Jim - This is a battle I have fought, and it is really a tough one.
One would think that common sense would win out over entitlement of
faculty to pilfer at will, but alas that has not generally been my
experience. Heaven forbid that someone plans ahead and does not need
to get into the stockroom after hours.
Are all your faculty background checked?
Is the non-denatured ethanol double locked? (this is regulated)
Are the acutely toxic chemicals secure? Is someone going to take
something to do harm to themselves or others?
Is there a re-shelving procedure? Unlike re-shelving a book,
chemicals might just surprise you if re-shelved incorrectly.
What if someone leaves the door unsecured?
What is the plan when a teaching lab does not have a reagent because
the a faculty member took it for their research or contaminated it?
Are you willing to pay for unlabeled hazardous waste left in the
stockroom.
Most importantly, if the faculty all have key access, it won't be
long before they give the keys to a student for them to "go get
something".
When I renovated our stockroom, I put chain link cages around the
majority of the chemicals. As a compromise, only faculty with
research labs could access by card reader, but they could not get to
the chemicals in the locked cages.
If I sound cynical, I am.å This is the worst idea ever....arghhhh.
Sammye
Here's a question that I received and would like the feedback and suggestions of the listserv.å Thanks ... Jimå
I am the lab/stockroom manager for Chemistry and have maintained a secure stockroom now for the past 10 years. We have a new department chair and he wants to give access to all permanent, visiting, and adjunct faculty. I feel that this is a mistake but have to give evidence to support my reluctance of open access. Is there any regulations that I can quote about securing the stockroom? I know at one time Homeland Security sent an e-mail to our CPO and other CFOs about securing these areas. Any assistance you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
PS.å LSI now has virtual lab inspections, safety program evaluations, document reviews, plus courses and seminars ... all virtual.å å And, a complimentary,å updated version of our classic Laboratory Safety Guidelines is now availableå on our website ...å https://www.labsafety.org/product/lab-safety-rules
å
James A. Kaufman, PhD
Founder/President Emeritus
å
The Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI)
A Non-profit Educational Organization
å forå Safety in Science, Industry, and Education
192 Worcester Street, Natick, MA 01760-2252
(O) 508-647-1900å å (F) 508-647-0062å å (C) 508-574-6264å å
Skype: labsafe; 508-401-7406å jkaufman**At_Symbol_Here**labsafety.orgå å www.labsafety.orgå
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Samuella B. Sigmann, MS,
NRCC-CHO
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ACS
Committee on Chemical Safety
Fellow
& 2019 Chair, ACS
Division of Chemical Health & Safety
Appalachian State University,
Retired
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