BUREAU OF LABORATORY SERVICES SAFETY COMMITTEE

MINUTES OF THE 6/13/2001 MEETING

In attendance: Jack Gallagher; Bob Eppinger; Lorenzo Lucia; Jim Coyle; Brian Serbin; John Yust; Gloria Pullins; Kathy Black; Cindy Rettig; William Wilson; Geoff Brock; Maureen Jaroszewski; Mike Intenzo

Old Business

1. The minutes of the 5/2/2001 Safety Committee Meeting required the following corrections, OB,4,d. Jann; OB,10. Ken E. Bradley; NB, 2. replace the words "emergency response notification". with "employee IOD procedure" The minutes were accepted after the corrections.
2. John Y. will start a review of the monthly lab checklists after the August checklists are complete.
3. Both Joe Roman and Greg Hanson are unavailable and new GFI information is unavailable.
4. John Yust reported on the latest Safety Training events,

1. A new personal hygiene safety program was instituted and taught at SE Lab. Others labs, new employees and summer students will receive this training.
2. The latest Safety Glass and Shoemobile information is posted on the Safety Bulletin Boards.
3. No news to report on the Health Fair, John Y. will contact Lorraine Jann after the meeting.
4. The Wellness Classes are meeting on Monday and expected to pick up to two days a week. A suggestion was forwarded for Mike Augustyn to compile statistics on the wellness improvement, such as body fat, weight, morale improvement, etc.

1. Geoff B. stated, "to wait for two years for a new Security System was unacceptable", and suggested "we find an innovative way to use the procurement system". A security system for the CLF does not require special design and it is not necessary for the Design Groups involvement. Geoff B. hopes the pieces can be purchased separately. The back door will not be locked at 3:30 p.m. Jim C. asked John Y. to coordinate and have quarterly meetings with the lockup crew and monitor the security system discussions.
2. John Y. reported the latest ERT news,

1. The ERT is losing a member and he will canvass BLS for a new member.
2. Jim C. stated the Automated External Defibrillator is in and waiting to be picked up.
3. John Y. reported Jim C. would attempt the SCBA tank purchase after July 1.
4. A member of the Phila. Fire Dept. Engine #10 observed the last fire drill and the drill went well. They recommended the employee last to leave each room should close the door.

1. Gloria P. had on new information or complaints on the dog problem in the field next to BLS. Maureen J. will ask her staff to observe around 4:00 – 4:30 p.m. if the dogs are released in the field. Geoff B. stated the police have not followed through on enforcing the laws. Dogs are allowed to run free and the owners do not remove the dog waste.
2. Bob E. reports no progress on the instant access emergency response information.
3. John Y. reported the safety manual annual review is underway with two meetings held so far. More are scheduled and completion date is the end of September. Jim D’Agostino is in the process of writing the baseline, injuries, and other health related procedures, which will be included in the safety manual.
4. Gloria P. will submit a work order for the lines on "O" street to be repainted and possibly lengthened with official "No Parking" signs installed. John Y. noted that the truck that continually violates the no parking lines also leaks oil onto the street as a result of the owners business. John Y. spoke with Joe Cerrone on this issue and is expecting a reply.
5. John Y. and Brian S. conducted a survey around the CLF for active natural gas valves in the labs. Supervisors will be contacted and the valves will be removed or capped if they are not used. Mike I. suggested the installation of ball type valves in which the configuration of the handle indicates whether the valve is open or closed.
6. Bob E. and John Y. will look into the signage issues around BLS and order and/or install them.

New Business

1. Geoff B. requested an update on the Safety Office personnel. Some problems have been encountered due to the turnover in the Safety Office personnel; one was the mix-up in the baseline monitoring program. John Y. will ask Mike A. for the update. Bob E. requested a list of employees that are involved in the baseline program so that he could help facilitate the program. Cindy R. expressed concern should the baseline program not be awarded in the future to Jefferson. Her question, "what would happen to all the records", hopefully Mike A. will be able to find out the answer.
2. Kathy B. announced there is a new antibiotic therapy out, doxycycline, for those that have Lyme disease that will reduce its effect.
3. Bob E. noticed that there are areas around the safety showers and stairwells that are not clear. A bicycle was found locked at the bottom of the west stairwell that prevented clear passage to the fire exit.
4. Maureen planned for a drying oven to be scrapped however due to the paperwork backlog in the scraping process it hasn’t yet. William W. will check on it.
5. John Y. reported there were new breathing barriers distributed to those that took the refresher CPR and First Aid courses. More are available to those that will take the course in the future.
6. John Y. is involved in an effort to survey all the eyewash stations and safety showers in the department. The ten located in the CLF were tested and five were found with unacceptable temperature readings. Four were too cold and one was too hot and a request will made for building maintenance to adjust them.
7. Kathy B. reported she would have an intern assist her in organizing a health and safety advisory committee for DC47 locals as an ongoing effort of the contract negotiations. The committee will assist in formulating agenda items for the IOD quarterly meeting, distributing information, identifying health, safety, and environmental issues. One example of an environmental issue is the use of alternative fuels in busses and the "dump diesel" project. Kathy B. also reported the president has scrapped the national ergonomic standard. There is other information available on the DC47 website concerning health and safety issues. Kathy also requested posting the approved BLS Safety Committee minutes on the website, in which there were no objections from the committee. Kathy also reported there is a new I.H. onboard with Risk Management, her name is Francine Wack.
8. Geoff B. reported a $840,000 HVAC contract was awarded to DeVine Bros. The sub contractor will be Elliot-Lewis and Burns will be a construction management consultant. The construction schedule has not been provided yet and major disruptions per section are anticipated as the work progresses. A BLS planning meeting will take place when a schedule is provided.
9. Jim C. asked for an investigation into the gasoline spill on the loading dock. Pine Oil was used to clean the spill and the combination from both odors filled the building. The ERT was not notified and the whole spill was washed into the sewer system. John Y. and Bob E. will investigate.

NEXT MEETING 7/25/2001, 9:00 am @ BLS in Conference Room "A"