Thank Debbie, we do have this policy and signs are all over the place for “No Eating, Drinking, Chewing, etc.”

 

This design was not passed to me.

 

Regards,

 

Michael

 

 

Gotta love a lab designer who doesn’t know anything about labs.

 

Rip ‘em out.  Make the designer pay for it. They have insurance for these types of “errors and omissions.”

 

I hope you would have a policy statement somewhere that states “no food and drink in the lab.”  If you have such a statement, then it makes the case for taking them out.

 

It’s the policy of UC Davis to prohibit eating and drinking in the laboratory.  Here’s our policy statement:  http://manuals.ucdavis.edu/PPM/290/290-65.pdf (paragraph 12).

 

Hope this helps.

 

Debbie

 

Debbie M. Decker, CCHO

Safety Manager

Department of Chemistry

University of California, Davis

122 Chemistry

1 Shields Ave.

Davis, CA  95616

(530)754-7964

(530)304-6728

dmdecker**At_Symbol_Here**ucdavis.edu

 

Birkett's hypothesis: "Any chemical reaction

that proceeds smoothly under normal conditions,

can proceed violently in the presence of an idiot."

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are in the process of building a new Lab and it is almost ready for occupation.

 

The Lab designer has put two drinking fountains in the Lab. I believe this is not allowed per OSHA’s Laboratory Standards, however, the discussion is that “there is minimum chance of chemical contamination” with these drinking fountains. I have requested the removal of these, but it would be costly at this point. I have two questions:

 

Are the drinking fountains allowed in the Lab area?

 

Is it OK to shut down the water source at this point and leave the fountains there?

 

I appreciate the expert opinions on this subject.

 

 

Michael Hojjatie, Ph.D.