Question description
Congratulations! You have just become the safety manager
for Podunk University. Your position is at the campus in Podunk, Colorado, and
your predecessor left the job a year and a half ago. There has been nobody in
the position during that interval. The commitment of the institution to safety
is dubious at best, but you are looking forward to starting your new position
and making a positive change. After introducing yourself to the secretary you
share with a half dozen other, more senior, people, you decide to focus on hazardous
material and hazardous waste issues since you just completed a great college
course on those topics. You tour the campus and discover that the following
departments and programs are yours to deal with:
·
The biology department has animal dissection,
human dissection, a microbiology lab, and a medical laboratory education
program that uses small quantities of a lot of chemicals.
·
The chemistry department has chemicals that
have never been inventoried and a new forensics program (as in CSI, not in
college debate).
·
The physics department has high-voltage
equipment, lasers, and LEDs.
·
The English department has lots and lots of
books and papers, as well as photocopiers.
·
The math department has lots of computers and
whiteboards.
·
The automotive technology department has
everything pertaining to auto repair, including solvents, asbestos brake
linings, pneumatic tools, waste oil, and cutting and grinding tools.
·
The Massive Arena is one of the original
buildings on campus and has a variety of interesting problems, including asbestos
insulation, and the building is undergoing a massive renovation.
Respond to each of the following questions:
1. Where do you start?
2. Where should you focus your initial HazCom efforts? In
what order do you tackle the rest of the departments?
3. What are the HazCom issues in the automotive
technology department?
4. What are the hazardous waste issues in the automotive
technology department?
5. What are the HazCom issues in the chemistry
department?
6. What are the hazardous waste issues in the chemistry
department?
7. With the Massive Arena renovation, who are the people
to whom you need to communicate hazards?
8. What are your main concerns with the physics
department?
9. What are the hazardous material/waste spill response
issues for the university, and how should you prepare for them?
10. Is any HazCom training needed for the English and
math departments?
11. What are some resources for finding out how to solve
the HazCom issues?
12. You must choose technology or trainers to do the
needed training. What are some issues to consider when selecting these?
13. Due to budget cuts, you have to do the training
yourself, and you will use PowerPoint. What are some considerations when
developing your PowerPoint Presentation?
14. How can you evaluate your training to ensure that it
is accomplishing your goals?
15. One of the chemistry professors working with some of
the automotive technology faculty members, invents a new nonflammable compound
that will render obsolete the need for solvents to degrease auto parts. She
wants to market the stuff. What needs to be done before it can be marketed, and
who should do it?
16. The University decides to partner with the chemistry
professor and market this new compound. Due to the lack of flammability, it is
a great hit nationwide. They then decide to market it worldwide. What concerns
need to be addressed?
17. It turns out that this wonderful new compound makes a
really great explosion when used in conjunction with another chemical. As the
University is manufacturing the compound in large quantities and storing it on
the grounds, what concerns do you now have? What experts should you consult?
18. The biology department has been busy as well. The
little microbiology lab is large now, and they are working with stronger
pathogens. How would you determine the new hazard communication requirements
and things that you should do beyond that minimum?
After a tough five years, you have the Podunk University
campus running smoothly. Everybody is trained, and your successor will not have
nearly as much of a challenge as you did. Congratulations, and best wishes on
your next challenge!
Your submission must be a minimum of four pages
double-spaced, not including the title and reference pages, and in APA format.
Support your answers to the questions with appropriate references and in-text
citations.
