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Previous by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Open plan research buildings Date: Friday, February 21, 2014 3:23:40 PM Author: Monona Rossol <actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com> |
Next by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Open plan research buildings Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2014 15:57:04 -0500 Author: ILPI Support |
Our facility is predominately a laboratory and we have both: open and more closed building design features. The open can work but the issue is if there is a spill, etc. you have to evacuate the whole area…..so we have a combination so there are rooms where we can segregate some of the activities…..
Steve LaCroix MS, CBSP
Quality Assurance and Safety Officer
Department of Health
Epidemiology, Health Statistics, and Public Health Laboratories
1610 NE 150th St.
Shoreline, WA 98155
Phone: (206) 418-5437
Cell: 206-391-9025
FAX: (206) 418-5485
email: steve.lacroix**At_Symbol_Here**doh.wa.gov
ergonomic information: http://dohweb/Risk/employee_safety_and_health/ergo/ergonomics.htm
"The Department of Health works to protect and improve the health of people in Washington State"
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU] On Behalf Of Monona Rossol
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 12:24 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Open plan research buildings
This is the same crap I hear from some college administrators who think they have a brilliant concept for planning a new art building. The ventilation systems, emergency equipment, level of fire safety, and a flock of other precautions vary from media to media making them incompatible. For one, OSHA requires 35 feet between welding (and other spark-producing work) and combustibles or flammables such as solvents, wood dust, plastic, paper, etc.
It's easiest for me to make the case to administrators by looking at the just the ventilation. The general ventilation standards and their rates vary for wood dust, welding fume, ceramic clay dust, acid gases created during etching, solvent vapors for plate and brush cleaning, etc. This just plain precludes all this airborne junk from being generated in the same open space.
So I can tell you if science students or researchers work out on the benches without good local capture, this open concept won't work. But you people like to stick your nasties inside a chemistry fume hood. And if you do this consistently enough, you may not even need a dilution system with a specific rate for the room. But I'll be there are fire, chemical storage, incompatible activities and other issues I haven't thought of.
So I will be VERY interested in the objections you come up with other than noise and stress--two conditions that I personally embrace in my own life.
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A., Industrial Hygienist
President: Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
Safety Officer: Local USA829, IATSE
181 Thompson St., #23
New York, NY 10012 212-777-0062
-----Original Message-----
From: Ralph B. Stuart <rstuart**At_Symbol_Here**CORNELL.EDU>
To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Sent: Fri, Feb 21, 2014 7:30 am
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Open plan research buildings
I noticed while scanning this morning's C&EN headlines this notice:Are you in favor of the trend for open plan research buildings? Do they make for more collaboration and better science? Or are they noisy, distracting and stressful places to work? At C&EN we'd like to hear your opinion for an upcoming article. If you would like to participate please email Senior Editor Alex Scott at a_scott**At_Symbol_Here**acs.org. I thought that DCHAS members might have some interesting thoughts on the matter and want to contact Alex... - Ralph Ralph Stuart CIHChemical Hygiene OfficerDepartment of Environmental Health and SafetyCornell University rstuart**At_Symbol_Here**cornell.eduPrevious post | Top of Page | Next post