1. Reducing Risk: Working Alone in the Laboratory Sarah Meyer, MSPH, CIH, CSP Laboratory Safety Compliance Specialist Janette de la Rosa Ducut, Ed.D. Training and Communications Manager Russell Vernon, Ph.D. Director

2. Project Objectives 1. Reduce risk for lone workers in Chemistry laboratories 2. Identify the program components needed to implement on campus 3. Review best practices and lessons learned

3. Working Alone Evaluation Do you have employees who work alone routinely, periodically, or occasionally? What type of hazards are they exposed to? What type of controls should be implemented?

4. Working Alone Compliance California Code of Regulations, Title 8 §3400(f) Effective provisions shall be made in advance for prompt medical treatment in the event of serious injury or illness…avoid unnecessary delay in treatment… (1) A communication system for contacting a doctor or emergency medical service, such as access to 911 or equivalent telephone system… OSHA General Duty Clause

5. (March 2014) Who is a lone worker? Lone worker is someone who cannot be seen or heard by another person, or cannot expect a visit from another employee.

6. Keeping Lone Workers Safe (March 2014) Check-in procedure 1. Use a daily work plan 2. Contact an employee or supervisor at designed times 3. Follow the emergency action plan for missed check ins

7. Background The “No working alone in labs” rule was commonly ignored through at least the late 1980s to today. Late nights and weekend work are the norm Buddy system is often claimed to be used, but rarely implemented “Remote Buddy Alert Tool” developed from a garage door opener by Dr. John Palmer while at UCSD “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” alert systems were investigated. developed the first commercially available system for a an institution with multi-story buildings

9. Incidents at UCR Five incidents occurred in one year while people were working alone in a single building

10. Lone Worker Program overview Length: 5 min http://ehs.ucr.edu/resources/videos/#laboratory

11. GPS Comparison Satellite & Cell Phone GPSLone Worker GPS

12. Loner SMD Device

13. Alert Types Manually pull the latch down Push the (white) button (Automatic fall sensor)

14. Acknowledging an Alert Video Tutorial At UCR, Alerts acknowledged by UCPD. There is an option to use a third party monitor.

15. Acknowledging an Alert

16. Informing the PIs The program was introduced through a series of fact sheets, guides, emails, meetings, and word-of- mouth.

17. https://loner.blacklinegps.com/sign-in A simple web-based form was created to enable PIs to customize their contact settings. This was entered into the system by EH&S. PI Alert preferences

18. Beacon position Beacons were positioned near laboratory exits to maximize visibility, and provide consistency for maintenance.

19. Beacon installation Beacons were installed using self-adhesive Velcro® so that they could be easily relocated later.

20. Beacon placement Beacons were placed centrally between rooms, and in restrooms.

21. Training the Laboratory

22. Training the Police

23. Lessons Learned 1. Use industrial Velcro to attach beacons to the wall 2. Getting a cell phone signal inside buildings (especially basements) is challenging Elevators & stairwells are dead spots Loner SMD uses AT&T service in US Cell phone booster might be necessary in poor cell reception areas 3. Log in/off alert can result in several texts/emails

24. Other applications Housing and Dining (HDRS) department is interested in mitigating the risks for delivery drivers and convenience store clerks working evening shifts HDRS recognized the possible friction caused with some unions AND asked that EH&S discuss the program with Labor Relations Labor Relations subsequently notified both unions that represent Graduate Students and Post-Docs; neither have protested. Lesson Learned: Inform unions before implementation

25. The big question: What’s the cost? Loner SMD Device (not the intrinsically safe version) $399 per unit Beacon Device $129 per unit Managed deployment service $30 per unit Annual service per Loner Device $300 per unit Premium call center annual service per Loner Device (UCR not using) $150 per unit for 24/7 coverage

26. Metrics 175 2

27. Metrics

28. For more information Blackridge Solutions Lance Kellough (778) 686-5799 http://www.blackridgesolutions.com http://www.blackridgesolutions.com lance@blackridgesolutions.com EH&S Safety & IH (951) 827-5528 http://ehs.ucr.edu/safety ehs@ucr.edu

29. Teamwork wins! Source: Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology http://www.sustainable-nano.com http://www.sustainable-nano.com UCPD Lt. Jason Day Judy Lane (Dispatch) EH&S Mary Amimoto, Nicole Clark, and Jack Thompson CNAS Machine Shop Jeff Leffler