Physics TA Lab Safety Training & Orientation
Physical Sciences
Laboratory
Coordinator:
Physics Laboratory
Coordinator:
Donna Jaramillo-Fellin djaramillo-fellin@ucmerced.edu
Office: SE1 101
Office phone: x7645 (209-228-7645)
Cell phone: 209-675-1498
Emergency: 9-911
Stefanie Stepp sstepp@ucmerced.edu
Office: SE1 114A
Office phone: x4531 (209-228-4531)
Cell phone: 209-259-8336
for campus dispatch
General Safety
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Safety training o All TAs must attend the Physics TA Lab Safety Training & Orientation once a year or as significant changes to the training are made. The training covers safety procedures, TA expectations, and an overview of the lab room. o All TAs must attend the lab specific training (lab TA meeting) each week of lab.
See the TA Expectations section for more information. o All TAs must take the mandatory EH&S courses: Lab Safety – Fundamentals,
HazMat Spill Response (often part of Fundamentals), and Fire Safety.

Undergraduate safety contract o The students and the TA must follow the safety procedures as outlined in the contract. A copy is provided in the TA packet. The safety procedures are also posted in the lab room. o The TA is responsible for ensuring that the students follow the safety contract.
o Laser glasses are provided and must be worn by the TA and students when working with Class 3B laser systems . Choose the laser glasses based on the wavelength and power of the laser being used. o Chemical splash goggles and lab coats are provided and must be worn by the
TA and all students when working with chemicals.
Goggles and lab coats may not be removed until the chemicals are completely put away.
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No safety glasses or goggles with direct vent holes are allowed during chemical work. o Long pants and closed toed shoes that cover the whole foot must be worn by the TA and all students when working with chemicals.
Shoes that cover the toes but not the top of the foot are not acceptable. Use your best judgment on long skirts and other clothing not specifically prohibited. o Chemically resistant gloves are provided and must be worn by all students during certain labs . Glove use is mandatory when working with radiation and toxic chemicals.
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Physics TA Lab Safety Training & Orientation o The TA should know the location of the fire extinguisher in the lab room. The
EH&S Fire Safety class should be taken for guidelines on how to use a fire extinguisher. o The nearest eyewash and shower are in SE1 106A for when students are working with chemicals and radioactive materials. o The TA should know the location of the nearest first aid kit and the phone.
There is a first aid kit just outside the lab room door in the center hallway. The phone in is the hallway next to the Clean Environment Room. o The TA should know the location of the nearest fire pulls.
There is one at each end of the center hallway as well as one halfway between ends.
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Coverage of lab time o Never leave the students alone without designating someone to be in charge.
It is not the lab staff’s responsibility to cover a TA’s lab section even for a short period of time. Each TA should make sure they have contact information for the other TAs teaching the course, the instructor, and the lab coordinators in case they need to quickly find someone to cover their lab section. o For a few minutes’ absence (for example, a bathroom break), the TA should assign one student who will come find the TA or the lab staff if an emergency occurs. The TA should make sure all students know who is assigned this duty. o For any absence longer than a few minutes , let both your instructor and the lab coordinator know. You must arrange ahead of time for a suitable substitute, preferably another TA in the same course, and get approval for that person from your instructor. o For an immediate emergency situation , contact the other TAs for the course and the instructor to arrange for help. The lab coordinators or lab staff can help only in the short term.
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Emergency situation in the lab room o For all situations listed below, provide information to the Lab Coordinator with the specifics of the incident and inform your instructor as soon as possible. There is the “Physical Sciences Local Reporting Form” in the folder on the door to SE1
114A that outlines the information that needs to be sent to the Lab Coordinator.
You can either fill out the form or email the information, but the information must be provided directly to the Lab Coordinator. o For chemical spills on skin or in eyes, flush the affected area with water for 15 minutes. Use any water source available. Do NOT send the student out of the room before a thorough flush – remove as much chemical as possible for the health of the student and to avoid tracking chemicals outside of the lab room. o For minor first aid issues, use the first aid kit or send the student to the health center. o For serious medical issues or other immediate emergencies, call campus dispatch.
If you cannot leave, send a student into the hallway to call dispatch. Also send them to find the lab support staff if you need additional help. o For other possible emergency situations on campus during a lab section, follow any instructions given. Be aware of your surroundings and make the best decisions you can for the safety of yourself and your students.
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Minor (small) chemical spills and messes (amounts used by the students)
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Physics TA Lab Safety Training & Orientation o Soak up any liquids with paper towels or spill pads. Place contaminated materials in a bag or other container for waste management.
