Hello everyone,

Please see attached the newest lab safety newsletter from REM. Although it is dated May 2021, it deals with an important issue we face in our labs: hazardous waste management. Please take a minute and review the information in the attached document, including the active links within it. The newsletter is also available on REM’s website: file:///U:/Safety/REM%20newsletters/Lab%20Safety%20Newsletter%20May%202021.pdf

I also want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the personal protective equipment (PPE) required for entering and working in a lab:

1. Eye protection: safety glasses at a minimum. Safety goggles may be needed if there is the hazard of a spill, or if you are wearing contact lenses. Please remember that prescription glasses are not a substitute for safety glasses. Prescription glasses alone can not be used in the lab; you will need to wear a pair of “over the glasses” safety glasses, or safety goggles on top of your prescription glasses while working in the lab. Prescription safety glasses made at an optician are also an acceptable solution. If you need a pair of “over the glasses” type of safety glasses, please see Jason in FRNY G135. Get in the good habit of putting the safety glasses on when you enter the lab and only remove them when you exit the lab.
2. Skin protection: lab coat, closed toe shoes and long pants or equivalent are a MUST. Shorts are allowed in the lab! During Covid time, a face mask is also required. If your work involves work with flammable chemicals, your lab coat needs to be flame resistant to withheld fire for 15 minutes. If you work with hazardous chemicals, chemical resistant safety gloves are part of the required PPE. Please consult compatibility charts and choose the gloves that offer maximum protection for the chemicals you work with (check for breakthrough time – the higher the better; >480 min is preferable).

Additional PPE may be required depending on the results of the hazard assessment done for the tasks you are performing in the lab – follow the instructions you received in your individual PPE training.

Should you have any questions, please let me know.

Thank you for your commitment to safety!

Gabriela

On behalf of the ChE Safety Committee

__________________

Gabriela Nagy, PhD

Industrial Education Director

Davidson School of Chemical Engineering

Room FRNY G051

Purdue University

Tel: (765)-496-1710

E-mail: nagyg@purdue.edu