A Fresh Look at Your Old Lab: the Facilities
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
Does the lab you manage represent the message you would want to pass on to those entrusted to you? Take a walk through your lab, looking at all with the eyes of a child, with unprejudiced honesty of all you see.
Making Sense of MSDS: The Foundation of Safe Chemical Management
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
A few months ago an entirely preventable tragedy occurred when a UCLA research assistant was burned over 43% of her body and died eighteen days later in a hospital burn unit. A quick glance at the compound’s MSDS might have prevented this terrible loss.
Change Is in the Air: Safety and Design of Toxicology Laboratories
By Matthew Pettit, Susan Halla
The proper design of a toxicology lab is more than process and people. There are significant strategies to consider in the design.
Don't Get Burned: UV Exposure in the Workplace
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
Hazards of UV do not distinguish between work and home, and the exposure guidelines for the general public for sun exposure are certainly applicable to the workplace as well.
Planning Chemical Management for the Forensic Laboratory
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
This column will provide fundamental information on managing chemicals in forensic facilities and offer initial suggestions and guidance for proper chemical handling.
Job Hazard Analysis: An Important Process in the Lab and in the Field
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
One of the cornerstones of a successful safety and health program is the inclusion of a process called job hazard analysis (JHA) or job safety analysis (JSA).
Earth(movement), Wind, and Fire: Emergency Preparedness is the Key!
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
Let’s briefly touch on each of the four phases of emergency management. The approach described is scalable from the management of a large county forensic facility to a small independent crime lab or an individual lab.
Implementing LEED: A Case Study of the Scottsdale Forensic Facility
By Gabriela Klieman, LEED AP, Nicholas Raab, PE, Susan Halla
In order to produce a facility that is LEED certified, specific guidelines within the LEED rating system must be followed. Forensic facilities have a number of unique characteristics that differentiate them from other building types.
Pickled Think!
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
In this column, we will take a closer look at the hazards of formaldehyde and how to safely use this common preservative.
When Things Go Boom in the Night: An Issue of Compatibility
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
When incompatible materials contact each other, the result can lead to explosion, we thought we would focus on some of the issues, situations, and consequences of materials coming into contact with one another.
Keeping Cool: Cryogen Safety in the Forensic Lab
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
Cryogenic materials of one sort or another are used in most of the forensic labs across the country. As with most things in the lab, all of these can be used safely if we recognize the hazards and work diligently to control them.
The Safety Guys: Tearing Down The House? Clan Lab Remediation - Part 2
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
This issue’s Safety Guys column is the final one in our initial series on clandestine drug laboratories. For first-time readers, let us get you up to speed with a quick review.
Tearing Down the House? Clan Lab Remediation: Part 2
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
This issue’s Safety Guys column is the final one in our initial series on clandestine drug laboratories. This article will look at the next steps of conducting residual sampling, remediation, and final clearance assessments.
Tearing Down the House? Clan Lab Remediation: Part 1
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
The Safety Guys are back one more time to discuss the third phase of dealing with clandestine drug labs. This feature tackles the final step – the clean up, better described as the assessment of residual contamination and proper remediation.
Office Ergonomics 101: Part 2
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
In this issue we will discuss repetition/duration and force as it applies to ergonomic risk in the office setting and some possible solutions to get you through the day pain-free.
What’s Cooking?
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
What’s Cooking? We are back with our second article on clandestine drug labs.
Introduction to Clandestine Drug Laboratories A Serious Health and Safety Concern
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
Clandestine laboratories, commonly referred to as “Clan Labs,” manufacture stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and narcotics in violation of the Controlled Substance Act (PL 91-513). According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s registry there were 17,170 clandestine laboratory incidents during calendar year 2004.
Office Ergonomics 101: Part 1
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
You go home each day with a pain in your shoulder or neck, perhaps you wake up at night with tingling in your wrist or hand. You used to feel good all day long but now you hurt after just a few minutes at the computer.
Flow Down!
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
Since exhaust hoods are one of the major expense items for most laboratories, we decided to provide you with information on some of the newer designs offering performanceand energy conservation.
Choosing and Working with a Health and Safety Consultant
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
CIH, PE, MPH, maybe CBSP, how about CSP or Ph.D.? Looking for and selecting a qualified and appropriate consultant for health and safety issues can sometimes feel like a trip to Las Vegas and a pull on the slots. There are many factors to consider when choosing a professional consultant.
Blood, Sweat, and Fears, BBP: Part 3
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
In our final article on the OSHA general industry standard for bloodborne pathogens, we address waste handling, housekeeping, and laundry and personal protective equipment.
Fire Prevention and Protection
By Lou Hartman, PE, Ken Mohr
Every forensic facility should have a comprehensive fire prevention and protection plan. This plan is designed to protect the building occupants, preserve equipment and property, and assist emergency response teams.
Blood, Sweat, and Fears BBP: Part 2
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
Welcome to part two in our series on blood-borne pathogens.
Blood, Sweat and Fears, BBP: Part 1
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
In this issue the Safety Guys aim to raise awareness and prevention of blood-borne pathogen (BBP) exposures beginning with an overview of the OSHA standard and discussion of the Center for Disease Control’s Universal Precautions.
Construction Safety for Those on the Sidelines
By Vince McLeod, CIH, Glenn Ketcham, CIH
There is one aspect of the design and execution of a project that we as “safety guys” find often stirs up more business for us than one might expect. This is the protection of building occupants and people in public areas adjacent to the construction activities.
