Safety Committee Meeting

School of Engineering
September 13, 2021

In Attendance: Hussein Abdeltawab, Anne Gohn, Dave Honard, Phil Jones, Mario Loreti, Steve Nozaki, Joy Armbruster

Members Unavailable: Chris Bartlett, Glenn Craig, Brian Lani, Lucy Lenhardt, Fred Nitterright, Nancy Study

Phil Jones called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m.

 

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 addressed.

  • Mario reported that 3 additional soldering stations were added to the soldering lab (Burke 145) making the total 5.
  • Dave reported that Burke 118 will receive 2 new Tinius Olsen machines.
  • Anne reported that there will be several new pieces of equipment coming into the Plastics lab, she will provide information on them once they arrive. She also reported that she purchased a new 3D printer that uses UV light to cure and discussed the safety concerns with the committee.
  • Steve reported that the machine shop policy for Burke 123 will be more completely enforced and training verification will be implemented. He also reported that several welders were salvaged in the lab.
  • Hussein reported the purchase of a new DC Power Supply in Burke 144.
  • Nancy reported on her RA form that she had an electrical outlet issue in Burke 119 where it was shorting out when she would run the Chemical Bath this summer. Maintenance placed a temporary extension cord to keep the lab equipment up and running and then repaired the outlet by the fall semester.
  • Brian reported on his RA form that the Micro Indenter in AMIC 117 (owned by SKF) was sent out for repair.

Accident/Incident Report 

Accident/Incident Report: No new injuries or near misses to report.

Continuing Business

The minutes from the April 2021 meeting were reviewed.

  • The annual lab safety inspections were completed with the exception of Burke 117, 121, 122. These labs will be reviewed by a safety committee representative. Complete
  • The GFCI that was tripping in Burke 119 when the chemical bath was being used has been repaired. Resolved
  • Card access to Burke 144 and 145 had continued discussion. Dr. Abdeltawab reported that only his researchers have card access to 144 and that all other students in the lab are part of a class setting. Resolved. The use of 145 for soldering has grown with the request for ECET students to complete class projects. Safety signage has been added to the lab and hours for access to the lab have been limited. Mario suggested that students should have training on soldering before using the lab. He also suggested that we ask maintenance to look at the ventilation in the space. There is currently a fume vent in the lab. Ongoing
  • Joy reminded the committee of the importance of keeping the SOE equipment database current. A recent example was the micro indenter needing maintenance in AMIC 117. It was not in the equipment database.

New Business

  • The Unit Specific Plans (USP) were updated in the labs and coordinators were asked to be sure that the USP be reviewed, and certification pages signed by all who work or research in the labs.
  • Mario reported that black mold was found on the ceiling around an air handler in the hallway outside Burke 143. A maintenance work order was placed, and he reported that they are working to resolve the problem.
  • Mario reported that a piece of equipment marked for a faculty member has been sitting in the hallway outside Burke 125 since May. Dave reported that Shawn Limrick from Maintenance contacted him asking that the equipment be removed. Dave will follow up and move the equipment.
  • The committee reviewed the Lab Safety Timeline for needed updates. This calendar is created to schedule the lab activities that are required for safety compliance. The EHS annual lab audits will be removed from the timeline and safety program compliance will be added. SAA compliance and inspection, and ladder inspections will also be added. The updating of the calendar will be ongoing.
  • There was a question about who can use sponsor-owned equipment within Penn State labs. Can others use the equipment for work outside of the intended research? This came up specifically concerning the SKF equipment in AMIC 117/118/119/120. The committee should ask Brian Lani to investigate.

The meeting was concluded at noon. The next meeting will be scheduled in October.