Did you know that over 2000 students, teachers and other members of the public visit the Lab each year? Workforce Development & Education hosts many of these guests on site to share the Lab’s work, as well as to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. Our largest program, Berkeley Lab Adventure Zone in Elementary Sciences (BLAZES), brings 5th grade classes (10-11 year olds) on site to learn about properties of matter. Students engage in hands-on activities led by Lab Employee volunteers as well as tour the Advanced Light Source. The BLAZES program runs October through May. Safety is at the forefront of all these visits and starts even before visitors step foot on site. Each morning, brightly colored markers that alert passing traffic to the presence of children are placed at the entrances of Building 7, the first stop for most of the groups. When you see these markers, please SLOW DOWN, because groups of students may be entering or exiting the building. While we may be familiar with our surroundings, our guests are here for the first time, and it is important that we are vigilant when we are driving nearby.
If you would like to be a BLAZES volunteer please register for our upcoming Volunteer Preparation Workshop which will be held on October 7 from 11:30-1:30 in room 7-211 using this form. If you are interested in learning more about other educational outreach opportunities, please e-mail [email protected].
In response to recent electrical work accidents at Berkeley Lab, a lot of energy has gone into developing a new Electrical Safety Program that affects primarily the work performed by trained qualified electrical workers. But what about the rest of us who do not work closely with specialized electrical equipment - what can we do to keep electrical accidents and fires resulting from ordinary but faulty electrical equipment from happening?
One thing everyone can do is immediately report anything that looks like an electrical accident waiting to happen to the Division Safety Coordinator or [email protected]. Examples of signs of trouble that have been reported in the recent past include:
- Frayed insulation anywhere on a power cord, which often occurs at the ends where the cord attaches to the plug or the appliance.
- Melted electrical equipment housing, including plugs and receptacles.
- Exposed metal parts that may conduct electrical energy. For instance, a computer missing its cover or knockout for access could result in electrical shock to another worker.
In addition to reporting sure signs of trouble, you can improve electrical safety by:
- Sending old outdated equipment to salvage.
- Unpluging “daisy chained” extension cords; never use more than one extension cord, and make sure it is rated for the intended use.
- Removing any personal electrical equipment from the workplace that is not approved by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL).
- Finding out more about electrical safety by reviewing Environment, Health, and Safety Training Course 260 and becoming familiar with other resources such as Portable Heater Safety and Electrical Safety General Field Guides (Field Guide 20 is on Electrical Extension Cords).
And finally, one thing you can do any time is recognize a co-worker who is taking steps to improve safety - give them a Hero Card (for a supply of Hero Cards contact [email protected]) or nominate them for a Safety Spot Award.
