Safety Information

Department of Chemistry

University of Idaho

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Emergency Response Plan

Department of Chemistry

March 2005

I.  Overview

Everyone in a UI facility – students, faculty, staff, and visitors – must take appropriate and deliberate action when an emergency strikes a building, a portion of the campus, or the entire University of Idaho community.  Careful planning, with an emphasis on safety, can help the University handle crises and emergencies with suitable responses, and may save lives.  Supervisors are responsible for ensuring all employees are familiar with and will follow this emergency plan.  Where appropriate, unit members will be assigned emergency preparedness and response duties to assist in the implementation of our emergency response plan.

Follow these important steps when there is an emergency:

• Confirm and evaluate conditions.

• Report the incident immediately.

• Follow instructions from emergency staff precisely.

• Follow this emergency response plan.

• Issue clear and consistent emergency notifications.  Use all available communication tools.

• If there is no power and/or telephone systems are not functioning, emergency communications will be profoundly restricted and the University of Idaho will use messengers, radios and cellular phones.

The Department of Chemistry’s Emergency Response Plan is an adjunct to the University of Idaho Emergency Management Plan, as are the other unit plans.  Together they provide the overall emergency plan for the entire campus.  The University of Idaho Emergency Management Plan establishes an emergency leadership and organizational structure.  A copy of this plan can be found at http://www.uidaho.edu/safety/.

The primary goals of the University of Idaho Emergency Management Plan are:

• To protect lives, intellectual property and facilities. 

• To prevent or minimize the impact of emergencies and to maximize the effectiveness of the campus community in responding to inevitable occurrences. 

• To provide for the continuity of campus operations in pursuit of the University of Idaho’s mission of teaching, research and extension.

Emergency Occurrence After Hours

There is a significant chance an emergency may occur outside regular University of Idaho office hours.

While the structure of this plan remains precisely the same, its implementation may vary depending upon available resources and manpower until the proper officials can be notified.  Until that time, the individuals assuming the most responsibility will be those officials/individuals of highest rank who are available at the time.  These individuals should seek to follow, as nearly as possible, the guidelines of the plan while simultaneously making an effort to notify University of Idaho administrators of the situation to obtain verification or advice on their actions.

Submittal and Review

Each unit must submit an initial copy of their completed Emergency Response Plan to the Risk Management Office.  Thereafter, the plan should be reviewed annually.  If the plan is changed, an updated copy of the Emergency Response Plan must be sent to the Risk Management Office by October 1.

II.  Building/Location Description

The Department of Chemistry is housed in Renfrew Hall, 804 Rayburn Street, between the Library and Agricultural Science.  The nearest intersection is Rayburn and Idaho.  It is a four-story building with mechanical towers on both ends and an attached chiller plant; it has two stairwells (one on each end) and an elevator in the center.  There are three entrances, two with automatic ADA doors.  It is fully-sprinkled and has heat and smoke detectors and a halon fire suppression system in rooms 21 and 22 (solvent and ethanol rooms for ChemStores).  Alarm activators are located at both ends of all corridors, as well as in the ChemStores area, and the building is connected to the central monitoring station downtown.  The alarm system has both strobe lights and a horn.  Emergency lighting is installed in the stairwells, corridors, teaching laboratories, and basement laboratories. 

III.  Reporting an Emergency

A.  Step 1

• Call 9-911.  In most cases, such as a fire, hazardous materials release, terrorist/criminal activity, or earthquake, the appropriate number to call is 9-911.

• Or, if it is a utility failure or utility problem, call Facilities at 885-6246.

B.  Step 2

• Notify the department chair, Dr. Peter Griffiths, at 883-3025.  If he is not available, contact Dr. Dan Edwards at 882-1657 and Suzanne Aaron at 883-3411.  During office hours, all can be reached at 885-6552.

C.  Step 3

IV.  Emergency Procedures

A.  Building Evacuation Procedures

Evacuation is required any time a condition exists which would require evacuation, when the fire alarm sounds, when an evacuation announcement is made, or a university official orders you to evacuate.

