Name: Sanjana Vijay Karpe

Synopsis affirming my commitment to laboratory health & safety and outline how I will
use the resources covered in class to achieve my commitment.
I am committed to the laboratory health and safety and will be using all the resources provided in
the lab whenever necessary to have safe operation while working in the lab.
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards provides information regarding industrial hygiene for
workers, employers, and occupational health professionals. It provides key information of 677
compounds which are commonly found in a laboratory work environment. I will use this pocket
guide as the assistance to control and recognize occupational chemical hazards. It also has toxicity
data of the compounds and exposure standards or recommendations. These values and suggestions
will help to properly handle these chemical substances. Before using any chemical, I will
investigate the Material Safety Data sheet (MSDS) as well as NIOSH pocket guide to have an idea
about handling the specific chemical.
I will also be taking help of the website safety.dow.com. This site has safety modules which cover
broad topics on safety. Topics include Office and lab ergonomics, Fall prevention, PPE basics,
Waste handling, Secondary containment, Lone worker etc. Video lectures on this site will be
helpful to enhance the awareness of safety practices in research laboratory and to promote a safety
mindset. For example, video of lone worker helped to understand consideration to be considered
while alone in the laboratory. Energy Calculations video gives the consequence of not considering
the energy release of a system in the laboratory thus stressing the importance of energy calculations
in the lab.
Interpreting Material Safety Data Sheet video enlists all the sections included in the MSDS and
helps to better understand the MSDS. Similarly, lectures on secondary containment, Mentoring,
Near Miss reporting helps to have safer environment in the lab. Near miss reporting is necessary
since it helps to visualize potential hazards which are not easily seen. It also helps to identify trends
and issues before someone gets hurt. Video on mentoring enlists all the responsibilities of a safety
mentor as well as expectations from mentee. Overall, I will use these lectures to improve the safety
culture of the lab I am working in.
Environmental health and safety department (EHS) of University of Pittsburgh provides various
safety trainings such as chemical hygiene training and dangerous goods shipping training. I will
use these trainings to better understand the standard operating procedures while handling and
shipping dangerous chemicals. EHS also offers disposal of chemical, biological, residual and
electronic waste. This will be helpful in timely disposal of waste from the laboratory.
Lecture on Toxicity and Industrial hygiene helped me to understand the importance of knowing
the routes of entry of toxic substances into biological organisms, how are they eliminated, their
effect on the organisms, how to reduce their entry, prevention strategies and consequences of entry
of these toxic materials. I will understand and apply the toxicity data of the chemicals I am using
to reduce the risk from them and avoid any negative consequences. Exposure limits of the
chemicals found in MSDS such as TLV, STEL, IDLH will also help to prevent the longer exposure
to chemicals beyond the limits thus will avoid any negative consequence.
Ventilation systems are important to remove contaminants at source and prevent toxic material
from entering the workplace air. Thus, I will make sure that all the engineering controls such as
inherent safety, containment and ventilation systems are properly in place in the laboratory. I will
also make sure to use required personal protective equipment such as eye protectors, respirators
and protective clothing. I will also use the glove guide for selecting the appropriate gloves for the
use of chemicals.
I am committed to the laboratory health and safety and will be using all the resources provided in
the lab whenever necessary to have safe operation while working in the lab.
NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards provides information regarding industrial hygiene for
workers, employers, and occupational health professionals. It provides key information of 677
compounds which are commonly found in a laboratory work environment. I will use this pocket
guide as the assistance to control and recognize occupational chemical hazards. It also has toxicity
data of the compounds and exposure standards or recommendations. These values and suggestions
will help to properly handle these chemical substances. Before using any chemical, I will
investigate the Material Safety Data sheet (MSDS) as well as NIOSH pocket guide to have an idea
about handling the specific chemical.
I will also be taking help of the website safety.dow.com. This site has safety modules which cover
broad topics on safety. Topics include Office and lab ergonomics, Fall prevention, PPE basics,
Waste handling, Secondary containment, Lone worker etc. Video lectures on this site will be
helpful to enhance the awareness of safety practices in research laboratory and to promote a safety
mindset. For example, video of lone worker helped to understand consideration to be considered
while alone in the laboratory. Energy Calculations video gives the consequence of not considering
the energy release of a system in the laboratory thus stressing the importance of energy calculations
in the lab.
Interpreting Material Safety Data Sheet video enlists all the sections included in the MSDS and
helps to better understand the MSDS. Similarly, lectures on secondary containment, Mentoring,
Near Miss reporting helps to have safer environment in the lab. Near miss reporting is necessary
since it helps to visualize potential hazards which are not easily seen. It also helps to identify trends
and issues before someone gets hurt. Video on mentoring enlists all the responsibilities of a safety
mentor as well as expectations from mentee. Overall, I will use these lectures to improve the safety
culture of the lab I am working in.
Environmental health and safety department (EHS) of University of Pittsburgh provides various
safety trainings such as chemical hygiene training and dangerous goods shipping training. I will
use these trainings to better understand the standard operating procedures while handling and
shipping dangerous chemicals. EHS also offers disposal of chemical, biological, residual and
electronic waste. This will be helpful in timely disposal of waste from the laboratory.