LEED Construction IAQ Management Plan
Indoor air quality, and in a broader sense and perhaps more accurately, indoor environmental quality, IEQ, has risen to the top of the list of worker complaints over the last decade.
How Does LEED Construction Impact Health and Safety
In working through the LEED rating system requirements there are particular areas to which the health and safety manager should pay attention.
Why Bother With LEED?
According to the USGBC, decreased operating costs, increased property values, increased productivity, reduced absenteeism, improved risk management, and verified building performance are seen with LEED certified buildings.
No Single Glove Will Protect against All Harmful Substances
Given the myriad glove types and materials, it is imperative that both employees and supervisors know which gloves are suitable for the task at hand.
How do we know if noise is excessive?
Excess noise is not a good thing. It can make conversation difficult, affect concentration, distract workers, and increase fatigue. How do we know if the noise is excessive?
Label All Chemicals Properly
Don't leave a booby trap for another person. Make sure that all containers are appropriately labeled. OSHA's hazard communication standard and lab standards require labeling of containers.
Require Grounded Plugs on All Electrical Equipment
The National Safety Council reports that about 1,000 people are electrocuted each year in the United States. OSHA specifies that all equipment in the workplace be grounded to avoid shock and possible electrocution.
Remove All Electrical Connections From Inside Chemical Refrigerators and Require Magnetic Closures
Standard refrigerators should not be used for storage of flammable or reactive chemicals. Electrical connections within the refrigerator can be an ignition source for flammable vapors.
Require Grounded Plugs and Install Ground Fault Interrupters Where Appropriate
The National Safety Council reports that about 1,000 people are electrocuted each year in the United States. OSHA specifies that all equipment in the workplace be grounded to avoid shock and possible electrocution.
Provide an Appropriate Supply of First Aid Equipment and Instruction on Its Proper Use
There are some emergencies which can't wait five minutes for EMTs to arrive. Severe bleeding is one of these.
Provide Guards on All Vacuum Pumps and Secure All Compressed Gas Cylinders
A missing or broken vacuum pump guard is one of the most common OSHA violations. Whenever a pulley/belt assembly is within reach, there needs to be an enclosure to prevent fingers, hair, or clothing from being caught.
Maintain a Centrally Located Departmental Safety Library
One of the characteristics of an effective safety program is the availability of reference and resource materials. Employees need to have easy access to this information.
Provide Safety Equipment in Each Lab
Fire Extinguishers, Safety Showers, Eye Wash Fountains, First Aid Kits, Fire Blankets, and Fume Hoods should be provided in each lab. Not only should fire extinguishers be provided but they should be tested or checked monthly.
Provide Adequate Supplies of Personal Protective Equipment
Employers are responsible for providing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety glasses, goggles, face shields, gloves, lab coats, and bench top shields. Employees are responsible for using these devices.
Require the Use of Appropriate Eye Protection at All Times in Labs, and Areas where Chemicals are Transported
Appropriate eye protection is defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z-87.1 standard. The most current edition is 1989. The standard describes both the design and performance criteria for various devices and the type of device to be used for particular operations.
Allocate a Portion of the Departmental Budget to Safety
The establishment of a separate accounting line for safety and health related purchases is essential. This allows you to clearly track monies expended for this purpose.
Develop Specific Work Practices for Individual Experiments
Examples of work practices that should specifically address an individual experiment are ones that should be conducted only in a ventilated hood or involve especially hazardous chemicals.
Require Good Housekeeping Practices in all Areas
Good housekeeping is one of the foundations of good safety practice. When people are trained to clean-up and put things away as soon as they are done using them, their work areas are safer, more spacious, and more productive.
Use Warning Signs to Designate Particular Hazards
The use of warning signs to designate particular hazards is not just a good idea—it's the law.
Avoid Purchasing Unnecessary Quantities of Chemicals
One school accumulated 20 five-pound bottles of mercury. Each year they ordered from the same list used the year before! Not a good idea. You need to know what you have and where it's located.
Store Incompatible Chemicals Separately
The proper storage of chemicals has become a focal point of laboratory safety. We need to keep chemicals which are incompatible separated some reasonable distance from each other. At the same time, the law of diminishing returns applies here.
Keep Emergency Phone Numbers Next to Every Phone
In an emergency, you tend to forget even the most common things. Having emergency phone numbers for the fire, police, and local ambulance by every phone is a very important reminder.
Planning for Emergencies
It's important to develop plans and conduct drills for dealing with emergencies such as fire, explosion, poisoning, chemical spill, vapor release, and personal contamination. The list is incomplete. Let's add bleeding, burns, medical situations, electric shock, and weather emergencies.
Do Not Store Food in Chemical Refrigerators
Prohibiting the storage of food in chemical refrigerators is one of the basic rules of good practice. It is intended to prevent the ingestion of toxic or infectious materials. The food will absorb the vapors from the chemicals in the refrigerator and then they will be consumed.
Forbid Smoking, Eating, and Drinking in the Laboratory
The practice of forbidding smoking, eating, and drinking in laboratories is one of the basic good hygiene practices. Unfortunately, it is often one of the most frequently disregarded.
