May 2012 - Che-student-staff-list

Important Safety Information - Please Read
by Davis, Linda S 07 May '12

07 May '12

ChE Faculty, Staff and Students, (I shared the following information at the April faculty meeting.) The safety goal in chemical engineering is that everyone who works here goes home in the same condition that they arrived each morning. We will achieve this goal by developing and sustaining a strong safety culture in chemical engineering. A strong safety culture is not: * We have an active safety committee * We are re-indemnified by REM every year. The safety culture in ChE can be measured/characterized as "how we behave when no one is looking." Safety culture starts at the top of our organization - with our faculty. The faculty (Primary Investigators) and the lab managers are accountable for safety; however, everyone is responsible for safety. There are several immediate indicators of the safety culture in a laboratory: * Housekeeping * PPE use * Record Keeping On any day, you can enter chemical engineering laboratories and the occupants are not wearing safety glasses. Our policy is that you must have safety glasses on when you enter a ChE lab and keep them on until you leave the laboratory - no exceptions. We have had three incidents in the last two months. Incidents are lagging indicators of safety culture and performance. 1) A graduate student was inserting a stopper into a graduated cylinder and the cylinder broke. The student sustained a significant cut that required stitches and continuing medical review. It is unclear if the student will regain full feeling in and use of one of his fingers, potentially a permanent injury. 2) An undergraduate student was operating a glass reactor in a heat mantle when it exploded. There may have been a reaction runaway that over pressurized the reactor. The over pressurization protection (relief valve) and barrier were not in place. We were very fortunate that the student was not injured. 3) A student was performing a non-routine procedure to extract a Lithium battery from a battery pack when a small fire started. The lab occupants responded appropriately and the fire was extinguished without personnel or property damage. Further Indicators: There has been two reports of sharps found by the janitors in our trash containers. The first (photo attached) was a large syringe needle found in a recycle paper bin in a hallway. The second was a razor blade discarded in a laboratory trash can. Sharps (anything that can puncture the skin and cause injury) must be disposed of in designated laboratory sharps containers. We are very concerned that chemical engineering has taken its "eye off the ball" with regards to safety. You do not want to have a call a parent or family member to inform them that their student or family member has been hurt or killed. We want everyone in chemical engineering to recommit to safety as our #1 priority. Safety must be taken seriously and addressed in our laboratories because universities and faculty can be liable: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/plea-negotations-to-continue-…. As a first step, refresher ChE safety awareness training will be rolled out in August. Completion of refresher safety awareness training annually will be required for all ChE employees. Please contact me or any member of the ChE Safety Committee if you have any questions or safety concerns. Thank you. Linda Linda S. Davis Industrial Education Director Chair, ChE Safety Committee (https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE/AboutUs/Safety.html) School of Chemical Engineering Purdue University lsdavis(a)purdue.edu<mailto:lsdavis@purdue.edu> (765)496-1710

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Congratulations to Fabio Ribeiro!
by Varma, Arvind 06 May '12

06 May '12

Dear Colleagues, I am delighted to inform that the International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI) has recognized Fabio Ribeiro with its 2012 Henry J. Albert Award, which recognizes and encourages outstanding theoretical and experimental contributions to the science and technology of precious metals. As you know, many articles published by Fabio and his research group utilize precious metal catalysts. Previous winners of the Albert award include Gabor Somorjai (UC-Berkeley, 1986), Lanny Schmidt (Minnesota, 1994) and Bob Madix (Stanford, 1997). Founded in 1976, IPMI is the largest and most well known association focused on precious metals in the world. It is an international association of the precious metals community, formed to provide a forum for the exchange of information and technology. IPMI recognizes excellence and achievement through awards to individuals and educational institutions. Pl join me in congratulating Fabio for this terrific recognition! Arvind Arvind Varma R. Games Slayter Distinguished Professor Jay and Cynthia Ihlenfeld Head of Chemical Engineering Purdue University

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ChE Safety Awareness Training - May 8 and 14
by Davis, Linda S 04 May '12

04 May '12

ChE Faculty, Staff and Students, I have had several requests to deliver ChE Safety Awareness Training to students starting research in May. Two sessions are scheduled as follows: * Tuesday, May 8, 2:00 - 3:00 pm, FRNY 3062B * Monday, May 14, 10:00 - 11:00 am, FRNY 3062B Please advise your new students to attend one of these training sessions. Thank you for your commitment to safety in ChE! Regards, Linda Linda S. Davis Industrial Education Director Chair, ChE Safety Committee (https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE/AboutUs/Safety.html) School of Chemical Engineering Purdue University lsdavis(a)purdue.edu<mailto:lsdavis@purdue.edu> (765)496-1710

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REMINDER Spring Recognition Reception TODAY!
by Heide, Karen Kay 03 May '12

03 May '12

[cid:image003.png@01CD2918.EACB0520] Mrs. Karen Heide, Secretary School of Chemical Engineering Purdue University Forney Hall of Chemical Engineering 480 Stadium Mall Drive West Lafayette IN 47907-2100 765-494-4050 765-494-0805 (Fax)

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