Fundamentally, there is a policy statement included (at least in our laboratory instruction) and in our industrial instruction, that a person can be removed from the laboratory if they are presenting a hazard.  I have had to make accomodations for a PTSD person on a particular day and have had to ask an impaired student (later to be found out it was drugs) to leave due to inattentiveness.  

Unfortunately, there is not a one size or one policy that fits - we have to rely on the recognition of the hazard and have to be diplomatic due to HEPA and other regulations.

On Wed, Jun 8, 2016 at 6:47 AM, Stuart, Ralph <Ralph.Stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu> wrote:

There has been active discussion and technical presentations in the division over the last couple of years about how to manage students who have well-identified impairments that require accommodation in the lab (blindness, deafness, support animals, etc.).

A question arose yesterday that might be an extension of this discussion. One of our lab managers (who provides support for many different classes in his space) asked me if I could provide guidance for dealing with individuals who may not want to identify themselves as impaired. His immediate example was people who smelled of alcohol or marijuana or exhibited behaviors that indicate that they might be impacted by these. And then he raised the possibility that students who may be using prescription drugs to manage their behavior either 1) are not taking them, or 2) could be impacted differently by exposure to chemicals in the lab than "average" students.

I wonder if anyone on the list has developed guidance on best practices for managing these situations for their lab managers?

Thanks for any help with this.

- Ralph

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Chemical Hygiene Officer
Keene State College

ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu