Safety Committee Meeting Notes: October 2011
Accidents in CCB
A small fire ignited while a graduate student was working up a hydrogenation catalyzed by palladium-on-carbon. Upon completion of the hydrogenation, the researcher performed 3 vacuum/purge cycles with anhydrous nitrogen gas prior in order to eliminate any remaining hydrogen gas and reduce the risk of ignition during filtration. The palladium-on-carbon was filtered through a sintered glass funnel covered with Celite® 545. The filter cake was subsequently washed with wet methanol and covered with sand. The contents of the funnel were dumped into a waste container and covered with more sand. A fire was ignited when the researcher attempted to transfer a minute amount of residual palladium-on-carbon from the funnel to the waste container. The fire was quickly extinguished with a dry chemical fire extinguisher. No one was injured during the incident and there was no damage to the facility.
The researcher performing the reaction was well aware of the precautions required to safely handle palladium-on-carbon. The safety office recommends making a wet slurry, by adding water to the palladium-on-carbon Celite® 545 mixture, prior to transferring the spent palladium-on-carbon to a waste container.
Safety Orientation Checklist
Findings from the RMAS audit of safety programs on the Harvard campus, including CCB’s, as well as a recent CSB report regarding fatal accidents in the laboratory make it abundantly clear that safety orientations and trainings must be adequately documented. Most research groups in CCB already perform safety orientations for new members. The Safety Office recommends using the attached Safety Orientation Checklist to keep a record of safety walkthroughs and ensure that every group member has basic knowledge of the facility’s safety features as well as required safety training.
Hazardous Waste Management
Researchers in CCB are becoming increasingly complacent with basic hazardous waste management. The Safety Office would like to remind researchers that caps must be tightly screwed and eco-funnels snapped shut when waste is not being added to a container. Funnels are not adequate caps. Open containers expose researchers to solvent vapors and are a fire hazard.
The Safety Office would like to remind researchers how to properly complete hazardous waste tags:
• Chemical formulas are not acceptable on hazardous waste tags. The contents of the waste must be spelled out and accompanied with an approximate percentage of total waste.
•At least one hazard box must be checked.
•The date should only be written on the label on the day the waste is being moved to the main accumulation area for pick up and disposal by Triumvirate. Otherwise, there should be no date on the label.
•The information (room number, PI, phone number) at the bottom of the label must be filled out.
Laptop Thefts
Two laptop thefts in CCB have recently been reported. We ask that all researchers be vigilant with regards to locking laptops and keeping valuable possessions out of sight. Researchers should not hesitate to address strangers and ask if they need assistance. The Harvard University Police should be contacted if an individual is suspected of theft.
Fire Drills
The Safety Office would like to announce that a fire drill will be taking place in the CCB complex on Monday October 31st between the hours of 11:30 am and 1:00 pm. Do not plan any experiments that need constant monitoring during this time. The halls and labs will be monitored during the fire drill and we ask that everyone participate by evacuating the building and congregating in the appropriate meeting sites (see red stars on map below).