Safety Committee Minutes
School of Engineering
4/19/2019
In Attendance: Glenn Craig, Dave Honard, Phil Jones, Brian Lani, Lucy Lenhardt, Mike Lobaugh, Fred Nitterright, Steve Strom, Nancy Study, Joy Armbruster
Members Absent: Faisal Aqlan, Denise Brooks, Rick Coon, Mario Loreti, Tim Kurzweg, George Walters
Mike Lobaugh called the meeting to order at 1:05 pm. He introduced Phil Jones as the new co-chair of the committee.
Lab Risk Assessment/Activity Report
- Brian reported that there are several pieces of equipment in the AMIC labs that are in need of repair. A meeting will be set up to discuss.
- It was reported that brown water is coming out of the eyewash station in AMIC 119 when it is initially engaged. A discussion took place on the effects of the “brown” water on individuals who need to use the station. Currently Dave flushes the wash station weekly and water clears within a few seconds. A work order will be placed for maintenance to address the problem.
- There has been a request to open the door between 119 and 120 in AMIC and allow one student to work in each lab. The committee discussed the request and would like further review before any changes can be made. A meeting will be set up with the SOE Director, Co-chairs, and AMIC Faculty to discuss the entire space.
- The committee discussed added chemicals (heat treat oil) in Burke 116/118. The chemicals in this lab will be reevaluated.
New Business
Mike Lobaugh will be retiring, and the committee discussed the change to the Lab Access Coordinator role. It was suggested that the lab coordinators become access coordinators for their labs. Brian reported that several faculty have offered to help with the role. Phil Jones also offered to take on the role to replace Mike. The action item is ongoing.
Best Wishes to Mike!!
Continuing Business
- No food and drink in Burke 152 (Gaming Lab). Update…Mario talked to Richard Zhao and they plan to reassess the activity in that lab over the summer in order to make a change to how the space is being used for Fall 19.
- The lab self inspection forms for Burke 117, 140, 143, 144 have not yet been completed. Joy will continue to follow up with the responsible lab coordinators.
Safety Concerns
No new safety concerns were reported at this meeting.
Pending/Resolved Action Items
New Equipment
Brian Lani had reported that a new piece of equipment was added to AMIC 120 without his knowledge. No equipment is to be added, moved or removed without the knowledge of the Lab Coordinator. Update…the new piece of equipment has been identified and labeled. The committee will continue to work on creating better communication for equipment added and removed from labs. Resolved.
Safety Toe Caps
Lucy Lenhardt had reported that safety toe caps were needed for the Plastics lab. She believes that the Integrated Safety Plan (ISP) cost sharing with EHS will help to purchase them. Update… the toe caps have been purchased. Resolved.
Safety Glasses Initiative
The prescription safety glasses initiative is now up and running. Employees who are required to wear safety glasses as part of their employment can purchase safety glasses that are specified by the plan at no cost to the employee. Resolved.
Burke 119 and 121
Changes have been made to both Burke 119 and 121 labs to change their risk status from medium to low. Resolved.
Heat Treat Oven
Mike Lobaugh opened discussion regarding the heat treat ovens in the labs, and whether the lab policy requiring a faculty member to be present if oven temperature exceeds 500 degrees should hold or be changed. The committee discussed and decided that the policy would be changed to eliminate a requirement on temperature and add that extra training and precautions need to be observed for operating ovens. Resolved.
Annual Lab Self Inspections were conducted in January. The committee discussed the signature lines on the form and decided that the PI (lab Coordinator) and safety committee chair/s should sign the forms as well. This will be a change to the form, which currently asks for a signature from the department head. Update… The committee revisited the signature lines on the lab inspection form and decided to remove the second signature and have only the lab coordinator sign the form. Resolved.
Food and Drinks in Labs
New signs will be made for the “no food, no drink” policy in the labs that are brighter and more noticeable.
Unit Specific Plan Training:
An easy access document will be created and added to the front of the USP in the red safety binders in each lab. The document will highlight the contents of the USP and allow a better understanding of the safety hazards and requirements in each lab. Mike Lobaugh will continue to work on a draft of the document and share it with the committee for their review.
AMIC 118
The committee discussed the two student requirement in AMIC 118. This room is low risk but adjoins with AMIC 119 which is Medium risk, therefore the access to 119 would need to be removed in order to change the requirement. The concern will be further reviewed.
The meeting concluded at 2:00 pm. The next meeting will be scheduled for August 2019.