UCIH Work Group – Project Status Summaries
Project: UC Laboratory Safety Work Group
Chair: Dave Vandenberg (as of 7/10)
Project Description:
Period Covering: January 2010 – September 2010
The Laboratory Safety Work Group will focus on the special industrial hygiene and chemical safety hazards of various laboratory research,
with an emphasis on chemical hygiene labs. The types of hazards are extensive, including a broad toxicity range of chemicals as well as
biological hazards. Labs also contain flammables, explosives, pressurized systems, ergonomics and other hazards. In order to control these
hazards, assorted engineering and administrative controls, and a variety of personal protective equipment are used. Work group members will
share expertise and experience to most efficiently address common health and safety concerns of laboratory research. Group discussion will
be a way to verify that we are meeting the minimum regulatory requirements, and it will assist us in understanding best practices for safe
laboratory research at our institutions. At most of the campuses, laboratory work is changing at a greater rate than ever and incorporating new
technologies. We wish to share knowledge within the group that will ensure that we maintain the safest labs possible.
The Work Group holds monthly conference calls on the third Thursday of the month at 1:30. Debbie Decker of UC Davis has been chair of
the work group for several years and recently stepped down. Dave Vandenberg of UCSB has been chair since July of this year. Campus
representatives to the Work Group typically fill the laboratory/research safety manager - chemical hygiene officer role at their respective
campuses. We have good respresentation from all of the campuses and the national labs on our calls, with the exception of UCLA.
In addition to work products, the work group exists to offer advice and counsel to laboratory health and safety professionals on chemical and
laboratory safety issues. Topics discussed this year are included in the list below.
Tasks
Survey of all UC’s Lab Safety Committee mandates
and structures
Survey of all UC’s lab safety program FTEs and
comparison to fume hood inventory
Reach consensus on what, if any, communal
software tools would be useful in UC lab safety
1
Responsible
Person/
Party
Rebecca
Lally
Russ
Vernon
Workgroup
UCIH Work Group – Project Status Summaries | UCOP
Target
Date
Done
Time Needed
to Complete
Project
10 hours
Done
11/10
Cost Estimate
(ID Item and Cost)
Negligible
Negligible
4 hours
Costs for attending
UCIH conference
Check if
Completed
X
X
programs per EH&S Technology Workgroup.
Evaluate quality/applicability of lab safety related
Skillsoft training. Apply that knowledge to hone
recommendations from lab safety group to UCLA on
what future trainings group would like to see.
Schedule and complete WebX training for
workgroup on silane usage with recognized expert
Stack modelling, asphyxiation risks from cryogenic
materials – guidance document to accomplish a risk
assessment, proper maintenance, suitable sensor
selection and position
@ LBNL
Costs for attending
UCIH conference
@LBNL
Workgroup
11/10
3 hours per
campus?
Rebecca
Lally
Phil
Maynard/
Doug
Harvey
3/11
3 hours
6/11
3-6 hours
University of Missouri incident with hydrogen fire in
anaerobic chamber – Who has these and are they using a
commercially mixed gas?
Phil Maynard
Work Group
8/10
2-3 hours
Topics Discussed
Responsible
Party
Target
Date
Notes
High hazard review tool
Doug Harvey
Rebecca
Lally
Phil Maynard
Work group
ongoing
The work group is discussing whether or not to
develop a tool for campuses to use and adjust as
needed.
Once the CSB report comes out, we may need to
take action to develop guidelines for campuses.
Larry Wong
2011
Waiting for the official request for information from
DTSC.
Ongoing fall out from Cal/OSHA activity at UCLA –
training, qualifications of chemical hygiene officer, work
practices.
Ducted vs. non-ducted enclosures
Fume hood testing – nitrous oxide use vs. SF6
Work group
ongoing
Will Cal/OSHA engage in a “special rulemaking?”
Work group
ongoing
Waiting for the ASHRAE 110 committee to approve
nitrous oxide as a suitable substitute. Also waiting
for Cal/OSHA to approve nitrous as a substitute for
SF6
Standard operating procedure development, fact sheets,
etc.
How Laboratory Standard compliance (chemical hygiene
plan, CHO) is accomplished at each campus
On-line training development, resources available to us,
sharing
Work group
ongoing
How these general guidance documents may or may not
comply with the spirit and intent of the Lab Standard
Work group
ongoing
Work group
ongoing
Texas Tech University Incident – CSB report due soon
How to accomplish review of research using explosives
or potentially explosive compounds?
DTSC Nanomaterial call-in
2
Tasks | UCOP
Probably
negligible
Probably
negligible
Negligible
X
Nanomaterials – exposure monitoring, handling
guidelines, environmental concerns
Metal-Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition (MOCVD)
safety – hydrogen and toxic gas use
3
| UCOP
Rebecca
Lally/Work
Group
Phil Maynard
Work group
ongoing
Should UCOP invest in a shared resource for
nanomaterial exposure monitoring at campuses?
10/11
Berkeley has a well-established toxic gas
management program that Phil will share with the
work group for possible development of a guideline
to campuses.