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Lab Safety during severe weather
Lab Safety During Severe Weather
Laboratory equipment,
materials and research can be protected from loss during severe weather events,
by taking appropriate precautions that will minimize the impact of dangerous
conditions (e.g. wind, rain, ice, etc.) and loss of services (e.g. electric
power, heat, air conditioning, water, etc.). Prepare a lab contingency plan,
including the items noted below, that meets your specific needs. This plan
should be shared with your department and provided to your Building Manager for
inclusion in the Building Emergency Plan.
The Laboratory Severe
Weather Plan should be implemented to protect personnel, equipment, and
laboratory facilities whenever a severe weather event threatens laboratory
operations, or when directed by the University’s Emergency Management system.
Additional information and
checklists can be found on the EH&S Lab Emergencies web page:
http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/lab/labemerg.shtml
Laboratory Shutdown
Procedures
- Shutdown experiments that
could be affected by the loss of electricity, water, or other services.
- Close the sash on all
chemical fume hoods in the event that ventilation is lost.
- Remove all infectious
materials from biosafety cabinets, and autoclave, disinfect, or safely store
them as appropriate.
- Ensure that all chemical,
radioactive and hazardous waste containers are properly covered and sealed.
- Ensure that all gas valves
are closed.
- Turn off all appliances,
computers, hot plates, ovens and other equipment.
- Review storage of
perishable items. Consolidate valuable items within storage units that have
backup systems or store items in duplicate locations as appropriate. Review
safety precautions for the use of alternate cooling methods (e.g. liquid
nitrogen, dry ice, etc.), if used.
- Ensure that water reactive
chemicals are in sealed containers and stored in areas that are unlikely to
become wet.
- Check that all gas
cylinders are secured. Remove regulators and install transport caps where
possible.
- Elevate equipment,
materials and supplies, including electrical wires and chemicals, off of the
floor, particularly in lower elevations that are prone to flooding.
- Close all doors, including
cabinets, storage areas, offices and utility chase-ways. Lock all exterior lab
doors before leaving.
- Update emergency contact
numbers for your lab. Ensure that they are properly posted on lab doors and
provided to your department.
- Secure lab notebooks and
backup critical data on computers.
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