BDS Facilities Primer
Where to find it and how to get it done within BioSciences Divisional Services, the administrative support group for IB and MCB.
Basic information about your building including maps and safety information can be found on the respective building web sites listed below:
Barker Hall
Life Sciences Addition (LSA)
Koshland Hall
Valley Life Sciences Building (VLSB)
Subjects in the primer are listed alphabetically.
For questions contact Joseph Yon
BDS Facilities Manager & Health and Safety Officer
A B C D E F G H I K L M O P R S T U V W
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BDS homepage |
Please see http://bds.berkeley.edu/ |
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MCB home page |
Please see http://mcb.berkeley.edu/ |
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Who does what in IB |
Please see http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/who.php |
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Who does what in VLSB |
Please see http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/contact.php |
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VLSB home page |
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The Animal Care and Use Committee, regulates animal (vertebrate) use and research. Conducts semi-annual inspections of any facility where vertebrates may be present, per your approved protocols. See http://www.acuc.berkeley.edu/ |
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Animals |
Research and custody of vertebrates is regulated on campus. See ACUC and OLAC. Pets and animals other than research animals and trained service animals are not allowed in campus science buildings. |
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Atrium in VLSB TRex |
The atrium in the center of VLSB, surrounding the TRex, is generally not available for events. |
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Autoclaves |
Autoclaves for shared use are available in the core rooms in LSA: 224, 324, 424, 524; core rooms in Barker: 2, 315, 415, 515, 615; in 40 Koshland, and in 4188 or 5180 VLSB. |
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Each building has its own Building Emergency Plan. Contains information about fire, earthquake, chemical and other hazards and safety measures. Go to https://jwas.ehs.berkeley.edu/opbep/ to see your building’s emergency plan (CalNet ID required). Or see each building’s home page on the BDS site (http://bds.berkeley.edu/) See http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/vlsbbep.pdf for a copy of the VLSB plan directly. |
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BUA |
Biohazard Use Authorization. See biohazard use. |
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Bicycles |
Bicycles are not allowed in VLSB. Public bike racks are available on the north and south sides of the building. Faculty, staff and Grad students in VLSB and LSA may lock their bikes in the secure area on the west side of VLSB, subject to available space. Contact Adam Doban (333-9523, adoban@berkeley.edu) for cardkey access to this area. |
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Biohaz waste disposal |
Biohazardous waste should always be:
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Biohazard use |
Biohazard use requires a BUA, Biohazard Use Authorization, from campus EH&S. Please see information at EH&S’s website: http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/healthsafety/biosafety/bua.html |
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Building Emergency Plan |
To see the Building Emergency Plan (BEP) for your building, go to http://bds.berkeley.edu/facilities and choose your building from the list of those served by BDS. |
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Building hours/calendar |
LSA, Barker and Koshland are open 8am-5pm weekdays only. VLSB building hours are adjusted according to Biosciences Library hours and special events In general the building will be locked and available via cardkey only as much as possible. The building hours for the current month are posted on the north and south side doors on the second floor. |
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Building manager |
Currently the building managers in BDS are: Barker/Koshland: Greg Vitan (208 Barker, 2-0943, vitan@berkeley.edu) LSA: Barbara Duncan (165 LSA, 3-8121, bduncan@berkeley.edu) VLSB:Adam Doban (3028 VLSB, 333-9523, adoban@berkeley.edu). Carol Wehr (206 Barker, 2-6604, wehr@berkeley.edu) also works in Barker/Koshland on safety-related issues and backs Greg up when he is out. Joseph Yon (208 Barker Hall, 64202467, jyon@berkeley.edu, 510-292-9031 cell) is the MCB and VLSB Facilities Manager and Safety Officer and a safety resource for the entire biological sciences division of the College of Letters and Sciences. |
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Building maps |
Use your CalNet ID to log in to DigiCality at https://berkeley.digicality.com/Buildings/Default.htm to see campus building floor plans. See http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/ bottom of the page, for VLSB maps. |
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Building exterior doors are locked after business hours and accessible via cardkey. Some areas within VLSB are also cardkey access only. To have your UCB faculty, staff, or student ID card activated as a cardkey for a particular area in the BDS realm, please see your building manager: Barker/Koshland: Greg Vitan (208 Barker, 2-0943, vitan@berkeley.edu) LSA: Barbara Duncan (165 LSA, 3-8121, bduncan@berkeley.edu) VLSB:Adam Doban (3028 VLSB, 333-9523, adoban@berkeley.edu). Carol Wehr (206 Barker, 2-6604, wehr@berkeley.edu) Access to the buildings or special areas within the buildings requires faculty-level approval. |
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Chemical Disposal |
Unwanted chemicals in good condition, typically in unopened containers only, may be given to another campus lab at no charge by using UCB’s ChEx (Chemical Exchange) program. Please see: http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/Database/CHEX.html https://jwas.ehs.berkeley.edu/hwp/do/Instructions and See also Chemical Waste |
