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Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Concern about one of today's incident reports
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 10:56:54 AM
Author: LMSTROUD**At_Symbol_Here**aol.com 		Next by Date:
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Concern about one of today's incident reports
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2015 15:11:55 +0000
Author: "Nail, John"

From: "Nail, John" <jnail**At_Symbol_Here**OKCU.EDU>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Concern about one of today's incident reports
Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2015 15:00:59 +0000
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: D15D1FC1.8F3C%jnail**At_Symbol_Here**okcu.edu


We can either have hazard analysis with reasonable responses or mindless rules. Not that long ago, in an ACS safety video, a fire in a 100 ml beaker was shown along with the incorrect response (blast it with a fire extinguisher – which knocked the beaker onto the floor and transferred the fire to the floor) and the correct response (place a watch glass on the beaker).

Unfortunately, the trend has been to have mindless rules instead of thoughtful analyses. In the situation described, the thoughtful analysis would have been 'put on gloves, clean up the mess and send the used paper towels off as hazardous waste'.

We in the Safety Community must take much of the blame this mindless rules environment. It is easier to teach mindless rules than situation analyses.

Just my devalued $0.02 worth.

John Nail
Professor of Chemistry
Oklahoma City University

From: <Funck>, Steven <sfunck**At_Symbol_Here**MESSIAH.EDU>
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 7:23 AM
To: "DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU" <dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Concern about one of today's incident reports

Does this strike anyone else that this was overkill?  I am all for caution and safety,  but I am afraid we are not promoting either if every spill results in a full blown evacuation and HZMAT incident. 

 

HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE WING CLEARED AFTER CHEMISTRY LAB SPILL

Tags: us_NJ, laboratory, release, response, other_chemical

 

A student accidentally dropped a beaker of chemicals in a chemistry lab classroom at Manchester High School on Monday afternoon, resulting in the clearing of the science wing while hazmat crews cleaned up the spill, police said.

 

School administrators called police about 1:20 p.m. to report the spill, which occurred when the student dropped the 500-milliliter beaker on the floor and it shattered, Capt. Todd Malland of the Manchester Police Department said.

 

The beaker contained manganese (11) sulfate solution, silver nitrate solution 0.2l, lead nitrate solution, nickel sulfate, and cobalt chloride aqueous solution, 2.5 percent, school officials told police.

 

Police evacuated the science wing while members of the Berkeley Township HazMat Response Team decontaminated the scene, Malland said.

 

The teacher and five students who were in the room at the time did not report any injuries at the time of the spill, he said..

 

 

Steven S. Funck, MS, CSMM

Natural Sciences Laboratory Program Manager

Messiah College

One College Ave.

Suite 3049

Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

 

Phone:  (717) 796-1800 (ext. 2079)

Fax: (717) 691-6046

SFunck**At_Symbol_Here**messiah..edu

 

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