IIT-B system to keep labs safe

Very little is known about safety policies followed in labs of universities and colleges in India where students and staff are often exposed to hazards.

Very little is known about safety policies followed in labs of universities and colleges in India where students and staff are often exposed to hazards. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),Bombay,is making an exception to this by setting up a formal,strict and transparent safety management system. Students and academic and non-academic staff will soon be able to report online any mishap/ near-miss accident in research labs,reasons behind it and action taken,as part of the occupational health and safety management system (OHSMS) being put in place.

The scope of research activities in the institute has increased significantly and there are hazards involved. Hence,it mandates that we have a system in place to ensure that students and staff work in a safe and healthy environment, said Sajith K V,Safety Officer,IIT-B. The OHSMS will mandate regular training,audits and compliance reports. A dedicated webpage has been created listing the safety policy,lab safety manuals,training modules,audit reports and any mishap that has occurred and the steps taken subsequently. All the information will be available on webpage for public and will be linked to the main IIT-B webpage, said Sajith. A manual,a formal guide has been developed in accordance with the Indian Standard (IS) OHSMS 18001:2007.

According to the manual,one has to identify hazards at each level of a research activity,assess the risks,determine measures to bring risks to an acceptable level,and implement the measures. The procedure of hazard identification and legal requirements will be spelled out. Emergency response and critical incident recovery plans after an accident have also been developed.

A safety cell has been set up and will provide safe work facilities. It will liaison with safety committees in each department. All students,faculty and non-academic staff will have to be well-versed with safety procedures in their labs. Training modules are being developed in biosafety,chemical safety,cryogenics safety,fire safety,gas cylinder safety,laser safety,machine safety,OH&S awareness and radiation safety.

A periodic safety review will take into consideration internal audit reports of research facilities,status of legal reporting/renewal of permits,accident/incident statistics of research labs,follow up action from previous management reviews and new developments related to OH&S.

A committee last year listed safety hazards encountered in labs. It recommended a safety management scheme and a safety cell,and a formal audit system. A safety review was conducted for the biosciences and bioengineering,chemistry,chemical engineering,metallurgical engineering and materials science,and physics departments. We prepared action plans based on the findings. We are conducting safety reviews of other departments, Sajith said.

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