Technical information

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• Mr. Joseph A. Adario
Duties of the Safety Committee include:
• The Committee assists the Departmental Safety Officer in formulating policies and procedures for
laboratory safety, and also assists in formulating the examinations required under the Plan.
• Each Departmental laboratory will be inspected twice yearly for compliance with safety
procedures; these inspections are supervised by Mr. Kearney.
• The Committee will coordinate safety procedures with the Research Directors for the Center for
Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE) and the Materials Processing Center (MPC).
• The Committee will also review accidents and other incidents that involve chemical hygiene and
safety.
The MIT Safety Office and Medical Services
The Institute provides a number of central services concerning safety and health. The MIT SafetyOffice
(room E19-207, phone 3-4736) and the Environmental Medical Service (Room 20B-238, phone 3-5360)
have professional staffs that can be called upon for advice and help on safety and environmental health
problems. These staffs offer the following services to the Institute:
• The MIT Safety Office evaluates and implements safety policies and reviews new and existing
equipment and operating practices to minimize hazards to the Institute community and visitors
from fire, electricity, explosion, pressure, and machinery.
• The MIT Safety Office conducts accident investigations, suggests remedial measures, and
administers accident reporting procedures. It also publishes the MIT Accident Prevention Guide,
which is available via techinfo on Athena.. In addition, a waste chemical service will pick up
potentially hazardous chemicals. Training and assistance in conducting special accident prevention
programs are available as required.
• The Environmental Medical Service (EMS) is a unit of the Medical Department. Several health
physicists, microbiologists, industrial hygienists, and industrial hygiene engineers (all members of
the staff) devote their skills to the protection of the Institute community from radiation, toxic, and
biological hazards. All members of the Institute community should feel free to consult with the
Environmental Medical Service if they are concerned about the safety of operations involving
potential toxic or radiation exposure. A member of EMS is available at any time for assistance in
emergencies and can be reached through the Medical Department or Physical Plant Work Control
Center.
EMERGENCIES AND FIRST AID
Summoning Help
Every accident is different, and it is not possible to prescribe procedures for responding to them that will
work in all instances. But as a general guideline, MIT and DMSE policy is to have the individual laboratory
worker perform only minimal emergency actions. When an accident happens that you consider serious and
difficult to handle, your response should be to evacuate yourself and others from the scene, and to summon
help:
• PULL the FIRE/EMERGENCY ALARM closest to the emergency, and evacuate the Building.
Each building has evacuation routes described on cards posted throughout the building, and you
must be aware of these routes.
• DIAL 100 from a safe location, give your name, the location of the emergency, and describe the
emergency as best you can. Stay on the phone until the police dispatcher hangs up.
• The evacuation instructions specify meeting places at which the building's occupants should
gather. Laboratory supervisors should account for the members of their group, to determine if
anyone is still in the Building. If you think someone is still inside the building, notify the Fire
Marshal/Campus Police/Emergency Response Team.