The designated evacuation points are:

• west entrance, across the street  (evacuation coordinators should report to this entrance to meet the emergency response personnel)

• south entrance

The Evacuation Coordinators are:

Suzanne Aaron

alternate 1:  Peter Griffiths

alternate 2:  Dan Edwards

Responsibilities of the Evacuation Coordinator are:

• Call 9-911 from a safe location to verify the fire alarm/evacuation signal has been received.

• Ensure people have evacuated the building, to the extent it is safe to do so.

• Maintain a roster of faculty and staff as an appendix to this plan and bring the roster to the evacuation point.

• To the extent possible, account for faculty and staff at the evacuation point.

• Be the contact point for reporting unsafe situations in the building or missing persons, and report these to the emergency responders.

• Maintain a list of faculty and staff home phone numbers, cell phones, and/or pagers for contacting employees during and after emergencies.

When the building alarm sounds or an evacuation signal is given:

a.  Remain calm.

b.  Exit the room and:

• Quickly shut down any hazardous operations or processes and render them safe, if it is possible to do so.  If an unsafe situation exists that will not allow a shutdown before evacuating, report this to the Evacuation Coordinator.

• Take jackets or other clothing needed for protection from the weather.

• Close windows and doors, but do not lock doors as you leave.

• Leave room lights on.

• If you are away from your room when the alarm sounds, you should exit the building immediately and not return to the  room.  If an unsafe situation exists in your room, report this to the Evacuation Coordinator.

c.  Notify others in the area of the alarm if they did not hear it.

d.  Instructors must ensure all students evacuate.

e.  Exit the building via the nearest safe exit route.  Walk; do not run.  Never open doors that feel hot to the touch or attempt to travel through smoke-filled or hazardous areas.  Use a different exit. 

f.  Do not use elevators to exit.

g.  Report to the designated evacuation point and Evacuation Coordinator.

h.  Wait at evacuation point for directions.

i.  Do not reenter the building until emergency staff gives the "all clear" signal.

j.  If you become trapped due to smoke, heat, flames, or some other hazard:

• Leave the room door closed.  Seal door cracks and ventilation grills with cloth or wet towels or clothing, if possible.

• Use the telephone to call 9-911 and let them know your location.  Hang an article of clothing, large enough for emergency responders to see, in or out the window if possible.

• If smoke enters the room and there is an window that opens, open the window to let it out.  Close the window if outside smoke enters.  Tie a piece of clothing around your nose and mouth to filter out smoke if needed.

• Stay close to the floor where the air is cleaner.

Evacuation of persons with disabilities:

Persons with disabilities, including those with mobility, hearing, or visual impairments, may need assistance during an evacuation.  Units and instructors need to be aware of employees and students who may have disabilities and ensure they receive assistance during evacuation, if needed.  Elevators are not to be used during an evacuation.

• Persons with hearing impairments:

• Gain the person’s attention by gesturing or turning the lights on and off.

• If needed, write a note indicating an evacuation is necessary and provide directions.

• Persons with visual impairments:

• Announce that an evacuation is necessary.

• Offer your arm for guidance.

• Tell the person where you are going, and obstacles you encounter.

• When you reach the evacuation point, ask if further help is needed.

• Persons with mobility impairments:

• Procedure A:

• If there is NO evidence of fire, smoke or other emergency in the area of occupancy or nearest Area of Evacuation Assistance (AEA), evacuate persons to the nearest AEA.

• Upon arrival of the fire department, fire department personnel will determine the cause of the emergency and check all AEA locations.

• If there is an actual emergency, people with mobility impairments will be evacuated by fire department personnel.

• Procedure B:

• If there is evidence of fire, smoke or other emergency in the area of occupancy, evacuate all people from the area.

• Evacuation will be either from the building or to another AEA not affected by the emergency situation.

