Fire, Police, or Medical Emergencies
For fire, police, or medical help, dial 9-1-1 on any campus phone or cell phone.
Be prepared to give:
- Your location on Michigan Tech's Campus in Houghton (i.e., building name and room number)
- The nature of your emergency (i.e., fire, medical, chemical spill, police emergency, etc.)
Facility Emergencies
For University facility emergencies, dial 7-0001 (campus phone) or 906-487-0001 (cell phone).
Be prepared to give:
- The nature of your emergency (i.e., power outage, plumbing leak, room/building temperature failure, elevator stuck, etc.)
Non-emergencies
To request non-emergency laboratory facility repairs or modifications, use the Facilities Management Maintenance Direct portal.
To contact Public Safety and Police Services for non-emergencies (i.e., after-hours building access, locked out of an office room), call 7-2216 (campus phone) or 906-487-2216 (cell phone).
If you have questions about safety in your laboratory, contact:
- your department's Chemical Hygiene Officer,
- Research Integrity, or
- Environmental Health and Safety (EHS).
Eyewashes and Safety Shower
- Technical Guide: Eyewash and Safety Shower
- This requirement applies to anyone working in an area where injurious or corrosive substances to the eye or body are used.
Fire Extinguishers
- If a fire extinguisher has been accidentally discharged, tampered with, or needs service, use the Facilities Management Maintenance Direct portal.
- To evaluate if additional extinguishers are needed in the laboratory, contact Environmental Health and Safety (EHS).
First Aid Kits
- All employees must have access to a first aid kit. If the first aid kit is not located in the laboratory, its located should be posted.
- For all medical needs beyond simple first aid, call 9-1-1. Campus First Responders will be notified.
Fume Hood Testing
- All fume hoods are tested annually.
- For questions about testing, use, or other fume hood activities, contact Research Integrity.
Spill Kits
- All laboratories using hazardous materials require a spill cleanup kit with materials as specified in the laboratory Spill Response Plan.
- For questions about spill response, contact Research Integrity.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- All researchers must be supplied, free of charge, with all laboratory PPE identified by your hazard assessment.
- It is preferred that all non-disposable PPE be assigned to each individual; all shared PPE that comes in contact with skin must be sanitized between users.
Use the Hazard Identification Checklist and the associated Technical Guide: to identify hazards in your laboratory. Completing the checklist will identify:
- The information needed on the Emergency Response Poster that is required outside each laboratory entrance.
- The safety training required by any personnel prior to working in the laboratory (contact your department safety liaison or Chemical Hygiene Officer for information).
- The PPE requirements for work in the laboratory.
- Any equipment that must be locked out during servicing following the protocols identified in the University’s Lockout Program.
Any work with organisms or materials requiring Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) containment must be reviewed by the University’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC).
The IBC review requires submission of the following:
- Registration and Risk Assessment for Biological and Recombinant/Synthetic Nucleic Acid Research.
- Standard Operating Procedure Form(s) for handling, storage, and disposal of biological organisms/materials.
- A laboratory-specific Biosafety Manual (The University’s Biosafety Manual may be used as a template and provides information on biosafety cabinets, laboratory setup requirements, disposal of biological organisms and materials, selection and use of PPE, and incident response/spill cleanup).
- An Exposure Control Plan, if working with human blood or other potentially infectious materials (the University plan may be used as a template).
All laboratories working at either Biosafety Level 1 (BSL-1) or BSL-2 must establish laboratory-specific policies for safety, data management, and housekeeping. See these examples: safety, data management/ housekeeping.
For additional information, contact biosafety officer David Dixon at dcdixon@mtu.edu or 906-487-2131.
Prior to using chemicals or other hazardous materials, the laboratory Principal Investigator must:
- Review the handling, storage, and labeling of Hazardous Materials and Laboratory Safety in the University’s Safety Manual.
- Document the completion of the following by anyone working in the laboratory:
- Review of the University’s Hazard Communication Plan.
- Review of the University's Chemical Hygiene Plan.
- Review of the University's Safety Manul, Chaper 6, section 6.3 Compressed Gases on storing, handling and using gas cylinders (when compressed gases are present).
- Document the development or completion of safety planning, including:
- Standard Operating Procedures specific to the activities in the laboratory.
- Spill response plans specific to the activities in the laboratory.
Purchasing Laboratory Chemicals
- Chemicals are a prohibited item on purchasing cards.
- All laboratory chemicals must be procured through University Chemical Stores (UCS). UCS will:
- purchase the chemical,
- have the chemical delivered to their facility,
- list the chemical's safety data sheet (SDS) on MSDSonline, and
- deliver the chemical to your laboratory (or, if you choose, hold it for pickup by lab personnel).
- Any exceptions must be approved by Research Integrity and be processed through Purchasing.
Disposing of Chemical Wastes
- Research Integrity manages all laboratory Hazardous Waste Collection and Disposal.
- When collecting waste in the laboratory, follow the Four L’s of Collecting Hazardous Waste.
- Use the Request for Collection of Waste Chemicals form to request pickup and disposal of laboratory chemical waste.
Only authorized and trained personnel (also known as a "Qualified Person") may work on both energized AND de-energized high-voltage (i.e., more than 50 volts) circuits or equipment. All work must follow the University’s Electrical Safety Work Practices and Hazardous Energy Control Program.
All electrical circuits must match the equipment/instrument manufacturer’s electrical requirements. If there are questions about these requirements, or if the circuitry needs modifications, contact Facilities Management through the Maintenance Direct portal for assistance.
Other common laboratory electrical rules:
- Ground-Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) outlets are required if an electrical outlet is within six feet of a water source, in wet environments, and when using outdoor circuits.
- Extension Cords are only allowed for temporary (eight hours or less) portable equipment. Extension cords cannot be used as a substitution for permanent circuits.
- Nothing may obstruct electrical panels (circuit breaker panels). A minimum of three feet of clearance in front of the panel is required for access.
- Equipment covers and instrument panels must remain in place when equipment is energized.
- Lockout procedure must be used before panels are removed or internal parts are exposed.
- Power cords on equipment and tools must be in good condition (no exposed wires or frayed cords). Electrically powered tools and equipment must be grounded or double insulated.
- Power strips may only be used with computers or other low amperage equipment. Power strips may not be "daisy chained"; or plugged into an extension cord.