JSNN > JSNN Environmental Health and Safety > Emergency Preparedness

Emergency Preparedness

 A. General

Emergencies include any natural or human-caused incidents, situations, or threats that can pose an immediate risk to human health and life, property, research, or the environment. Advanced planning and preparedness are the best methods for mitigation and minimizing the negative impacts of emergencies. View the emergency flip chart in your lab for more information on responses during and after emergency situations.

Report any non-emergency situations such as controlled/limited spills, chemical odors, or unsafe conditions that require immediate attention to your supervisor and ROEHS. Report any near miss incidents for further investigations. This will help us to perform a root cause analysis and make sure that a near miss will not turn into a real incident next time.

Life-threatening medical emergencies

  1. Call 911
  2. Inform your supervisor
  3. Inform JSNN-ROEHS
  4. Inform building security

Fire and explosion

  1. Leave the area and close the door behind you. Assemble outside the building in the designated area.
  2. If safe/possible, shutdown equipment and experiments that may become unstable while your lab is evacuated
  3. Activate fire alarm pull station and call 911
  4. Inform your supervisor and building security
  5. Leave the area and close the door behind you
  6. Do not use the elevators
  7. Use fire extinguishers only if you are trained and the fire is small and under control. Otherwise, delayed 911 calls may result in a larger and out of control fire scenario

Major exposure (chemical, biological, ionizing radiation, etc.) requiring immediate medical attention

  1. Call 911
  2. Inform your supervisor
  3. Inform ROEHS
  4. In case of exposure to chemicals/biologicals, use eyewash station or safety shower for at least 15 minutes
  5. If someone is assisting you, ask to obtain a copy of the chemical SDS
  6. Inform building security

Spills (chemical/biological) that are not contained and pose an immediate risk to lab/building occupants

  1. Leave the area and close the door behind you. Assemble outside the building in the designated area.
  2. Call 911
  3. Activate fire alarm pull station , if building/floor evacuation is needed
  4. Inform your supervisor
  5. Inform ROEHS
  6. Inform building security
  7. Do not return to incident area until cleared by ROEHS
  8. Do not attempt cleaning up any spill without ROEHS approval

Spills (chemical/biological) that are contained and under control

  1. Leave the area and close the door behind you
  2. If safe, use absorbent pads and socks to prevent chemical from reaching into the drain
  3. Call ROEHS at 919-357-1134

Toxic, pyrophoric, or flammable gas detection alarm

  1. Leave the area and close the door behind you. Assemble outside the building in the designated area
  2. Activate fire alarm pull station , if building/floor evacuation is needed
  3. Call Gateway Facilities (336-217-5115)
  4. Call 911 if you have observed uncontrolled gas release
  5. Inform your supervisor
  6. Inform ROEHS
  7. Inform building security
  8. Do not enter until cleared by ROEHS

Oxygen Deficiency Alarm

  1. Leave the area and close the door behind you
  2. Inform your supervisor
  3. Inform ROEHS
  4. Inform building security
  5. Do not enter until cleared by ROEHS

Electricity and other utilities failure

  1. Call Gateway Facilities (336-217-5115)
  2. Inform your supervisor
  3. Inform building security
  4. Inform ROEHS for material/equipment safety concerns
  5. Check equipment after utility is restored

Water leak/damage

  1. Call Gateway Facilities (336-217-5115)
  2. Inform building security
  3. Inform your supervisor
  4. Inform ROEHS
  5. Protect hazardous material from coming in contact with water
  6. Move/cover sensitive equipment
  7. Do not enter flooded area due to electrical hazard

Violence, active shooter, or any threats

  1. Call 911
  2. Take shelter in place
  3. Inform building security
  4. Inform your supervisor

Severe weather

  1. Follow the university emergency management updates
  2. If trapped at work, shelter at a designated safe location
  3. Call 911 for medical or other emergencies

B. Emergency Exits

To ensure proper evacuation during emergencies and to comply with building fire codes, all lab isles, exit doors, and exit routes outside the lab must stay free of obstruction at all times. Post an emergency exit map inside your research lab and mark the nearest exits. PIs must make sure that staff, students, and interns are aware of emergency exits and understand the emergency evacuation requirements. Routine fire drills will help researchers to better prepare for emergencies. ROEHS will conduct annual fire drills.  

C. Lab Emergency Preparedness Plan

Natural or human-made emergencies may interrupt building access, disrupt utilities, or require immediate evacuation. Advance preparation for unforeseeable incidents and emergency shutdowns will familiarize faculty, staff and students with actions required for mitigating the loss of research, property, or life. Please be aware that the unpredictable nature of emergency events sometimes prevents an orderly response. A Lab Emergency Preparedness Plan (LEPP) is developed by PIs with their research in mind. This plan will help researchers to:

  • Plan in advance for protecting research materials, data, and information in case of a catastrophic event
  • Minimize the impact of the incident on research and be able to continue their research with minimum interruption and/or damage
  • Identify high risk activities and processes that need to be protected or disconnected before evacuation. Examples include reactions that may become unstable if not attended.
  • Protect research materials during prolonged loss of utilities
  • Protect researchers and manage a smooth and safe evacuation

PIs must use the JSNN-ROEHS template for their Lab Emergency Preparedness Plan