Adapted from an email I've just sent to the Head:
This is beyond ludicrous. If we are each to have a copy of the OHS paperwork, the maths looks like this:Say 6 risk assessments, 6 SOPs. 20 MSDS sheets, at an average of 5 pages each. Four pages of policy document. Call it 115 pieces of paper. Thirty people in our group. That's three and a half thousand pieces of paper - best part of 7 reams. That's nearly half a tree, plus the toner used.
And that's just one quarter? one third if we're generous of Level N. I really, really think that this needs a rethink.
Won't somebody, please, think of the trees?
Comments
We are suffering a similar regime here at UQ. There was a time when it was assumed that educated people possessed sufficient common sense to work safely. I suppose universities just have to cover themselves legally these days.
Anyway, as "lab computer guy", I'm often given the task of making this stuff less painful. If you don't have one yet, set up a lab wiki. Make everyone drop their risk assessments, SOPs, MSDSs and protocols into it. That way it's all stored and when required, you just retrieve a few PDFs and send them off.
There are more complex solutions (set up a database, write a LIMS...) but that's about the easiest.
Posted by: Neil | October 18, 2007 01:47 PM
And at the risk of plugging a structure I like, may I suggest setting up your lab wiki here? It's really very easy. I have to get back to mine, I tend to leave things unfinished, but the approach is a good one and you feel sort of like you're doing a good deed, somewhere.
http://www.openwetware.org/wiki/Labs
Posted by: Alethea | October 19, 2007 07:13 AM
We did think about a lab wiki once. It would not address the OHS thing of course - we'd need to have all the pages and *still* have to print everything out.
Unless I can persuade the Powers to get away from this 'folder for everyone' nonsense and onto wikis. . . but as I said, we're talking about lawyers and administrators at University and government level who have no bloody idea about the practise of these things in reality.
Posted by: BK | October 19, 2007 07:22 AM
Last message got swallowed somewhere - are you taking your revenge?
Just wanted to point you here:
http://www.openwetware.org/wiki/Labs
Posted by: Alethea | October 19, 2007 07:27 AM
A folder, per person?!? What is it about paper that gives it such a priveleged status anyway? A copy (or several even) for the lab so that they are accessible if a computer is not but otherwise...
I am going to London next week, I shall attempt to find a gentleman on a Clapham Omnibus (might be a challenge in itself) to ask if this is reasonable.
Posted by: Cameron Neylon | October 19, 2007 08:41 PM