2. Reed College Chemistry Department Policies and Regulations

2.1 Normal Building Hours and Rules

The chemistry building is normally unlocked from:

7 a.m. through 11 p.m. Monday-Friday,
7 a.m. through 7 p.m. Saturday,
Noon to 11 p.m. Sunday.

Different hours may apply during reading week, finals week, and academic holidays.

Smoking is prohibited everywhere in the building.

Unless part of an officially sanctioned college event, consumption of alcoholic beverages within the building is prohibited.

No one may ever engage in lab work after taking medication or substances known to impair judgment, motor skills, memory, alertness, or other mental faculties critical for safe lab work. Students found working under the influence of these substances risk loss of lab privileges and dismissal from lab courses.

In general, no pets may be brought into the building. Exceptions may be made for pets that are kept confined in an office (approval must be obtained from appropriate faculty before keeping a pet in an office). Pets must never be brought into labs. If students or workers encounter stray dogs inside the building, they should attempt to remove them or obtain assistance to that end.

Students may store bicycles only in Chem 219 (access from the loading dock). Students may not store a bicycle in any lab or office. Bicycle and skateboard riding are prohibited in the building at all times.

2.2 Work After Normal Hours

Lab courses. Students enrolled in lab courses may engage in lab work only during the normal scheduled lab hours, and only when an instructor or other lab supervisor is present.

Instructors may permit work beyond normal hours subject to the following conditions:

• Permission for working beyond normal scheduled lab hours must be obtained in writing from the instructor before beginning any work. Instructors may decline to issue permission for such work at their discretion. (Instructors: safety is of paramount importance in granting permission for work beyond normal hours; permission should only be granted for activities that involve minimal hazard).
• Work must be limited to the experiments and/or procedures specified by the instructor.
• Work must be performed in the location specified by the instructor.
• Work must be performed during the hours specified by the instructor and subject to whatever supervision is specified by the instructor. In most cases, permission will only be granted for work that will be done while the instructor or other lab supervisor is in the chemistry building. (Instructors: No student should ever work alone unless the activities are reliably hazard-free.)

Other lab work. Thesis and independent study students should discuss work hours and work activities with their research instructors before beginning work. As a rule, work should be limited to experiments and/or procedures specified by the instructor, and should be performed in the location specified by the instructor. If a research student needs to work beyond an instructor’s normal working hours, the student should find another student who can act as a “lab buddy”—who can be in the same lab with the student and monitor the student’s safety.

2.3 Special Pass for Work Outside Normal Hours

SAMPLE OF AFTER-HOURS PASS SHOWN BELOW
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY— REED COLLEGE

After-Hours Pass

_________________________and ________________________* may work in the chemistry laboratory on __________________ until _________a.m./p.m.

Nature of laboratory work authorized _____________________________________________________________________

Signed________________________ (chemistry faculty member)

For after-hours work (after-hours work includes Saturdays) at least two students must be working together at all times in the same laboratory or within earshot.

2.4 Emergency Procedures

Write these emergency telephone numbers on the first page of your laboratory notebook:

In any lab emergency, immediately notify the instructor or another member of the chemistry faculty. If it is after hours, or an instructor is not in the building, use the following procedures (see also the following pages).

Medical emergencies requiring an ambulance: call the first two numbers in the order given:

• Call 9-911. The dispatch operator will ask you whether you need fire, police, or ambulance, and the location. Respond "ambulance," and the location as "Reed College chemistry department, which is located at the back of the east parking lot across the street from 3626 SE Woodstock Blvd." Other useful directions: the main campus entrance is opposite 3424 SE Woodstock. The east delivery entrance is opposite 3626 SE Woodstock.
• Then notify the Reed community safety office at 503/788- 6666; inform them of the incident and that you have already summoned medical assistance. If possible, send someone to direct the ambulance personnel.
• Do NOT move the injured person unless the victim is in a life-threatening location, such as in a fire. Attend to victim’s immediate needs. Keep any victim of shock (electrical, chemical, or physical) warm with a blanket or warm clothing. In general, stop bleeding, monitor the victim’s breathing and general status, and reassure victim.

