Safety Committee Meeting
School of Engineering
October 22, 2020
In Attendance: Chris Bartlett, Dave Honard, Phil Jones, Brian Lani, Lucy Lenhardt, Mario Loreti, Steve Nozaki, Nancy Study, Joy Armbruster
Members Unavailable: Faisal Aqlan, Glenn Craig, Anne Gohn, Fred Nitterright
The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m.
Continuing Business
Each committee member covered their Lab/s Risk Assessment /Activity Report. Any reports of new, moved, or deleted equipment will be added to the equipment database. Any lab concerns/new business reported on the forms will be added to the November agenda for further review.
Accident/Injury Report
No new injuries to report.
The committee continued discussion of the “No Food-No Drink” policy in the labs. It was reported that some students are still bringing covered beverages into the labs, but food has not been a problem. Brian Lani suggested adding trash containers to the hallways near the lab entrances, to eliminate the need for students to enter the labs before disposing of their food and drink waste. The committee will investigate the possibility with Maintenance.
The committee is still in search of New Lab Coordinators for the electrical labs to replace Steve Strom and Rasoul Milasi. Phil reached out to Dave Loker who suggested sharing the responsibility with faculty from both ECE and ECET. An email has been sent to Tom Hemminger and Dave Loker to discuss and provide suggestions for a replacement.
New Business
COVID-19 Questions – Mitigation Action for Labs. Mario saw a few students not wearing masks in the labs and reported it to Abdallah Abdallah to address. The committee would like to ask Maintenance to find hand sanitizer with a better scent for the hallway dispensers. They are concerned that individuals may not be using the sanitizer as they should due to the unpleasant smell. The committee will reach out to maintenance.
Phil suggested that the Certification Pages of the USPs in the labs may not be signed due to remote teaching and faculty not present on campus. The lab coordinators were asked to please review the books in their labs and reach out to any faculty on campus who have not signed the books. Nancy Study suggested reaching out to faculty personally to obtain an online approval of their signature if they are teaching remotely. The issue will be monitored and addressed.
Joy shared updates from the University Safety Committee meeting on 10-7-2020 as a “thank you” to our committee for their commitment to safety. It is evident from the meetings that the School of Engineering does a good job of completing lab inspections timely, addressing safety concerns, and providing monthly meeting minutes. Rande Joy commended our committee for their continued support of the ISP (Integrated Safety Plan).
Brian Lani asked about the schedule for Lab Access from Thanksgiving break going forward through the end of the semester. Can students continue working in the labs? Committee members reported that if students are being paid for research they can remain in the labs after Thanksgiving. The committee will reach out for clarification on the schedule.
Pending/Resolved Action Items
Confocal Microscope in AMIC 117… SOP and Training needed? Joy spoke to Jerry Magraw in the School of Science who oversees the microscope. He confirmed that no one would be able to use the microscope, as it is password protected. He is not concerned about it as a safety hazard in the lab. He said that there is currently no SOP for the microscope to add to the USP in the lab. The science department is responsible for this equipment. Resolved.
Posting Lab Risk Levels. The signs have been color coded to show the risk level. Further improvements may be added in the future. Resolved.
BEEP (Building Emergency Evacuation Plan). Rande Joy will provide our committee with the latest results from the fire drills in AMIC and Burke. Resolved.
The meeting concluded at 9:43 a.m. A November meeting will be scheduled.