Foto/illustrasjon: UiB
The safety round for laboratories in 2022 was split in two, and the last part of the round was completed on 10 January 2023.
Before the safety rounds, a questionnaire was sent out with the aim to see if the laboratories were adapted to the users, and to see if the employees needed training in risk assessment. It was also desirable to look at the use of EcoExposure for work with chemicals harmful to health (H340, H350 and H350i).
A total of 46 people responded to the survey.
Risk assessment, EcoExposure and the HMS portal
As in previous years, there is still insufficient knowledge of how a risk assessment should be carried out. All methods used must be described and risk assessed. It is the supervisor’s responsibility that a risk analysis is carried out in connection with the master’s thesis.
How to perform a risk assessment is available on the HSE portal.
There are also several who say that they work with chemicals subject to registration, but who do not register the use of the chemicals in EcoExposure. We will therefore take a look at how new users are registered in EcoExposure and how this is carried out.
Chemicals subject to registration are marked with H340, H350 and H350i
- H340: May cause genetic damage
- H350: may cause cancer
- H350i: may cause cancer by inhalation
Based on findings from the survey, we will look at the possibility of arranging courses internally at BIO in 2023 to increase awareness of how a risk assessment should be carried out.
Of those who have answered the questionnaire, it seems that the majority are familiar with BIO’s HSE handbook, which is an improvement from previous years.
Our laboratories are generally in very good order, and only a few HSE non-conformities were discovered.
- Unsecured gas bottle. The gas cylinder has been removed and is now stored in the gas storage room.
- Risk of shelves in an acid cabinet falling due to corrosion. The cabinet must be replaced.
- An escape route was blocked.
- Storage rooms for biosamples are overcrowded. Therefore, urges owners to take a review and throw away what can be thrown away. All samples should be reviewed every 2 years. Boxes of samples must be labeled with name and date, and an expiry date. A maximum of two years ahead. We now see that more people are choosing 2030 as the expiry date.
- Freezer rooms in A- and B-building are overcrowded. Clean-up should therefore be carried out during 2023. We therefor ask everyone to remove old materials.