Chemical Safety Committee Minutes

University of Kentucky Chemical Safety Committee Minutes

May 3, 2004 208 Combs Research Building

Present Guests Caroline Gil (Chair) Lee Poore (Ex-Officio) Marcia Finucane Peter Huettl Harry Enoch Kathy Stanford Todd Porter David Hibbard (Ex-Officio) Greg Williamson Harold Burton Woody Bottom (Ex-Officio) Thomas Vanaman

Absent Peter Crooks Barbara Knutson David Atwood Meg Steinman for Doris Baker

Caroline Gil called the meeting to order at 12:05.

1. Approval of minutes from March 1, 2004- Todd Porter recommended taking out all the discussion from the minutes. A motion was made by Tom Vanaman to approve the minutes with the modifications. Todd Porter seconded and all approved. The motion was passed.

2. Security/Lab Access-Harry Enoch discussed this topic. Dr. Timoney of Veterinary Science had questions as to the viability of the existing policy. The current policy is that all labs having radioactive material and hazardous chemicals should be locked when unoccupied. The surveyor determines whether the lab has “controlled access” or “uncontrolled access.” If the lab is unlocked and no one from the lab returns for the entirety of the inspection (about 10-15 minutes), the lab is said to have “uncontrolled access.” The committee felt this policy and its application was reasonable. Dr. Vanaman suggested that the chemical safety committee send a recommendation through the EHS committee to UK administration about the need for a security assessment and commitment of funds to provide more secure facilities.

3. Toxic gases and compressed gas ventilation cabinets-David Hibbard- Handouts were provided that contained a sample picture of a gas cabinet and also included the NFPA requirements for safe use on toxic compressed gas cylinders. There was considerable discussion about approaches to control the hazards of toxic gases. Harry Enoch indicated the OHS would be developing and inventory of compressed gases on campus. The conclusions were to develop a policy that included list of applicable gases, formulate a pre-approval system, and develop a training module for the use of toxic compressed gases.