Safety in Garage Physics
Safety is the number one top of the list most important priority in Garage Physics. There is no experiment worth trying without first considering and ensuring the safety of all people who might be affected - participants including yourself, bystanders, and others in the building and on campus. Please remember Michele Dufault, a Yale student who died when her hair was caught in a lathe. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/nyregion/yale-student-dies-in-machine-shop-accident.html?_r=0
Garage policy permits work with low voltage (<24 V) low power (<100 W) devices. Any piece of equipment brought into the lab could end up being used by someone not appropriately trained and therefore must be approved. Do not circumvent this rule and endanger others.
No hazardous materials or procedures are permitted. Hazards specifically excluded are (but are not limited to) high voltage (>24 V) or high power (>100 W), cryogenic liquids including liq. nitrogen, flammable gas, high pressure (>120 p.s.i), extreme low pressure (vacuum), radiation sources (lasers, UV, x-ray, gamma-ray, neutron), toxic or flammable chemicals, ignition sources (flames, exposed incandescent filaments). Mechanical hazards are associated with any powered device with moving parts. Even a small motor can tear off your finger. Any device capable of exerting a damaging force or torque must be approved for use. If you have ANY question about whether a piece of equipment or procedure is safe to operate whether approved or not, do not use it or do it. If your plans require use of hazardous materials or procedures, special arrangements must be made.
A condition for access to the Garage is basic electrical safety training provided by campus Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS). Self-register through LEARN@UW, take the class, and pass the test. The EHS website and online courses provide further basic safety training. See: http://www.ehs.wisc.edu/index.htm and specifically
Laboratory safety guide http://www.ehs.wisc.edu/laboratorysafetyguide.htm
Radiation safety training http://www.ehs.wisc.edu/radiationsafetytraining.htm and http://www.ehs.wisc.edu/rad-trainingmanual.htm
Radiation safety X-ray diffraction http://www.ehs.wisc.edu/radiationsafetytraining.htm
Hazardous materials training http://www.astaritaassociates.com/education.html
Laser safety http://www.ehs.wisc.edu/radiationsafetytraining.htm
A further condition for useof Garage is the buddy rule. Any violation of the buddy rule will lead to a loss of the privilege of use of the Physics Garage.
In any emergency situation, dial 911. If you have ANY question about the safety of what you are doing or about to do, STOP. Trust your intuition if it tells you maybe there is something to worry about. If you have any concern about an unsafe condition in the Garage not obviously rectifiable, alert everyone in the Garage, exit the Garage, leave a sign on the door, and alert Brett Unks immediately.
===References ===
Guidelines for the safe use of ultrasound http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/radiation/safety-code_24-securite/index-eng.php