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Subject: Re: new set of rules kick in
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 18:45:56 +0000
Author: Timothy Hauser 		Next by Date:
Subject: Re: new set of rules kick in
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 22:44:03 +0000
Author: "Debbie M. Decker"


Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:58:35 -0500
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: "Long, Don" <Don.Long**At_Symbol_Here**URS.COM>
Subject: Re: new set of rules kick in
In-Reply-To: <61B8FFF7416572438CADB5DF16826AA6063AA8**At_Symbol_Here**MADMSG021.promega.com>

Federal OSHA standards are one set of "new" rules that they will be exposed to. Students and public sector workers are not covered under federal OSHA standards. Some states do have approved "state-plans" which may cover public sector employees (i.e. teachers). Since the OSHA standards are not required to be followed, they are not taught or talked about, so folks are left to follow local safety policies which may or may not be adequate and probably not standardized. If the law doesn't require something, the time and money isn't going to be spent on it and safety is an easy budget cut (until someone gets hurt).
 
Some states have very good state-plans which exceed the federal standards, (California is one) but they still don't cover students - only employees.
 
When a person graduates and gets that first job in the commercial lab, more than likely they'll be swamped with all these "new" safety rules which if not followed could cost them that new job or worse. Employers don't want OSHA in their business or their safety record hit because for the last 4 to 8 years in school their new lab-rat didn't get adequate safety training.
 
We have a duty to take care of all of our folks, with or without a law mandating it. But things still slip through the cracks and understanding the law can help close some of those cracks. Mr. Shiel remarked that there are still some folks who wear shorts and skirts in the lab. As soon as they are injured because of their lack of clothing, we violated the General Duty Clause and can be held accountable for their injuries.
 
Just something to chew on..

Don A. Long
CAIH, CEAS I
Southwest Research Institute Laboratory
Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility
PO Box 20130
White Hall, AR 71612
870-541-4930


From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Timothy Hauser
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 1:46 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] new set of rules kick in

It’s not just students but all levels of people moving from academia into private business. Not that there are great safety programs in academia and poor ones in business but in my experience the accountability in academia just isn’t there for the most part.

Tim

Timothy M. Hauser, CHMM
Manager, Environmental, Health & Safety

Promega Corporation
2800 Woods Hollow Road, Madison WI 53711 USA
Timothy.Hauser**At_Symbol_Here**promega.com | Direct (608) 298-4807 | Cell: (262) 844-1665 | Fax: (608) 277-2677

From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Melinda Toumi
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 12:56 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] new set of rules kick in

I think that (some/many) students do not take safety seriously or perhaps do not see it as a personal responsibility.

melinda

On Fri, Sep 30, 2011 at 12:51 PM, Kennedy, Sheila <s1kennedy**At_Symbol_Here**ucsd.edu> wrote:

I’d very interested in your list for the “new set of rules [that] kick in” when our students move into industry.

 

Sheila

--

Sheila M. Kennedy, CHO

Safety Coordinator

(858) 534 – 0221

 

Teaching Laboratories

Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

University of California, San Diego

2011 NIOSH Collegiate Safety Award

 

From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Long, Don
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 7:21 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Leg Coverings in Labs

 

It is also very helpful to us out in the "world" if students are trained to observe safety practices that will be required when they get to us. A whole new set of rules kick in when they go from being "students" to being "employees".

 

To borrow a term from my Army days - "train the same way that you will fight".

 

 

Don A. Long
CAIH, CEAS I
Southwest Research Institute Laboratory
Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility
PO Box 20130
White Hall, AR 71612
870-541-4930

 

From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Nolan, Dennis H
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 4:48 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Leg Coverings in Labs

It’s an ongoing process in academia.  We strongly recommend too. 

 

Here’s a poster we developed to help educate.

 

 

http://www.utexas.edu/safety/ehs/lab/no_pants_no_shoes.pd f

 

 

Dennis Nolan

The University of Texas at Austin

 

From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of Larry McLouth
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 12:25 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Leg Coverings in Labs

 

Berkeley Lab:

Safety glasses with side shields, long pants and closed toe shoes are required upon entry to a lab space

Lab coat and chemically resistant gloves are additionally required when handling chemicals.

This PPE is supplemented with goggles, aprons etc., depending on the material and degree of hazard

Regards

Larry



On 9/29/2011 8:55 AM, Shiel, Dan wrote:

I am interested to benchmark  what other organizations do/ require regarding leg coverings in labs.  Are legs required to be covered in all labs?  Or in some labs, but not others (e.g., in chemistry labs, but biology/ biotech)?  I realize that the default answer most of us who are EHS professionals would provide is “yes, of course leg coverings are required in labs!”, but again I am curious to learn what others actually doing and if the issue is directly addressed via your site CHP or other documents.

 

My site currently “strongly recommends” leg coverings in all labs and require them in labs using radioisotopes in our CHP (and in general have very few folks who actually wear shorts and/or skirts in labs, but some do on occasion), but are re-visiting this issue as part our ongoing risk assessment process. 

 

Regards,

 

Dan

 

Dan Shiel, MBA, CSP, CHMM

Director, Risk & Quality Management Services

Pfizer La Jolla

10777 Science Center Drive

San Diego, CA 92121

 

This e-mail and any attachments contain URS Corporation confidential information that may be proprietary or privileged. If you receive this message in error or are not the intended recipient, you should not retain, distribute, disclose or use any of this information and you should destroy the e-mail and any attachments or copies.

 




--
Melinda L Toumi  Ph.D.
University of Kansas
Department of Chemistry
785-864-3896
melindatoumi**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com

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