Occupational Health and Safety Newsletter
DECEMBER 2011
Meet Your MUN-HSC Occupational Health and Safety Building Committee
Welcome to the first edition of the Memorial University Health Sciences Centre (MUN-HSC) Occupational Health and Safety Building Committee’s newsletter. A newsletter similar to this will be produced
three to four times a year to help communicate important information about health and safety in the
Health Sciences Centre.
Your MUN-HSC Occupational Health and Safety Building Committee consists of members from key
groups within the building that are associated with the university. The committee meets monthly, usually on the first Thursday of the month at 2 p.m.
If you have any questions about health and safety including how to submit incident reports or express a
health or safety concern, please contact someone on the committee within your office, faculty or school.
L-R back row: Judy Foote, Joan Fillier, Kate Williams, Fred Rideout, Melissa Rotchford, Gail Burke
Front row: Sherry Squire-Grace, Penny Diamond, Sheila Nash, Bobby Whalen.
Faculty of Medicine
ANIMAL CARE SERVICES
Gail Burke, Management, Room 1848, 777 6621, [email protected]
Ken Austin, Management (alternate), Room 1734, 777 6279, [email protected]
Bobbie Whalen, CUPE, Room 1841, 777 6543/6366, [email protected]
Bob Kelly, CUPE (alternate), Room 1733, 777 6625, [email protected]
HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY
Sherry Squire-Grace, Management, Room 1647A, 777 7322, [email protected]
Jenny Seeman, Management (alternate), Room 1625, 777 6208, [email protected]
Shannon Gordon, MUNFA, Room 1649A, 777 8951, [email protected]
Alison Farrell, Union (alternate), Room 1646C, 777 6238, [email protected]
CAMPUS ENFORCEMENT & CONTROL
Fred Rideout, Management, Room 2720E, 777 7251, [email protected]
Penny Diamond, NAPE, Room FM1018, 864 8561, [email protected]
FACULTY OF MEDICINE
Judy Foote, Management, Room 2825, 777 8369, [email protected]
Virginia Middleton, Management (alternate), Room 1758, 777 8285, [email protected]
Kate Williams, CUPE, Room 1710, 777 6638, [email protected]
Dr. Atanu Sarkar, MUNFA (alternate) Room 2851, 777 2360, [email protected]
SCHOOL OF NURSING
Sheila Nash, Management, Room 2924, 777 7271, [email protected]
Wanda Chubbs, Management (alternate), Room 2922, 777 6868, [email protected]
Melissa Rotchford, CUPE, Room 2920, 777 8788, [email protected]
Mary Park, CUPE (alternate), Room 2920, 777 6274, [email protected]
SCHOOL OF PHARMACY
Dr. John Weber, MUNFA, Room 3416, 777 7022, [email protected]
Noriko Daneshtalab, MUNFA (alternate), Room 3417, 777 2218, [email protected]
Justin Peddle, Management, Room 1619, 777 7584, [email protected]
EX OFFICO – RECORDING SECRETARY
Joan Fillier, Faculty of Medicine, Room 2804A, 777-2409, [email protected]
Deck the Halls (or Office or Lab)
It’s the holiday season and in addition to festive sweaters and sometime silly
hats, we often see decorations going up in offices and labs. While these
decorations are meant to bring smiles and put people in good spirits, please
remember that you must keep safety in mind while decorating any space
within the building.
Eastern Health has provisions that must be followed in all spaces of the
HSC to help avoid trips and falls as well as fire and electrical hazards.
INTERNAL DECORATIONS
Decorations can be used inside facilities of Eastern Health during the Christmas season with the following
provisions:
• All purchased items are to be flame proof or flame retardant.
• Artificial snow is not permitted to be sprayed directly onto glass, walls, doors or furnishings.
• Avoid use of decorations made of glass
• Cotton wool and paper streamers are NOT to be hung from walls and ceilings.
• The use of electric lights to decorate areas is NOT permitted.
•C
hristmas trees and decorations must not block corridors, electrical rooms or panels, equipment
rooms, gas shut-offs, fire extinguishers, pull stations, or exits.
• Decorations must never be hung from or obstruct fire sprinkler heads.
TREES
•O
nly those trees designated for common areas will be approved for electrical lights. The lights
must be in good working order, cords are to be secured to prevent trip hazards and all electrical
requirements should adhere to facility requirements (This can be confirmed by Infrastructure Support
or Leased Properties Personnel). These trees must meet all safety and electrical requirements when
installed.
• The use of electric lights on any other trees is NOT permitted.
• Natural trees are not permitted inside any facility. Non-flammable artificial trees must be used.
Managers will be responsible for ensuring that the decorations in their area are appropriately maintained and inspected on a regular basis.
You’re still encouraged to have fun and join in the festive season, just please make sure you do your
part to keep yourself and others safe.
Fire Plan
You hear beeping over the public announcement (PA) system and you hear the following message,
“Attention all personnel, Code Red, zone…” but what does this mean? What should you do?
CODE RED INDICATES THAT A FIRE ALARM HAS BEEN TRIGGERED WITHIN THE HSC.
In the HSC, each school and faculty has a Fire Evacuation Procedure that identifies the steps to be
followed in the event of a fire/fire alarm (Code Red). It is written as a guide for workers to follow in the
event of a stage I or stage II fire alarm to ensure the safe evacuation of all workers.
All faculty, staff, students and residents are required to review the fire plan and be aware of the stepped
they must take to ensure safety during a possible fire. To download a pdf of the Faculty of Medicine’s
fire plan, please visit http://bit.ly/MUNMed-Fire-Plan. To access the fire plans for the School of Nursing,
School of Pharmacy and for Animal Care, please check with your administrative office.
Vial Unknown
What should you do if you find a substance that you cannot identify? What if it could be something
like blood and needs to be disposed of in a safe manner?
Recently a vial with an unknown substance was found in a lab. Safety is a
number one concern for the MUN-HSC
Occupational Health and Safety Building
Committee and there are specific steps
you should take in a situation like this.
?
First, you should contact housekeeping
777 7124 and let them know as much
detail about the situation and what was
found. After contacting housekeeping, it is very important that you file an
Incident Report. Contact your Human
Resource office or health and safety rep
for a form.
If your office or lab is not located in the Health Sciences Centre, please make sure to familiarize yourself with the safety procedures for your location.
Remember, safety is a concern for everyone and it is through your observations and actions that we can
help keep you, your coworkers and patients safe.