Safety Manual - Chapter 1
Overview
A message from the Chair
We in the Physics Department are very concerned about safety for several
reasons. The most important 
reason,
of course, is that we care about your health and welfare. When you were
born you were issued a specific number of body parts and they have to last
you a lifetime. Plan on leaving the Physics Department with as many fully-functioning
parts as you had when you arrived. Seriously, even if you don't care about
your own personal safety or welfare, please remember that unsafe practices
are costly to the Department and usually illegal. I have learned over the
years that most safety rules are developed for very simple, common-sense
reasons. By learning and following these rules you can help the Physics
Department maintain its excellent safety record.
P. Craig Taylor
Chair
Overview
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that work places be made as safe as possible for the protection of all individuals who might be exposed to physical hazards. Not only is it a federal law to make the work place a safe environment, it makes good sense to keep people from being injured.
This Safety Program has been set up by the University of Utah Physics Department to train individuals about the hazards that might be encountered in the Department laboratories and shops. There is no program that could cover every possible way in which a person can be injured. The intent here is to make everyone aware of the general areas where potential safety hazards could arise, as well as educate them as to the resources available for identifying and minimizing the hazards from specific sources in their individual work environments. Everyone must take personal responsibility for the safety of themselves and others and everyone must perform all activities in a professional and safe manner. Most of the faculty, staff and student lab work is done individually. Usually, there is no one watching over your shoulder. If you don't take lab safety seriously, it's only a matter of time before you injure yourself or an associate. Work place safety is an important part of professionalism.
There are several elements of a good safety and health program. The most important one is the awareness training of each individual involved. To this end, there are several written documents to which everyone must have access. These documents are on file in the grey file cabinet immediately inside the door of the Physics Department Stockroom, Room 114 JFB. The documents include: University of Utah Hazard Communication Program, University of Utah Radiation Safety Manuals, Chemical Hygiene Plan for the University of Utah Department of Physics, University of Utah Hazardous Waste Disposal Procedures, January 1996, University of Utah Safety and Health Manual, Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories, and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's). Some of these documents are discussed in the main text that follows. In addition, an overview of the information contained in this text is available in video form from Lynn Higgs in JFB 201C.
In the following sections, you will encounter some material which may be of intrinsic interest to you, and some which will certainly not be. We realize that for many, if not most, of you the exercise of reading through pages of safety procedures and requirements will not be the most stimulating activity in which you could engage. We also fully appreciate that this document is aimed at two distinct audiences with very different backgrounds and requirements: (1) Faculty, students and members of the technical staff who work in the labs and shops and who need in-depth technical training on materials and equipment with which they work and (2) non-technical staff and casual visitors who may be in the labs and shops for professional reasons unrelated to materials and equipment or simply to enjoy the stimulating ambience. Recognizing that it is impossible to treat all situations with a finite amount of effort, it is expected that technical personnel will master all details of this document relevant to their jobs. Both technical and non-technical personnel should have a general overview of potential hazards in all areas of our working environment. The introductory sections of chapters 4,7,8 and 9 have been explicitly written with the latter group in mind, and along with the shorter or more general chapters, should be studied in detail by all personnel. Nevertheless, it is essential that you conscientiously read through this material, and absorb enough so that you are able to pass the Safety Exam which we require of all faculty, staff and students. This is part of your job. Repeated failure to pass the Safety Exam will result in loss of shop and laboratory privileges.
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