Cena Burns, an employee of the College’s custodial staff, sends a letter to the editors to thank students for holding a safety training session last week.
On Wednesday Oct. 24 at 7:00 a.m., a small group of four students, Ana Fairbanks-Mahnke ’20, Michelle Biksey ’21, Chloe Litts ’20 and Kayla Bertholf ’22 started their day early with a lab safety training session for the 5:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. custodial staff that work in the academic buildings across campus. Several of us have expressed concern since the beginning of the semester about hazards we could face in a lab from cleaning it and what we should be aware of simply by working in or around the area.
Over coffee and donuts graciously provided for us from the group, we had a short training session that was very informative. We were shown an illustrated Powerpoint along with a lecture that covered some lab protocol.
We learned about how students working in labs are to dispose of the materials they use and what autoclave disposal is. They taught us about the emergency stations in the labs and what each part of those stations are used for and when to use them. We learned about emergency procedures in the lab in case of chemical spills or true safety emergencies. We were given several chances to ask questions and personally I was able to get a definitive answer that I had not been able to get about my own personal safety in the labs.
Overall the session was informative, and we are very thankful for the students who took the time out of their day to educate us about the environment we work in everyday. We appreciate the time and effort put into this endeavor. We were also very touched by the thank you card given to us at the end of the session for the work we do. This has displayed to us the very Scot Spirit that we know the students are famous for. We appreciate everything and thank you all so much!