DATE: April 28, 1997
TO: Chemistry Faculty, Graduate Students, Technicians, Postdocs
FROM: Lila M. Gierasch
SUBJECT: Departmental Policy on Wearing Safety Glasses in Labs

The Department of Chemistry is committed to observing the principles of safety required by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and administered by the Environmental Health and Safety Office. One of the requirements is that all persons working in or entering laboratories where experimental work is in progress must wear approved eye protection. It hardly needs to be stated how serious a matter this is, and how very important it is that all persons protect themselves at all times. Please refer to page 3 of your safety guide from the American Chemical Society on this matter.

Eye protection can take several forms and members of the Department may elect the form that best suits them. The possibilities are:

1. Prescription safety glasses. It is the responsibility of the Research Directors in research groups, and of course instructors in laboratory courses, to enforce the regulation that all persons in the laboratory have eye protection of one of the above forms. There will be no exceptions to this requirement. Even occasional visitors to laboratory areas will be asked to put on protective goggles, which must be kept available in the laboratories.

2. Persons not wearing prescription glasses may obtain plain safety glasses from the Stockroom. These may be checked out with the approval of your Research Director and charged to the Director's research account.

3. It is also possible to wear goggles over existing prescription glasses. These can also be used by persons not wearing glasses. These goggles also are available in the Chemistry Department Stockroom.