Kinner showers for lab safety

Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Nancy Kineer showers in safety shower

Lab safety took a zany, soggy turn Tuesday, when the Environmental Research Group tapped Nancy Kinner, professor of civil and environmental engineering, for a hands-on demonstration of the emergency shower in their Gregg Hall lab. Her dousing not only gave students and faculty experience with this important (if rarely used) piece of equipment, it raised funds for the student group Environmental and Water Resources Institute, which sold raffle tickets for the chance to pull the shower handle.

鈥淒emonstrating operation of laboratory emergency equipment is an important component of safety training, but this level of participation took it to a whole new level,鈥 said Andy Glode, laboratory safety officer with 91制片厂鈥檚 Environmental Health and Safety office. 鈥淣ancy is very supportive of laboratory safety initiatives and doing this to promote the student group was a wonderful, memorable gesture.鈥

The shower demonstration was one part of the ERG鈥檚 annual safety review, which included demonstrations of safety components like the fume hoods and eye washes and discussions of dangerous chemicals. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy to become complacent in the lab, to forget that the chemicals you鈥檙e using every day can be dangerous to your health,鈥 said ERG research engineer Scott Greenwood, who helped organize the safety shower. 鈥淲e hope that when the students go back into the lab, safety will be in the forefront of their minds.鈥

Raffle winner Alyson Packhem 鈥14, a graduate student of Kinner鈥檚, said the demonstration鈥檚 lessons are likely to last. 鈥淚 suppose it was a little awkward to douse my esteemed professor in cold water, but it would be completely necessary in the听case of an emergency,鈥 she said. 鈥淚f Nancy听actually got听exposed to听hazardous chemicals, I would be glad to pull the shower听again.鈥