msepostdoc-list Lab coats will be REQUIRED in all CHP lab spaces after Feb 20th

[MSE Safety]

Dear MSE Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Researchers,


NEW LAB COAT POLICY IN CHP LABS

Effective Feb. 20, 2019



All Purdue employees - including but not limited to MSE faculty, staff, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate researchers - are required to wear lab coats when in a lab space designated under the Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP)*. CHP labs within Materials Engineering include the following spaces: ARMS 2103, 2109, 2132 (Polishing Lab), 2138, B146, B160 (Synthesis Lab), B175, B214, B206, MSEE 396 (Turner Lab), and select labs at Kepner and FLEX.



As lab coats are considered by MSE to be personal protective equipment (PPE), like safety glasses, lab coats are to be purchased by each employee for their personal use. Coats must be appropriately sized and fastened to their full length when worn, with sleeves that are long enough to prevent any skin exposure while wearing gloves.



Lab coats should NOT be worn outside of lab unless the individual is traveling directly to an adjacent lab area. Lab coats should NOT be worn in common areas such as break rooms, offices, or restrooms. Lab coats should be stored within the lab space or in a personal locker and should NOT be stored in offices. Lab coats should also NOT be taken home and laundered. When a coat is considered sufficiently contaminated, it should be disposed of and a new replacement coat should be purchased. It is up to the discretion of each lab space supervisor to determine whether or not a supply of shared-use lab coats will be provided for use in a given lab space (e.g., for use by visitors to the lab).



Additionally, flame-resistant lab coats must be worn when using any quantity of pyrophoric materials or more than 1 L of flammable liquids (e.g., acetone and other organic solvents). As these coats are typically more expensive ($150 for a Nomex coat), these coats can be individually purchased or specific lab spaces may have a collection of shared-use coats, again at the discretion of the lab supervisor.



As a general reminder, the lab coat is only one component of the required PPE in a safe laboratory environment, which also includes impact-resistant safety glasses, long pants (no exposed ankles), and close-toed shoes.



Additional guidance for students: (1) It is recommended that the individual's last name is written on the back of the lab coat, which is useful to identify people in the lab space as well as prevent lab coats from "walking off". (2) Lab coats can be purchased online (Amazon etc) or at local bookstores - $30-40 at Folletts.


Prof. Erk will be glad to answer any questions about this policy during the Feb. 18th Safety Town Hall Event in MSE 690 (3:30-4:20 pm in ARMS 1010).



* For more information, the Purdue CHP manual can be accessed from here: https://www.purdue.edu/ehps/rem/laboratory/researchers.html#cs2

(scroll down to "Chemical Safety" section) PPE requirements are described in Section 6.4.



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