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Previous by Date: Subject: Re: Thoughts on UCLA fatal accident. Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:43:07 -0400 Author: Margaret Rakas |
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Fire extinguishers are a requirement of the fire code and your authority ha ving jurisdiction. It's not osha's call (nor the lab manager or the chemic al hygiene officer), whether or not there are fire extinguishers in the lab . Training is important, of course. But as I tell students in my lab safety training, if there's a fire and you feel a need to grab a fire extinguisher , clutch it to your chest, pull the fire alarm, and exit the building, clos ing the door behind you. Let the fire fighters do what they're well-traine d to do. Our fire department has just started offering fire extinguisher t raining again, after a hiatus of over a decade. Your mileage may vary and you should insert a disclaimer here. Debbie ------------------------- Debbie M. Decker, Campus Chemical Safety Officer Environmental Health and Safety University of California, Davis 1 Shields Ave. Davis, CA 95616 (530)754-7964/(530)752-4527 (FAX) dmdecker**At_Symbol_Here**ucdavis.edu Co-Conspirator to Make the World A Better Place -- Visit www.HeroicStories.com and join the conspiracy -----Original Message----- From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Na il, John Sent: Tuesday, August 11, 2009 10:07 AM To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: [DCHAS-L] Extinguishers In regards to the local fire department removing extinguishers from the lab s, My understanding is that the OSHA Lab Standard can be summarized as 'follow Prudent Practices in the Laboratory, (National Research Council (1995))' a nd note that Prudent Practices lists fire extinguishers on 9 different page s; Section 6.F.2.3.1 is titled "Fire Extinguishers". It is reasonable to conclude from the above that, as per OSHA, it is mandat ory to have fire extinguishers in the labs. Section 5.C.11 (page 86) requires that all laboratory personnel should know what to do in case of an emergency, including clothing fires. As shown by airliner disasters, there is a significant difference between telling peopl e what to do in case of an emergency and training them in emergency respons e. In regards to extinguisher training- a suggestion - every calendar quarter, set some paper in a metal barrel on fire and have 'untrained' lab workers take turns putting out the fire. The fire department's removing the extinguishers is a bad decision. Personally, I would not let students use flammable materials or Bunsen burn ers in a lab that did not have extinguishers. If there were no extinguisher s in the lab, I would either bring my own or find a job elsewhere. John Nail Professor of Chemistry Oklahoma City University
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