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Fire in the lab room o Turn off any sources of heat if it is safe to do so. o Evacuate the room according to the instructions for a fire alarm below. o Use one of the fire pulls to sound the fire alarm. o Call campus dispatch (9-1-1) and meet the emergency responders outside of the lobby on the parking lot to provide information. If you need lab staff to oversee your students, let them know. o Inform the course instructor as soon as possible and provide information on how the students’ lab was affected.
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Fire alarm (posted in lab room)
1.) If it is safe to do so, have the students turn off any equipment.
2.) Establish a meeting point outside in the quad . DO NOT stand right next to the building and DO NOT stay on the parking lot side of the building.
3.) Have the students evacuate as quickly as possible. If it is safe to do so, have the students take their belongings with them.
4.) As you leave, close all lab doors behind you.
5.) When you arrive at the meeting point, gather the students and take roll (or take a head count) to make sure that all of your students made it out of the building.
Contact emergency responders if anyone is missing.
6.) If the cause of the alarm was in your lab, see above.
7.) The lab support staff will visually account for your presence. You only need to talk with them if there is a problem.
8.) Only re-enter the building when told by UCM police or the fire department that the building is safe. Do not assume that it is safe when the sirens stop.
9.) Inform the instructor as soon as possible and provide information on how the students’ lab was affected.
Laboratory Introduction
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Lab room o The tables accommodate 2 student stations. We rarely have students work in larger groups. o There is usually one table reserved for communal equipment and for TA use. o The cubbies are required to use for TA’s and students’ backpacks/bags and personal items , even during any discussions or reviews. This will protect equipment out on the tables from accidental damage and also limit possibility of contaminating the students’ belongings with chemicals when in use. o ADA-compliant tables are at the middle of the room.
Make sure any wheelchair-bound students obtain a spot at these tables. Any students needing special accommodations should talk to the course instructor. o The lights in the lab rooms are strictly on-off using the toggle switch.
Make sure that the bank of sliders is completely up. Make sure to turn on the lights when at the start of lab and turn them off at the end.
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Equipment and supplies
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Physics TA Lab Safety Training & Orientation o Some equipment stays out on the tables even during discussions, but the majority of the lab setup is placed out for the students just before the lab.
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Waste and extra items o Any sharps items, such as plastic pipets or broken glass, must be placed in a designated container or in the blue & white sharps container. An item is considered a sharps item if it could poke through a normal trash bag. The trash can is only for general uncontaminated waste. o Extra papers should be recycled or removed after labs and discussions. Do not store any paperwork in the lab room long term. Recycle bins are provided in each lab room.

The TA entrance to the labs is obtained through the central hallway using your Cat
Card.
The TA will need to let the students in through the outside doors of the lab room.
Avoid using the hallway as a shortcut into the building since transportation of chemicals and other items often occurs through the hallway.

Additional whiteboard pens can be obtained from Katherine Brown in AOA. We do not keep a supply for instructional use.
TA Expectations
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First day o Undergraduate safety contract
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Go over the safety procedures with the students. Hand out the printed copies so that each student gets one; there is also an electronic version posted on the course CROPS site.
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Have the students sign the back of the section sheet.
Once all of the students have signed it, the original goes in the envelope attached to the door to SE1 114A. The TA may retrieve the original for the next few weeks for additional students to sign as needed. o Maximum number of studnets
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The lab room cannot accommodate more than 20 (SE1 103) or 24 (all other lab rooms) without special permission from the course instructor and the Physical Sciences Lab Coordinator.
If a section has too many students, the TA will need to determine who is not registered for the section and ask them to attend their proper section immediately.
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The students must attend the lab section for which they registered.
If a student is trying to attend a different lab section, it is their responsibility to check ahead of time to see if the section can accommodate them. o Special needs students
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Refer any students with special needs to the course instructor.
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Each lab section o Safety
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It is the TAs responsibility to ensure that the students follow the safety contract while in lab.
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Safety issues noticed by lab staff will be brought to the TA’s attention quietly during the lab session.
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Physics TA Lab Safety Training & Orientation
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The TA may prop the outside door open to initially let students in, but for fire safety reasons, the lab door must be closed once the lab session has gotten going .
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Make sure that the students always use the cubbies.
No bags should ever be on the bench tops. o Time management
 Let students into the lab room no more than 5 minutes before the lab section. Let the previous TA finish up.
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The lab staff will give the TAs at least 5 minutes before the formal start of the lab session of uninterrupted time for preparation whenever possible.
The staff will only interrupt this time when a check absolutely needs to be made.
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Prompt the students to start finishing up their lab about 10 minutes before lab should end.
