College campuses are the apexes of high learning. Esteemed institutions from the upper echelons of academia bestow upon us the benefit of rigorous training and experimentation. Many of the technological breakthroughs we enjoy in modern society and IT began as a discrete experimentation in a college lab. Universities are also the proving grounds for the leaders of tomorrow. Interdisciplinarity studies enrich the intellectual zeitgeist and society, as a whole, benefits from these institutions. If not for the trial-and-error of collegiate laboratories and research centers, we would not benefit from the sacrifices of nurses, doctors, lawyers, teachers and accountants. But not all laboratory experiments go as planned. A U.S. Hazmat Rentals’ college campus hazmat locker can mitigate the perils of improper storage.
Universities and campuses are full of potential chemical hazards. As James Kaufman, of the The Laboratory Safety Institute, succinctly stated, “You’ve got them all over campus.” From the fuels use to stoke the flames of Bunsen burners and mercury thermometers to industrial strength cleaners and corrosives, college campus are rife with hazardous materials, and possible accidents waiting to happen. Several notable hazardous materials incidents have been documented at university research labs across the country. One of the most notable anecdotes involved a prominent research chemist who later succumbed to a single drop of mercury after failing to properly store the dangerous chemical. Another Hawaii University student was killed during a lab explosion in 2016 and another University of Chicago student died following exposure to a bacterium known to cause the plague. All of these accidents could’ve been prevented with the smooth implementation of a college campus hazmat locker.
Fire-rated college campus hazmat locker can contain controlled experiments
With a storage capacity of up to 30 drums – including a spill sump containment system to collect spills – the college campus hazmat locker can remove the variable of risk from the equation of safety. Each steel-gauge locker can safely store a variety of flammable liquids, including methanol, acetone, ethyl ether, benzene and Pyridine. Innovative compartmentalization and shelving allows for diverse storage capacities, so you don’t have to worry about storing incompatible materials. We understand that college is a time for experimentation, but certain parameters need to be establish to prevent catastrophe. Our hazmat lockers are easy to operate and maintain, and they would provide a wonderful controlled environment for students new to the perils of handling dangerous chemicals. Each locker offers a bevy of safety features. Charged fire suppression systems can safely douse a chemical blaze from the moment of activation. Mechanical fan-forced ventilation can also remove dangerous accelerants and the accumulation of fumes within a locker.
Earlier this month, students and professors from the University of Buffalo’s chemical storage building were evacuated following a possible emergency. We applaud university officials acting proactively in restricting its chemical payload to a designated are of campus, but what if there was a simpler solution? Each fire-rated college campus hazmat locker can be easily moved and relocated in a variety of work environments. With the benefit of turnkey installation and removal, each storage locker is also easy to activate and maintain. And since college campuses operate on a semester’s basis, it’s only prudent that university department chairs would consider investing in a temporary storage solution, instead of a permanent one. Universities and college campuses have a vested interest in the communities they serve. Faulty oversight and carelessness could forever tarnish their reputations. Could you imagine what would happen if a university research lab was responsible for environmental contamination or pollution? They would never recover.
