News & Alerts

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News & announcements from EH&S.

News

June 30, 2008

Explosion of Concentrated Hydrofluoric Acid Waste Solution

What Happened?

Exposure to Bromine During a Laboratory Refrigerator Clean-up

What Happened?

July 31, 2007

Exploding Cylinder in Garbage

What Happened?

On April 11, 2007, an employee of Campus Recycling and Refuse Services was alarmed when a suspected compressed gas cylinder ruptured in the rear hopper of a garbage truck. The employee was standing at the rear of the truck and had activated the blade that sweeps the garbage from the hopper into the body of the truck for further compaction. The pressurized gas cylinder was believed to be concealed inside a plastic trash bag. The sweeping action of the blade ruptured the cylinder and the residual contents sprayed into the employee’s face.

Missing Guard on Incubator Fan Injures Post Doc

What Happened?

A postdoctoral researcher was reaching into a New Brunswick Scientific Model G-25R Shaker Table Incubator to clean up a spill when her right hand got caught in the spinning exhaust fan blade.  She lacerated her middle finger and lost part of the fingernail.  She was treated in a local hospital emergency room.

April 30, 2007

Researcher Smells Toxic Fluorine Gas When Changing Out Gas Cylinder

What Happened?

March 31, 2007

Employee's Toes Crushed by Falling Compressed Gas Cylinder

What Happened?

In February 2007, a University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) researcher was loading a gas cylinder on a two-cylinder cart when the previously loaded cylinder fell and crushed his toes.

December 31, 2006

Forklift Rollover

What Happened?

A veteran forklift operator with 20 years of experience started his day just as he had often done, then soon realized just how fast things can change. Due to an oversized load, the operator was transporting a dumpster bin on the forks of his forklift while he was traveling in reverse. While in reverse, he hit a curb, causing the forklift to roll over onto its side.

The stunned operator was transported by ambulance to the hospital emergency room, where he was treated for a fractured leg. 

November 30, 2006

Peroxide Explosion Injures Campus Researcher

What Happened?

September 30, 2005

Fire Hazard with Immersion Water Heaters

What Happened?

It is believed that a Cole Parmer Polystat 12002 immersion heater in a University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) microbiology laboratory did not shut off as the water level in the plastic bath dropped, allowing the temperature to rise to the point that the bath material ignited. The fire caused extensive damage to the building and shut down research for several months.

July 31, 2005

Needlestick from Regular Trash

What Happened?

An employee in Campus Recycling & Refuse Services was stuck by a needle while emptying trash bags from a dumpster behind Wellman Hall. The incident happened early in the morning, and the employee sought immediate off-site medical care. A physician dispensed antiretrovirals for a possible Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) exposure, and the employee was very concerned that he might have been infected with a life-threatening disease.