Lab Safety

If you will be working in an FPE Laboratory and have already identified a Principal Investigator (PI, typically an FPE Professor), then you are required to complete the following steps for laboratory safety before working in the lab. Once completed, you will be granted access on your UMD ID card to access the necessary laboratory facilities.

1. Take the New Laboratory Researcher Training offered by the UMD Department of Environmental Safety:
   -    Select New Laboratory Researcher if you are a graduate student or New Laboratory Researcher for Undergraduates if you are an undergraduate conducting research.
   -    You must log in to register for either course. If you do not have a UMD username and password yet, see Alexis Jenkins (ajenkin4@umd.edu), or talk to your PI.
2. Review the FPE Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
   -    Depending on the lab, different procedures may need to be reviewed. For all lab personnel, you are required to read and review the CHP for the standard FPE lab and the general SOP.
   
   All Laboratory Staff:
   Main FPE Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP)
   General FPE Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
   
   If you are working for/with Dr. Sunderland
   Sunderland Laboratory Chemical Hygine Plan (CHP)
   
   Additional Standard Operating Procedures Needed (Discuss with your PI which are necessary for your assignments)
   a.    FPE Lab Standard Operating Procedure
   b.    Cone Calorimiter
   c.    Smoke Chamber
   d.    Vertical Panel
   e.    Fire Box
   f.    LIFT Apparatus
   g.    Fire Room
   h.    Cup Burner
   i.    Wind Blower
   j.  Fire Whirl Setup
   k.  Pulsed Burner
   l.  Saltwater_Tank and_Laser
   m. Quartz_Tube Heater
    
3. Take hands-on laboratory training provided by the FPE lab manager.
   This training may be scheduled by emailing  Farid Alinejad (falineja@umd.edu) and setting up an appointment. It should take approximately 1 hour. At the beginning of each semester, a time will be set to offer training for the majority of students and staff. At off-times, please schedule an individual appointment.
4. Discuss the safety of specific experiments and procedures with your principal investigator.
   Every student or laboratory staff member is required to meet individually with their laboratory PI to discuss specific safety requirements based on their duties in the laboratory. After meeting, proceed to step 5 and complete the required form (pdf).
5. To receive lab access, both students and their PI should sign the Laboratory Personnel Safety Check List and submit a copy to Achille Prete (aprete83@umd.edu) in the FPE front office, together with the evidence of completion of the New Laboratory Researcher Training.