Check Out the Safety of Items Retrieved From Salvage
A Materials Sciences researcher recently shared this lesson learned via the EH&S Suggestion Box. ‘We regularly get items from salvage, which provides us with valuable equipment at no cost. Recently we were pleased to find a dual cart there to transport gas cylinders. During our recent safety stand down, our EH&S manager mentioned several accidents with dual cylinder carts. This prompted us to ask the EH&S manager to examine the cart. The cart turned out to be exactly the one that had previously caused injuries. It was probably discarded by the injured people, but without mentioning that it was unsafe and should not be reused. The cart can actually be made safe by a small modification, which we will have done as soon as possible.
The lesson learned is:
- People discarding any unsafe items should indicate the problem on the items to make sure they are not used again.
- When retrieving items from salvage that might present safety issues, have them inspected by EH&S.
With these two simple rules, people can make a safe use of salvage.’ Remember, the Lab is constantly looking for ways to improve safety. If you have a suggestion, submit it here.