They should only be cleaning up 5 minutes before lab ends. Students should be out of the room at the scheduled end time and the TA should be able to leave the lab room no later than 10 minutes after the scheduled end time of the lab.
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Make sure that the lab/discussion section ends on time.
Many of our sections are back-to-back with only 10 minutes in between sections, so this will give the next TA a few minutes for prep and the lab staff time to get into the room for any issues.
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Do not allow students from the next section to enter the lab room.
You take responsibility for any students you let into the lab room. o Lab management
 The TA and students must keep supplies and equipment in the locations set by the lab staff.
Do not make any major changes without consulting the lab coordinator first.
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Recommendations to improve the availability of items or the running of the lab are always welcome.
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Have the students tell the TA when they break something or an item is missing in the lab. Let the lab staff know as soon as possible.
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Alert the lab coordinator or lab staff as soon as a problem is encountered with equipment.
Provide the unit’s number (i.e. Phys 014) if possible.
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The lab staff will minimize interruptions to the lab section as much as possible while attempting to fix the problem.
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The TA is the primary person responsible for issues in the lab.
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The lab staff provides guideline to follow in case of various situations.
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The TA may always request additional assistance beyond the established guidelines. The TA must be specific in the help being requested and should not expect the lab staff to take charge.
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The TA should report all issues in the lab to the lab coordinator and the course instructor. Injury reports must include specific information detailed in the “Physical Sciences Local Reporting
Form” located in the folder on the lab door.
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Physics TA Lab Safety Training & Orientation
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Students must follow the clean-up procedures in the lab manual or written on the whiteboard before they can leave the lab room.
Reference the checklist at the end of the teaching notes for each lab.
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The students must reset their equipment and clean up the lab room.
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Ultimately you are responsible for making sure that the lab room is safe, clean, and organized at the end of your lab session.
The lab staff is not responsible for cleaning up after each lab section.
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Before leaving the lab room at the end of the lab section (and ideally before each student leaves): o Check that all equipment is turned off. o Check that the equipment has been reset as requested.
Instructions are either in the lab manual or written in one corner of the whiteboard by the lab staff. o Check that the table top has been cleaned off (primarily a problem with eraser bits).
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One of the best ways to do this is to assign cleaning duties to the students.
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If a student forgets to fulfill their duties as part of the lab, it is up to you to make sure it is done.
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The TA will be notified outside of the lab time if the lab staff or another TA finds the lab room left in an unclean state.
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Take any personal items left in the lab room to the UCM police lost and found.
If the police department is not open, items can be dropped off at the Library.
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Weekly o The TAs are required to attend in person, be on time, be prepared, and participate in the lab TA meetings.
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The lab concepts, the specific equipment and chemicals, safety issues, information to discuss with the students, and troubleshooting guides will be covered.
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As part of or in addition to the weekly lab training, the TAs are trained directly on equipment used by the students as needed. The staff employs hands-on training as much as possible, so the TAs can expect the staff to ask them to run through unfamiliar equipment.
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TAs may be required to present information on part of the lab being discussed. Experienced TAs may offer additional insight into the running and troubleshooting of the lab.
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If information changes or is clarified during the week of the lab, the TAs will receive an email with the new information.
 A TA may only be excused by the lab coordinator and the instructor ahead of time with a valid reason , however the TA must still schedule a make-up training session with the lab coordinator even if they have done the lab before. If a TA misses a meeting due to illness, the TA needs to contact the lab coordinator as soon as possible to arrange a make-up session. All make-up TA meetings must occur before that TAs lab sections run.
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Physics TA Lab Safety Training & Orientation o New TAs should try to attend an experienced TAs lab section. A TA can attend the lab portion of any lab sections previous to their own section with the approval of that section’s TA. o If information changes or is clarified in a lab section, the TAs will receive an email with the new information.
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Alternate use of the lab room o Lab make ups are only allowed when approved by the instructor.
If a student is absent and misses a lab, discuss the options with the instructor for the course.
In all cases, the student should talk with you as soon as possible after missing a lab, since some labs are not easy to set up once the week has passed.
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With permission from the instructor, the student can come to a different lab section IF the section is not full.
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The instructor will coordinate with the lab coordinator if a make-up lab will occur after the week of the lab. o TAs are not allowed to use the lab room outside of the normal lab times unless the TA has permission from the Physical Sciences Lab Coordinator.
Notifications
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The staff will follow this policy when notifying a TA of safety problems, cleaning issues, or a lack of fulfillment of TA expectations: o First occurrence – Verbal or email reminder of expectation. o Second and subsequent occurrences – Email reiteration of expectation that includes the course instructor and other appropriate faculty. o For severe issues , the course instructor and other appropriate faculty will be included at the beginning.
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