Associate Dean Raymond P. Poincelot wears many hats in addition to his job as a dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Poincelot is also the university safety officer and a professor of biology.
So he has unique knowledge of the safety guidelines and procedures here at Fairfield University’s science labs.
“We are regulated by the state of Connecticut, but we accept all of the federal regulation for industrial labs, which are tough [guidelines],” Poincelot said.
“In an academic or industrial setting, there are thousands of chemicals. Our goal is to make the lab setting safer [to use with these chemicals],” he said.”There are not that many biological hazards on Fairfield’s grounds, but we have a lot of hazardous materials,” Poincelot said.
Occasionally, accidents do occur.
In the 1980s, the university suffered a fire in Bannow South, according to university Fire Marshal Joe Bouchard.
“There was a $2 million loss because of the fire, but no one was hurt,” he said. Bouchard oversees the continuous updating of fire prevention technology on campus, as well as the education of students and the training of personnel expected to respond to any fire emergencies.
The latest chemical emergency occurred in 2001, when a student dropped a mercury thermometer on the floor in the apartments, according to Bouchard. Specialists had to come in to clean up the hazardous spill.
Connecticut has one of the most stringent fire codes in the country and Bouchard works closely with local fire officials to keep Fairfield up to code. Fairfield was one of the first campuses in New England to ban the torch halogen lamps. Items such as candles, toaster ovens and any open coil appliance are prohibited in dorms.
Fairfield and Yale University are the only private universities in Connecticut with their own Fire Marshals.
“I am constantly on call at the university,” Bouchard said. “Quirky things sometimes show up.”
Hazardous materials, including radioactive materials, are specially contained and brought to the Hazardous Waste Room, a well-ventilated and appropriately signed multipurpose chemical storage room located on the second floor of Bannow North. All materials must be labeled, and there is no smoking allowed anywhere near the building.
The room, which remains locked at all times, is limited only to faculty who have access to chemicals or by students working as laboratory assistants and who have appropriate laboratory training.
The public, however, cannot miss the door to this brightly labeled disposal room, said to be the size of a big closet, according to Poincelot.
“It’s called cradle to the grave. [The whole time you have the chemicals] you’re liable,” said Poincelot. “There’s a tracking system.”
From the storage room, the waste is moved either to a land fill or are mixed with fuel oils and burned.
“The materials don’t just go to your local dump,” Poincelot said. “With non-radioactive materials, those are whole other problems.”
University inspections are completed once every year, and the regulatory bodies often do not give advance notice prior to their arrival, so the university cannot specially prepare for the visit, according to Poincelot.
“Most agencies take the surprise route,” he said. “It’s the ‘hi, guess who?’ for the most part.”
While students are not required to be Occupational Safety Health Administration certified, Poincelot assured that all students are taught lab safety. For laboratory assistants, these students are required to have a higher standard of preparedness for the laboratory, according to Poincelot.
Such federal institutions as the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), OSHA and the Environmental Protection Agency oversee Fairfield.
NRC’s primary mission is to protect public health and safety and the environment from the effects of radiation from nuclear reactors, materials and waste facilities. The NRC also regulates these nuclear materials and facilities to promote the common defense and security for the nation.
“During the NRC’s last surprise visit, they did a spot check of our radiation facilities,” said Poincelot. “There were no situations at all. The NRC thought that Fairfield University takes a pro-active stance on safety issues and regulations and that it’s a step ahead of other Connecticut organizations.”
The approach Fairfield takes is to minimize problems, according to Bouchard.
“We try to eliminate as many problems as possible,” Bouchard said. “We look at every paint product and every battery we use. Even some personal computers contain some hazardous materials.”
Students are suggested to read the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) before handling any chemicals. The MSDS is designed to provide the proper procedures for handling or working with a particular substance.
“You need to know what you’re working with,” Poincelot said. “The book even has something to say about a salt and water mixture. There is overreaction [in the MSDS] to prevent liability issues.”
The MSDS includes information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment and spill or leakage clean-up procedures.
“As a nursing student, I completely understand and comply with all of the procedures of handling any hazardous materials,” said Kristen Salmon ’04. “It is important that everyone is safe because some of these materials could really cause major damage to the body.”
Every laboratory is equipped with a brightly marked eye wash and shower station. The station is marked in red and orange and also contains a fire blanket for emergencies. Three people have only used the shower in the past few years, according to Poincelot.
“The water is extremely cold,” Poincelot said. “And modesty does not prevail…if you get chemicals under your skin, your clothes must come off. When it comes to third degree burns and you’re scarred for life, you’re in deep trouble.”
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