The University of Illinois College of Engineering continued its commitment to safety by holding workshops during the spring semester, emphasizing safety in laboratories for researchers across disciplines
“MRL is a facility that brings in researchers and students from many different backgrounds,” noted Kingren. “In the research environment, work and studies with nanomaterials is steadily growing. The goal of the workshop was to educate lab workers on how to properly handle nanomaterials and how to protect themselves.”
Speakers and topics included:
• Stephanie Tumidajski-Hess, Assistant Director for the Division of Research Safety, who explained how to handle nanomaterials in laboratories.
• Laura Hodson, Coordinator of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s nanotechnology center, who addressed risk management and best practices for handling engineered nanomaterials.
• Cathy Murphy, associate director of the Materials Research Laboratory, who spoke on nanoparticles and the environment.
• David Wasescha, product manager for Labconco, who shared best practices and pitfalls for ventilated containment of nanomaterials.
• Ed Chainani, Safety Engineer for the College of Engineering, who gave a session on control branding nanotools.
“There isn’t a lot of safety information out there on nanoparticle safety right now,” Kingren said. “We wanted to address the latest standards and regulations regarding hazards and how to handle them safely.”
One of the attendees noted, “It is good to come up to speed on a subject for which I’d not had the time to do so.”
The goal of the seminar was to impart the latest technologies, standards and best practices in designing and commissioning laboratory facilities for enhanced occupant health and safety and energy efficiency. The main focus was on the proper installation and operation of fume hoods and their associated ventilation systems.
“Fume hoods are a vital component of laboratory infrastructure that prevents exposure of laboratory personnel to the harmful vapors and fume produced by the chemicals and materials used in their research,” noted Chainani. “Among the invitees were facilities and services employees, who actually design the ventilation systems. It is important to optimize its location to make sure the performance of the fume hood isn’t affected in any way.”
“The workshop also emphasized how big of an impact the activities performed in front of the hood can have in the performance of the hood,” added Mark Niswander, assistant director of safety for the College of Engineering.
Compressed gases are ubiquitous in laboratories, and a wide variety of gases are used in research experiments. End-users need to be aware of not just the high-pressure hazard, but also the other possible hazards due to the physical and chemical properties of the particular gases in use.
During the seminar, Ngai discussed the best practices for the safe storage, handling and use of compressed gas cylinders. He also described equipment and technologies that function as safeguards that have been developed by the compressed gas industry throughout the years. For instance, attendees learned that cylinder valve outlet connections in the US are designed to prevent incompatible gases from being connected together, and cylinder users should not resort to adapters to circumvent these safety features.
“Our Design Services staff at Facility and Services has been fortunate to take advantage of the seminars provided by the College of Engineering on Research Safety,” said Kristine Chalifoux, Management Engineer for Facilities and Services. “These have been valuable lessons in design, construction, and the use of our labs around campus. As our research world becomes more complex, our ability to deliver safe, workable solutions for our students and researchers becomes a more critical component of our services.”
“We have received enough positive feedback that we want to do more of these workshops and repeat many of them yearly,” Kingren noted. “With the turnover of graduate and undergraduate assistants and post-docs, there are so many new people that come to our labs each year. It is important to bring everyone up to speed on the latest best practices.”