• A video is available from the main office showing how to evacuate a person who is using a wheelchair.

B.  Campus Evacuation/Closure Procedures

If it is determined that a campus evacuation/closure is necessary, all units will be notified by the emergency personnel or senior administration of the nature of the evacuation/closure, where to evacuate to (usually to home), and when it is safe to return to the campus.  The Evacuation Coordinator will ensure that all occupants are informed of the evacuation/closure and where to go.  The Evacuation Coordinator will use the phone list to update and distribute information of the emergency as needed to employees.

C.  Medical Emergency Procedures

1.  Call 9-911 or have someone call for you.

2.  If it is possible and safe to do so:

• Protect victim from further injury by removing any persistent threat to the victim.  Do not move the victim unnecessarily.  Do not delay in obtaining trained medical assistance.

• Provide first aid until help arrives if you have appropriate training and equipment.

• Send someone outside to escort emergency responders to the appropriate location.

3.  Location of first aid kits:  Ren 116, center of hall on ground, second, and third floors.

D.  Fire or Explosion Emergency Procedures

1.  Alert people in the immediate area of the fire/explosion and evacuate the area.

2.  If you have been trained and it is safe to do so, you may attempt to extinguish a fire with a portable fire extinguisher.  If you have not been trained to use a fire extinguisher, you must evacuate the area.

3.  Confine the fire by closing doors as you leave the area.

4.  If the automatic fire alarm has not been activated, activate the building fire alarm system by pulling the handle on a manual pull station.

5.  Evacuate the building following the procedures listed above.  The Evacuation Coordinator must call 9-911 to verify the fire alarm/evacuation signal has been received.

E.  Hazardous Materials Emergency Procedures

A release of hazardous materials could involve chemical, biological, or radioactive materials.  The ability of an employee or student to respond to a hazardous materials release will depend on many factors, including the amount of material spilled or involved in an incident, the physical, biological and chemical characteristics of the material, the material's health and hazard characteristics, the location of the spill, the level of response training obtained, and the types of personal protective and spill response equipment available.  Employees will familiarize themselves with the information and procedures found in the UI Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Plan and the UI Hazardous Materials Management & Disposal Policy & Procedures Manual.

If a hazardous materials release occurs that cannot be handled by an employee, then:

1.  Alert people in the immediate area of the spill and evacuate the area.

2.  If an explosion hazard is present, take care not to create sparks by turning on or off electrical equipment.  Activate the electrical shutoff if a laboratory is equipped with one.

3.  Confine the hazard by closing doors as you leave the area.

4.  Use eyewash or safety showers as needed to rinse contamination off people.

5.  Evacuate any nearby rooms that may be affected.  If the hazard will affect the entire building, evacuate the entire building.  If there is a chance of explosion from the hazardous material release, do not activate the building fire alarm.  Evacuate the building manually by alerting others by voice.  Take care not to turn electrical equipment on or off or otherwise cause sparks.  If there is no chance of explosion, activate the building fire alarm system by pulling the handle on a manual pull station.

6.  Evacuate the building following the procedures listed above.  The Evacuation Coordinator must call 9-911 to verify the fire alarm/evacuation signal has been received.  Be prepared to provide as much information as possible on the hazardous materials released.

7.  At the designated evacuation point, notify emergency responders of the location, nature, and size of the spill.

8.  Isolate contaminated persons.  Avoid cross-contamination or chemical exposure from contaminated persons.

F.  Power Outage Procedures

Assess the extent of the problem in the unit's area and:

1.  Report the outage to the University of Idaho Facilities Maintenance & Operations at:

    885-6246   during normal work hours

    885-6271   after normal work hours

2.  Assist other building occupants to move to safe locations. 

3.  Loss of power to fume hoods may require the evacuation of the building.  If it is safe to do so, close the sash of the fume hood if power is lost.

4.  Evaluate the unit's work areas for hazards created by power outage.  If it is safe to do so, secure hazardous materials and shut down hazardous processes, take actions to preserve human and animal safety and health, and take actions to preserve research.

