Laboratory Safety Fair - April 4, 2013

Presented by the Office of Research and the Department of Environmental Safety and Health, a Laboratory Safety Fair will be held on Thursday, April 4, 2013 10:30 – 2:30 p.m. in the Bossone Research Center, 3rd Floor Atrium, located at 31st and Market Street Philadelphia. The Safety Fair is open to all interested in laboratory safety, faculty, students and laboratory workers.

The event will include formal podium presentations on laboratory safety from safety experts, feature round table discussions, exhibits from vendors and Drexel’s Public and Fire Safety, door prizes and light snacks.

There is no registration necessary.

Presentation Abstracts

Joseph R. Passante Presentation
Chemical storage and handling in the lab. How to keep your research laboratory safe.

The safe storage and handling of hazardous chemicals and gases in the laboratory can do more than prevent injuries, it can save your research from being destroyed in a fire or explosion. This talk will focus on how to safely store and handle common laboratory research materials.

Mr. Passante is the Associate Director for Industrial Hygiene Programs in the Office of Environmental Health and Radiation Safety at the University of Pennsylvania. He is Penn’s Chemical Hygiene Officer and coordinates its Laboratory Safety Program.

Jonathan M Chase Presentation
A Culture of Safety – Past, Present and Future

Over his career the regulatory environment has focused on various industry sectors beginning in the petrochemical and chemical processing sector, then to manufacturing and on to academia.

This talk will outline those experiences and demonstrate how a cultural shift in the way that safety is perceived has enabled businesses in each sector to reduce accidents, liabilities and violations.

It will provide an overview of the following:

• Initiatives currently in place at Drexel University that were designed to create a culture of safety throughout the research community.
• Review the impact that these initiatives have had on compliance.
• Provide some insight on goals and proposed initiatives.

Mr. Chase is the Executive Director of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) at Drexel University. In addition to supporting the research community in areas of lab / containment design, laboratory safety, chemical hygiene and biological safety Drexel’s Department of EHS manages all aspects of EPA, PADEP and OSHA compliance including due diligence on property transactions and site remediation. EHS manages the Drexel’s occupational health program and supports the clinical community in areas of general safety and infection control. EHS also manages all of the infectious and hazardous waste generated by Drexel personnel throughout the greater Philadelphia area and acts as the University’s first responders for incidents involving a release of hazardous materials.

Garry Mac Pherson Presentation
Laboratory Safety – California Experience

Garry Mac Pherson is the Director of Environment, Health & Safety at the University of California, San Diego. UCSD is an academic powerhouse and economic engine in a region well known for science. It was recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 10 public universities in the nation. Mr. Mac Pherson manages 125 employees who provide services to: a 1200 acre campus, approximately 40,000 students, faculty, and staff, as well as providing environmental services to two medical centers and 125 offsite locations. The four functional areas that Mr. Mac Pherson provides leadership for at UCSD are: Research Safety, Environmental Affairs, Radiation Safety, and Risk Management. Garry has over 37 years of managing safety programs, including emergency response, hazardous materials, trauma care, emergency planning, and environmental services. During the last year Mr. Mac Pherson has been responsible for leading UCSD’s response to a settlement agreement reached by the UC Board of Regents and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office as a result of a laboratory death that occurred at the University of California, Los Angeles campus in 2009.