Hi Ralph,
I would prefer "perform a risk assessment on this procedure using the SDSs and your facility engineering controls". However, for me, whether or not to have this included, nothing included, or to just include the full precautions for the classroom setting is dependent on the curriculum of the course itself. In our "basic" chem lab course for non-science majors and our "GOB" for pre-healthcare majors we include the hazards and controls/precautions to be used in each write up. These students are not taught safety analysis or risk assessment. For our gen chem lab courses that are teaching our majors, we leave out the safety and instead they are taught that they have to wear goggles and lab coats at all times and determine the safety themselves before lab and the safety section of each write up refers to the portion of the safety textbook that they need to read before coming to lab and their notebook write-ups that are done before lab require them to list the hazard and type!
of glove to use. By orgo, they are doing a written risk assessment as their pre-lab work. The only ventilation options they have are open bench or only dispense and use in a fume hood.
I think everyone takes a different approach to this for some very valid reasons. It is when they do nothing that I get concerned.
Best,
Monique
_________________________________________________________
Monique Wilhelm, M.S., NRCC Certified CHO
ACS D-CHAS Secretary|2017 CERM E. Ann Nalley Award Recipient
Laboratory Manager|Adjunct Lecturer|Chemistry Club Advisor
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry|University of Michigan-Flint
-----Original Message-----
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU] On Behalf Of Barbara Foster
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 12:25 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] "Read the SDS"
The lab manuals that were written by our faculty (and revised periodically) for the gen chem courses include highlighted sections on "Safety Precautions" which include information on PPE, use of corrosives, haz waste, etc. for each experiment to be performed. This approach might work well at your institution.
Contact me directly for more information.
/ Barbara L. Foster
College Safety Officer
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences
West Virginia University
DCHAS Fellow - American Chemical Society
304-293-2729 (desk)
304-276-0099 (mobile)
http://safety.eberly.wvu.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU] On Behalf Of Stuart, Ralph
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2018 11:51 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] "Read the SDS"
I'm a little frustrated after reviewing yet another teaching lab procedure that barely mentions any safety aspects of the work being described, but include the equivalent of "of course, everyone who does this should read the SDS". Advice this generic feels like a CYA disclaimer rather than anything designed to be helpful for the reader.
While I recognize that a complete documented risk assessment is necessary for many lab situations, I wonder if anyone has developed guidance for how one can convert "read the SDS" to decisions about how much ventilation is needed, personal protective equipment requirements, etc. for fairly simple chemistries being offered to beginning chemists?
Thanks for any thoughts on this.
- Ralph
Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Environmental Safety Manager
Keene State College
603 358-2859
ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu
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