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES NOT REQUIRING AN AMBULANCE:

The injured should go to the Providence Hospital emergency room. (See below for directions). NEVER MOVE A VICTIM WITH BACK, NECK, OR HEAD INJURIES! If the victim is unable to transport himself or herself to the hospital, call an ambulance (911) or the Reed community safety office (ext. 7533). Reed community safety officers (ext. 7533) can arrange for transport. Notify the emergency room at Providence Hospital (503-215-6000) of an incoming accident victim. Give them all available information about the emergency.

• DIRECTIONS: Emergency patients should be taken to the Providence Hospital emergency room, which is at 4805 N.E. Glisan. (Go north on 39th Avenue. Cross Powell, Division, and Burnside to Glisan (5 blocks north of Burnside). Make a RIGHT turn onto Glisan, and continue east to 47th Avenue. Make a LEFT turn at this light. On the immediate RIGHT is the emergency room entrance.
• For CHEMICAL BURNS such as from an acid or base splash, immediately flush the area with water for at least 15 minutes, before departure to seek medical attention. If the eyes are affected, hold the eyes open to the water in the eyewash and rotate the eyeballs to clear the material from all areas. Be gentle and do not rub your eyes. For skin contact, use emergency shower station. Remove affected clothing and flush for at least 15 minutes. Keep flushing the affected area while making telephone calls for help. This continuous flushing could save the eye! Note: For some chemicals, water flushing is contraindicated. Your instructor will inform you when you work with one of these chemicals.
• FIRST AID: Report all lab injuries to the instructor in charge of the course. All lab injuries require some degree of first-aid attention. Therefore, you must immediately inform your instructor if you have received any injury in the lab, no matter how slight the injury may seem to you, and no matter how embarrassed you may feel about the conditions causing the injury. Mistakes and accidents happen.

The first-aid cabinets contain materials for treating minor cuts and burns only. They are in the mid-hallway area on each floor. First aid materials are available for immediate, temporary care until the victim can seek professional medical help, either from the Reed health services (M–F 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) or hospital emergency room. All students with minor injuries must immediately go to the Reed health center.

FIRE: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FIGHT AN UNCONTAINED FIRE. NOTIFY AND EVACUATE THE BUILDING OCCUPANTS IMMEDIATELY.

The person discovering a fire shall go to the nearest pull alarm (small red boxes on the walls) and pull it to alert the building occupants of fire. Write the location of the closest fire alarm to your lab desk on the first page of your lab notebook.

• The loud buzzer-like or bell-like sound originating from various alarms in the building is the signal for everyone to evacuate immediately the building by way of the nearest exit. Remain calm and leave through the closest safe exit.
• The chemistry building is equipped with an automatic fire and smoke sensing system. The Reed community safety office is automatically notified when an alarm in the chemistry building is activated. However, it is important to call community safety from a safe location, to ensure that emergency responders are on their way.
• ONLY if the fire is small and contained, such as paper towels in a waste can, should you attempt to fight it. You can put out very small fires by “starving” them (example: putting a wash glass on top of an Erlenmeyer flask will cut off the oxygen supply to a fire inside the flask). If the fire cannot be starved, use your lab’s fire extinguisher to put out the fire (there is also a large cart extinguisher in the second floor hallway next to the stockroom entrance for larger fires). If a fire is either large, not contained, or threatens your escape from the lab, do not attempt to fight it.
• There will be periodic testing of the alarm by community safety officers. All occupants in the building will be forewarned. Whenever you hear the alarms, assume that it is a fire or other emergency, and evacuate the building in an orderly fashion. Go to the chemistry building assembly point, which is the east parking lot.

The last update for this manual was April 2004. All changes or amendments shall be approved by both the chemistry department faculty and the Reed environmental health and safety office. This manual will be reviewed and updated as needed.

__________________________________
Chair, Chemistry Department

__________________________________
Director, Community Safety Office

index | next page