Hazardous material campus safety and security
Most campuses handle some type of hazardous materials. Whether it is chemicals in labs, production environments or chemicals in a cleaning supply closet, the management of these materials can make or break the trust between organizations and their communities, that is why it is important to have a campus hazardous material safety procedure.
Many materials are overlooked as harmless but may pose a significant health and safety risk to students, campus personnel, and the environment.
You may do everything you can to secure your campus, and still may be effected by a hazard material issue from an neighboring building, train or car crash or something else.
Campus hazardous waste storage:
Science labs are common sources of hazardous waste and require special attention to ensure proper management, transport, and disposal of chemicals. Hazardous waste should be regularly addressed and managed and disposed of properly.
In the event of a hazardous material spill compromising safety and security on campus:
- Stay calm
- Evacuate personnel from the room
- Locate personal protection equipment and emergency lab procedures
- Alert authorities of the nature of the incident
- Immediately notify authorities of any injuries
- In case of fire or explosion, pull the fire alarm
Aerosols and Flammablescatch fire easily and have a flash point of less than 140°F or 60 °C.
Corrosive Acidic and Alkaline Itemseasily corrode materials or human tissue. Acidic materials contain a pH of less than 2, while alkaline materials have a pH of 12.5 or higher. Many cleaning items commonly used on campus have corrosive characteristics.
Toxics, such as rat poison, herbicides, and fungicides are harmful or fatal when ingested or absorbed.
Oxidizerssupport combustion and include chemicals such as sodium perchlorate, bromine. and hydrogen peroxide.
Universal Wasteincludes batteries, light bulbs, and mercury switches. Oftentimes overlooked, universal waste is common in campus buildings and must be managed in the same manner as other hazardous materials.
Reactivescan release toxic fumes when heated or mixed with water.
Hazardous materials and the use of IDentifyED to insure campus safety and security:
1Do not put yourself in harm’s way for any reason.
2Typically, but not always you will be told to shelter in place. To cover or tape all doors and windows so that you are not exposed to any hazardous materials.
3Hazardous materials can come from many different sources. Like a truck or train accident, a spill in chemistry lab or perhaps some community incident. hazardous materials spills are more common than you think.
4If you witness or experience a hazardous material event make a help request immediately, if possible add text and a picture. Do not put yourself in harm’s way for any reason.
5Swipe up on your IDentifyED app to find your campus’s hazardous material procedures.
6Swipe left on the ID screen of IDentifyed and you will come to your Campuses’ custom app, the campus may have added additional links there as well as potential systems or sources of information.
7Hazardous materials may affect only a small area or a large community. The IDentifyED system has integration into the I Love U Guys Foundation’s standard response procedures, these procedures will tell people how you need to respond and reduce panic during a hazardous material event.
8If you need help use the IDentifyED 911 feature on the help request this will direct you to specific campus response personnel on IDentifyED and explain to the dispatcher the issue. Campus resources might be the best place to call for help on your campus. If for any reason you are not able to get in touch with campus resources, do not hesitate to dial 911 on your phone app.
9Emergency personnel during a hazardous material with IDentifyED can also involve or escalate to additional personnel as well as any emergency responders.
10Emergency responders will also maintain and update critical event message boards about the hazardous material, that will allow everyone in the campus to get the most critical and up-to-date information.
11If you need help or others need help during the hazardous material, you can make additional help requests that might document additional assistance and additional people who might be injured during the hazardous material.
12During a hazardous material, it is possible that you will be in class make certain that attendance is taken by the teacher.
13If for any reason you are not in class check into a location, class, event, group or transportation so that emergency responders know where everyone is.
14Look for updates to the locations as well, perhaps the campus will add shelter locations so that you can accurately share your location with friends, family and of course emergency responders.
15If you check-in, and then need help — emergency responders will be able to respond to your specific location with much better detail. For example, during a hazardous material it is possible that you are on the 6th floor in room 601 of a 20-story building and the event is on the 5th floor. If you need assistance, your IDentifyED reported longitude and latitude will only tell the responders what building you are in, a good check-in will help them narrow it down the floor and room, so that they can find you.
16If you are handicapped during a hazardous material incident, in any way and the elevators are disabled or there is a power outage. Make a handicapped help request with your specific checked in location (many campuss have designated handicapped assistance areas for you to check into.)
17Once the material is not a threat — emergency personnel will either broadcast out an all clear or begin reunification procedures.
18If an all clear is sent during a material assume that there will be additional information that may need to be shared, stay sheltered until you are able to get assurance that it is safe.
19After a material please report any and all personal injury or other issues through IDentifyED.
20After a hazardous material please report any damage to property or safety concerns via the IDentifyED Help request.
21For Schools’ using IDentifyED; If a reunification process is called for after a hazardous material, monitor the IDentifyED critical event message boards as well as all emergency broadcasts.
22Follow the instructions from emergency responders.
23For Schools’ using IDentifyED; During a hazardous material reunification you should be told where to report to. It is possible that traditional/anticipated buildings or rally points are not safe to shelter or meet at so it is important to listen to and follow the directions of emergency responders.
24For Schools’ using IDentifyED; When arriving at a reunification area, make certain you check-in or are checked in to that location.
25For Schools’ using IDentifyED; Parents should follow reunification procedures during a hazardous material reunification. Parents should be instructed as to what will occur by campus personnel please follow the directions you are being given.
26After a hazardous material, you may experience power outages and damage that may result in the campus or campus being closed. IDentifyEd is housed offsite from your campus so IDentifyED should remain online during any and all emergencies. As long as you can get to internet services you should be able to get to IDentifyED. For this reason, during an emergency it is very likely that IDentifyED will be your campuses best means to communicate.
27Continue to monitor IDentifyED emergency broadcasts, campus news and alerts as well as critical event boards after the hazardous material because campuss will need to update you on when campus will resume and any other additional information.
28After a hazardous material spill, IDentifyed may also be used to update your students on course work and any group activities in terms of games, practices and events, look for these updates on IDentifyED first in order to minimize and optimize communications. It is likely that many parties including coaches, teachers and staff will update calendars, message boards, send messages and provide additional updates via a course or group portfolio.
29IDentifyED’s many communication resources like user portfolios, messaging, message boards, calendars, chat, group chat, emergency broadcast, campus-wide news and alerts will all be used during and after a hazardous material. So, monitor IDentifyED and use IDentifyED as your primary source of information.