here**notes.cc.sunysb.edu
631-632-3032
EH&S Web site: http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/lab/

Remember to wash your hands!


From:
ILPI 
To:
DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Date:
07/09/2010 06:40 AM
Subject:
Re: [DCHAS-L] Emergency Action Plan for science labs
Sent by:
DCHAS-L Discussion List 


Ooooh, ouch, I don't recommend letting someone from maintenance turn off 
science experiments no matter how good the documentation is.  Just one 
example - shutting down a vacuum line system could result in a pressure 
explosion or liquid oxygen condensation.  Someone's experiment that has 
been running for weeks could be ruined by a well-intentioned mis-step. 
Expect severe pushback from your faculty and research staff on that.  I 
know I would firmly oppose it as a faculty member and would expect my 
chair to fight it, too.

That said, an emergency action plan that ensures the responsible emergency 
party for each lab/facility is notified would be a good one.   Most every 
university already has the emergency contact information for each lab 
posted by the doorways.   And many campuses already have 
email/phone/messaging broadcast systems for emergencies that can be 
targeted at subsets of the campus population.  Having someone assigned to 
ensuring that each lab's responsible party is contacted is a much better 
plan than trying to write up procedures for equipment or experiments that 
are way beyond the skill set of maintenance personnel and likely to be 
obsolete when needed.

Rob Toreki

On Jul 8, 2010, at 8:34 PM, Schmidt-Nebril, Kathleen wrote:

My university recently was hit with a four day power outage due to severe 
storms.  Our science building is recently new and has a back up generator 
however none of the main lab instruments or equipment were backed up to 
it. Hoods, lights and ventilation were.  In the end we are looking at a 
huge insurance claim and are now trying to prepare  an action plan for 
each of our labs in the event we go through something like this again.  I 
am the CHO for the department and was asked to put this together.  Does 
anyone know what OSHA standard, if any, I should be looking at for this? 
They want to incorporate a "what to do" list for example if none of the 
scientists were around someone from maintenance could follow it to turn 
off sensitive equipment in our absence.  My thought on that is would we 
need to train and document  anyone who might have to respond and use our 
action list? 


Kathleen 

  =====================================================
Safety Emporium - Lab & Safety Supplies featuring brand names
you know and trust.  Visit us at http://www.SafetyEmporium.com
esales**At_Symbol_Here**safetyemporium.com  or toll-free: (866) 326-5412
Fax: (856) 553-6154, PO Box 1003, Blackwood, NJ 08012


There is no OSHA regulation that covers this type of emergency. They only have the HAZWOPER reg (1910.120) for hazardous materials emergency releases and the requirement for a fire safety plan (1910.38). NFPA 45 also has a requirement that labs develop their own emergency plan and they mention utility outages.

Here is the lab emergency checklists & info that I have for our university: http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/lab/labemerg.shtml

As others said, each lab needs to plan for shutting down their own equipment. Some large groups here have an "on call" arrangement with the local dry ice distributor. That's been our biggest problem. We've lost power for extended periods here & the lab freezers are not on the emergency back up generators. Hard to see your life's work melt away......

Kim Auletta
Lab Safety Specialist
EH&S    Z=6200
Stony Brook University
kauletta**At_Symbol_Here**notes.cc.sunysb.edu
631-632-3032
EH&S Web site:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/lab/

Remember to wash your hands!


From: ILPI <info**At_Symbol_Here**ILPI.COM>
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Date: 07/09/2010 06:40 AM
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Emergency Action Plan for science labs
Sent by: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>



Ooooh, ouch, I don't recommend letting someone from maintenance turn off science experiments no matter how good the documentation is.  Just one example - shutting down a vacuum line system could result in a pressure explosion or liquid oxygen condensation.  Someone's experiment that has been running for weeks could be ruined by a well-intentioned mis-step.  Expect severe pushback from your faculty and research staff on that.  I know I would firmly oppose it as a faculty member and would expect my chair to fight it, too.

That said, an emergency action plan that ensures the responsible emergency party for each lab/facility is notified would be a good one.   Most every university already has the emergency contact information for each lab posted by the doorways.   And many campuses already have email/phone/messaging broadcast systems for emergencies that can be targeted at subsets of the campus population.  Having someone assigned to ensuring that each lab's responsible party is contacted is a much better plan than trying to write up procedures for equipment or experiments that are way beyond the skill set of maintenance personnel and likely to be obsolete when needed.

Rob Toreki

On Jul 8, 2010, at 8:34 PM, Schmidt-Nebril, Kathleen wrote:

My university recently was hit with a four day power outage due to severe storms.  Our science building is recently new and has a back up generator however none of the main lab instruments or equipment were backed up to it. Hoods, lights and ventilation were.  In the end we are looking at a huge insurance claim and are now trying to prepare  an action plan for each of our labs in the event we go through something like this again.  I am the CHO for the department and was asked to put this together.  Does anyone know what OSHA standard, if any, I should be looking at for this?  They want to incorporate a "what to do" list for example if none of the scientists were around someone from maintenance could follow it to turn off sensitive equipment in our absence.  My thought on that is would we need to train and document  anyone who might have to respond and use our action list?  

Kathleen

  ======================================================
Safety Emporium - Lab & Safety Supplies featuring brand names
you know and trust.  Visit us at http://www.SafetyEmporium.com
esales**At_Symbol_Here**safetyemporium.com  or toll-free: (866) 326-5412
Fax: (856) 553-6154, PO Box 1003, Blackwood, NJ 08012


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