Safety Manual Introduction

Foreword

This online manual provides a summary of the Chemical Engineering Department safety policies and standards. Take time to read it carefully and direct your unanswered safety questions to your advisor or any of the safety committee members listed below.

You are responsible for compliance with all safety regulations and for elimination of hazards in your own lab. It is your responsibility to make your lab a safe place to work for you, your lab partners, and visitors to your lab. Safe work habits which you develop now will prepare you for work in industry and may save you from injury or save your life.

The safety regulations in this safety manual apply to all faculty, students, post-docs, and research staff who are part of the Chemical Engineering program, regardless of their assigned laboratory or location, including those in UVA laboratories outside of the Chemical Engineering Building and ChE laboratories in Wilsdorf Hall.

After reading this safety manual, complete, sign, and date the Certification Form found on APPENDIX H of this manual. Give the completed form to the Department Secretary. You are not allowed to use any of the Chemical Engineering laboratories prior to turning in this form

• PRIOR to starting work in your laboratory, you must also carefully read Chemical Hygiene Plan and complete the mandatory e-learning safety training .

In the case of new equipment setup, the Hazard Review Checklist provides a practical guide to safety considerations in designing new experimental equipment. See SECTION VIII / APPENDIX F for a copy of this checklist.

Where to get advice on safety problems- Day-to-day problems should be directed to your advisor or lab/area supervisor. For other safety issues, beyond your advisor or lab/area supervisor, seek advice and information from the ChE Safety Committee and Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) personnel.

EHS provides trained safety professionals for administration and implementation of safety at the University. They carry out waste disposal, fume hood tests, etc. In addition, they are responsible for radiation safety, fire safety, and other major hazard control areas.

Phone: 434-982-4911

https://ehs.virginia.edu/

Chemical Engineering Safety Committee

(Spring 2024 to Fall 2025)

Kerri Mendola
Sugandha Verma
Nick Vecchiarello
Ron Unnerstall 243-7568

Department Chair:
Bill Epling

Acknowledgement

This manual is based in part on the CHE Department safety manual originally developed and written by Giorgio Carta. It was revised extensively in April 2021 to better align with UVA’s Chemical Hygiene Plan, and, to update and expand guidance through the adoption of additional good laboratory practices developed since the first revision of this manual.