Dear Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Researchers, I have a few safety items to update you all about... Item 1: Lab Coats Thank you all for complying with our new policy of wearing lab coats in CHP lab spaces. I know many of the lab supervisors have also installed garment racks for you to use for storing your coats (since your coats should NOT be stored in your offices) and this is great. To help those of you who use the ARMS second-floor polishing lab (ARMS 2132), there is now a garment rack next-door in the optical lab (ARMS 2130) for you to store your lab coat. Additionally, there is a new supply of shared-use lab coats on the rack which you may choose to use when you are working in the polishing lab. Current lab coat sizes are M-XXL but I have also ordered X and XS which should arrive shortly. Item 2: Self-Audit Checklists Thanks to everyone who helped with our annual safety inspection process by completing a Self-Audit Checklist for your lab spaces within ARMS and MSEE. I wanted to let you know that you are encouraged (but not required) to complete one of these checklists, at any time, for any lab space that you work in that is affiliated with Purdue - including shared-use labs in Birck, Bindley, IMI, Zucrow, Physics, FLEX, etc. Once completed, you should scan and email the checklist to mse-safety@purdue.edu and I will pass it on to REM. This is a particularly useful way to communicate any concerns you have about a given space to the MSE Safety Committee as well as REM. Attached is a blank self-audit checklist for your use . Item 3: Lockout/Tagout Training (LOTO) Extra caution and special procedures must be followed when performing any service or maintenance on electrical equipment within our lab spaces, including furnaces, mills, and mechanical equipment. To perform these tasks in a safe manner, Purdue employees must undergo LOTO Training and become authorized by REM to perform these kinds of tasks. If you currently do any significant maintenance or service on equipment within your lab space, you should talk to your research advisor (and/or lab supervisor) to determine if you should undergo LOTO Training. For example, you do NOT need LOTO Training to perform basic installations on a computer (e.g., installing more RAM, new videocard etc) but you DO need LOTO Training to install a new heating element within a furnace or perform any service on equipment that is high-voltage. To request LOTO Training, you should email Kristi Evans (REM) at klevans@purdue.edu, and CC mse-safety@purdue.edu. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Prof. Erk and the MSE Safety Committee