5.  Turn off and/or unplug non-essential electrical equipment, computer equipment and appliances.  Keep refrigerators and freezers closed throughout the outage to help keep them cold.

6.  Areas not served by emergency lighting will maintain flashlights in an accessible location.

7.  If the building or campus must be evacuated, follow evacuation procedures listed above.

G.  Procedures for Responding To Criminal Activity or Violence

1.  Attempt to remove yourself from any danger.

2.  Notify Moscow Police by calling 9-911.  Try to call from a safe location if possible.

3.  If possible, provide the police with the following information:

• Location of crime

• Nature of crime and specifics (number of people involved, any weapons, etc.)

• Any injuries

• Description of suspect/s (height, weight, sex, race, clothing, hair color, etc.)

• Direction of travel of suspect/s

• Description of any vehicles involved in the crime

• Do NOT pursue or attempt to detain suspects.

H.  Bomb Threat Procedures

1.  Obtain and review the Bomb Threat Checklist (available from the main office).

2.  If you receive a bomb threat:

• Check the exact time.

• Listen carefully to the caller's voice.

• Write down the caller's exact words.

• Use the Bomb Threat Checklist.

• Ask questions, particularly about:

• location of device,

• time of detonation, and

• type of device.

• Listen for background noises.

• Note the time the caller hangs up.

• Hang up the phone.  Immediately, before the next call comes in:

• Pick up the phone and dial *57 (This will start a trace on the call.  There may be a cost for this service; it is okay to accept the cost.),

• Listen and write down what the recorded message says,

• Hang up again, pick up the phone and dial *69 (This will give the phone number of the last call received, if available.), and

• Listen and write down what the recorded message says.

3.  Call the Moscow Police Department (9-911) and report:

• Your name.

• Location and telephone number you are calling from.

• The situation.

• Location of the device, if known.

• Time it is set to detonate, if known.

• Type of device, if known.

• Exact time you received the call.

• The information you received after you dialed *57 and *69.

• Any other information on the Bomb Threat Checklist.

4.  Inform your supervisor.

I.  Terrorist Events

1.  Recognizing a Potential Terrorist Event

It is difficult to know with certainty in what form a terrorist event will take place.  It could be an obvious event involving an explosion and release of hazardous materials, or it could involve a covert method, such as mailing letters or packages containing hazardous materials.

The following are guidelines for generic suspicious activities that should be reported to the Moscow Police Department at 882-2677 or, if life-threatening, at 9-911:

a)  Anonymous tips, phone calls or notes indicating threatening events.

b)  People watching officials or offices.

c)  Unidentified or unattended packages left in or near offices.

d)  Requests for plans, blueprints, or specifications for buildings by people who have no reason for this information.

e)  People in places where they do not belong.

f)  Packages or heavy mail which have a peculiar odor or appearance.

g)  Confrontations with angry, aggressively belligerent, or threatening persons.

h)  Extremely threatening or violent behavior by co-workers who indicate they may resort to revenge or more violence.

2.  Securing and Accounting for Hazardous Materials

The use of hazardous materials at the university requires safeguards and increased security.  However remote the possibility, we should prevent the unintentional removal of biological agents, radioactive materials, and hazardous chemicals.  By using common sense and the following steps, we can greatly reduce the potential for problems:

a)  Do not leave laboratories, or other areas where hazardous materials are present, open and unattended.  If you leave the area, make sure the door is locked.

b)  When not in use, return hazardous materials to their proper storage area.  Storage areas in unattended spaces should be locked.

c)  Maintain an inventory of hazardous materials and routinely check these materials.

d)  Do not allow unauthorized personnel into your work space.  Question people who enter your work space and who are unfamiliar to you.

e)  If you notice any hazardous materials missing or believe they have been stolen, contact the Moscow Police Department at 882-2677 and the Environmental Health and Safety Office at 885-6524.

3.  Guidelines for Screening Suspicious Packages and Letters - Concerns for Biological or Chemical Threats

NOTE:  Although any threatened use of a biological or chemical agent must be treated as though it is real, experience has demonstrated that these are likely to be a hoax.  If the suspected biological agent is reported as anthrax, be assured that it is NOT generally contagious (i.e., spread from person to person) and that treatment is available and effective if administered before the onset of symptoms.

Common features of suspect packages or letters are:

• There may be liquid leaking from package.

• They tend to have hand-applied postage.

• They have excessive postage.

• They are addressed to a position, not a person.

• There may be no return address.

• They are often hand written or have a poorly typed address.

• They tend not to be in business format envelopes.

• There may be misspelling of common words.

• They may have restrictive markings such as "Confidential," "Personal," etc.

• They may have excessive weight and/or the feel of a powdery or foreign substance.

• There may be foreign post marks and/or writing.

• The source of the letter/package is not recognized by the recipient/addressee.

If you believe you have received a suspect package or letter, you should:

a)  NOT open the letter or package.

b)  Contact Moscow Police at 882-2677.

c)  Remain at the site until police arrive with instructions.

If you inadvertently open a suspect package/letter or if it is leaking liquid or an unknown substance, you should:

a)  Immediately set the item down gently at the location where it was opened.

b)  Contact Moscow Police at 9-911.

c)  All potentially exposed persons should leave the area and wash exposed skin with soap and water.

d)  Return to an area within the building adjacent to the initial exposure and wait for police (for example, a hallway outside the original room).

e)  Do not allow others into the area.  If anyone enters the area, they should stay in the area until instructed to leave by Moscow Police.

f)  Remember that this is NOT a medical emergency yet, but it is a potential contamination problem.

g)  This is also a potential crime scene - preserve evidence and pay attention to what you have seen or done.

You should NOT do the following:

a)   Pass the letter or package to others to look at.

b)   Disturb any contents in the letter or package. Handling the letter/package may only spread the substance contained inside and increase the chances of it getting into the air.

c)   Ignore the threat, it must be treated as real until properly evaluated.

d)  Leave the building until instructed to do so.

4.  Guidelines for Screening Suspicious Packages and Letters – Concerns for Explosive Devices

A suspicious package or letter may have any of the features listed above for suspicious packages and letters that may contain biological or chemical materials, including the following:

• They may have bumps, wires, or pieces of metal exposed.

• They may be heavy.

• They may have an excessive amount of securing material, such as tape, string, etc.

If you suspect that a package or letter contains an explosive device, you should:

a)  Not move or open the package or letter.

b)  Not let other people inspect or handle the package or letter.

c)  Immediately evacuate the immediate and surrounding area.

d)  Call 9-911 from a safe location.

V.  Critical Needs Assessment

1.  Critical Property, Activities and Services

Part A lists the equipment, research activity, and/or services that are critical to be maintained during an emergency.

CRITICAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT

PART A

CRITICAL PROPERTY, ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES 

UNIT:   Department of Chemistry

RESPONSIBLE ADMINISTRATOR: Peter Griffiths     Office Phone: 885-6552     Home Phone: 883-3025

List the property, activity and/or service that would be critical to maintain during a building or campus emergency.  Include whether or not provisions are in place to protect or maintain that item. 

Date of Assessment March 2005

2.  Essential Personnel

Part B lists personnel needed to oversee activities or provide services during an emergency.  The unit administrator will contact personnel as needed during unit or campus emergencies.

CRITICAL NEEDS ASSESSMENT

PART B

ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL 

UNIT:   Department of Chemistry

RESPONSIBLE ADMINISTRATOR: Peter Griffiths      Office Phone: 885-6552     Home Phone: 883-3025

Include the names and titles of people in each area to be notified or recalled during a building or campus emergency, closure and/or postponement of opening. All essential staff should be familiar with the special responsibilities assigned to them during an emergency situation.

CRITICAL AREA TO BE COVERED:

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