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Chemical Inventory |
Each lab or shop using hazardous chemicals is required to complete and update an inventory of these materials. Updates are required once a year or within 30 days whenever a significant change occurs. See http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/cheminv.html You will need to work with the database manager at EH&S to download the 4D client used, and set up a password for access. |
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Chemical Waste |
Chemical waste must be accumulate, stored, and disposed of according to federal, state, and UC regulations. To dispose of unwanted chemicals, use UCB’s hazardous waste program, https://jwas.ehs.berkeley.edu/hwp/do/Instructions The site includes a tutorial. A source of funds (chartstring) will be required to set up an account so you can ship chemical waste. Do not use this system for biohazardous or radioactive wastes. See also Chemical Disposal |
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Cold Rooms |
Shared cold rooms are located throughout BDS facilities. Cold rooms are generally shared and overseen by the labs on their particular floor or area. Please work with current users to determine appropriate and inappropriate procedures and storage in a particular room. The larger number on the room’s control panel, outside the box in the hall, is the actual temperature Celsius; the smaller number is the setpoint. Rooms are typically +15, +4, or –20C. Each and every item in any coldroom must be labeled with your name, phone number, and email address. Do not store food in any coldroom; cardboard boxes harbor mold and must not be used. |
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Controlled Substances |
Controlled substances including narcotics, anesthetics, immobilizers, etc. must be handled according to federal regulations, including use logs, locking storage, and expiration dates. Possession and use must be pre-authorized by EH&S. See http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/healthsafety/csquickguide.pdf |
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Core Rooms |
Core Rooms offer shared-use autoclaves, water ice, glasswashers and dryers, and in some cases ultrapure water. Your building may also have other facilities in addition to those below. Core rooms are located in: VLSB 4188, 5180 LSA 224, 324, 424, 524 Barker 315, 415, 515, 615 Koshland 40 |
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Courtyard (VLSB) |
The VLSB courtyard may be reserved through the facilities manager. No events of any kind may be held without written approval of the VLSB facilities manager, currently Joseph Yon (3072 VLSB, 642-2467, 510-292-9031 cell, jyon@berkeley.edu. Amplified sound or other noisy events are never allowed. The courtyard is considered space internal to VLSB and smoking not allowed. The Courtyard is available for rent. See Facilities Rental information. |
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Custodial |
LSA and VLSB custodial service is provided by Physical Plant-Campus Services (PP-CS). Please contact the building manager Adam Doban (3028 VLSB, 333-9523, adoban@berkeley.edu) or Barbara Duncan (165 LSA, 3-8121, bduncan@berkeley.edu) to relate custodial issues or concerns to PP-CS. Barker and Koshland custodial services are contracted to an outside vendor. Please contact Greg Vitan (208 Barker, 2-0943, vitan@berkeley.edu) |
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Some taps in all BDS labs supply de-ionized water. These are labeled ‘DI.’ Because this water runs through pipes throughout the building after being treated outside, the DI water may not be pure enough for sensitive experiments. Many labs have their own stills or supplemental Millipore or other purification systems. Rooms 4188 and 5180 VLSB both have supplementary Millipore purification systems available to provide ultrapure water for sensitive work. |
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Dry ice |
Dry ice is available from the storerooms in 171 LSA or 1 Barker on a recharge basis. The amount you take will be charged to your lab. |
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Dumpsters |
Dumpsters are available for large items, or garbage from special events, between VLSB and LSA, south side; or at the west end of Barker. In VLSB they are in an unlocked area; at Barker a code must be used. Contact Carol Wehr (206 Barker, 2-6604, wehr@berkeley.edu) Please do not discard hazardous materials of any kind. This includes batteries or electronic items. These should be salvaged via your building manager. Items with any value to the University must be sent to UCB Excess & Salvage (see salvage) for sale rather than thrown in the dumpsters. Do not leave items of any kind on the loading docks or in the halls. |
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The campus and the Bay Area are prone to powerful earthquakes. Make sure your lab has a plan in place to deal with a quake Please see the following for more information: Heavy items over 4 feet tall should be braced. |
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Emergency numbers |
Please go to: http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/emergencyinfo.php Please print this page and post copies at each phone in your lab or office. Program the local UCPD emergency number, 510-642-3333, into your cell phone (calling 911 from a cell phone reaches the California Highway Patrol 25 miles away in Vallejo) |
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Emergency Power |
Most labs in Barker, Koshland, LSA and VLSB are equipped with one or more emergency power outlets. These are usually identified by red plug sockets; 208V outlets may not be red. Emergency power outlets are always identified with the circuit and panel numbers, which in this case start with ‘E’ The emergency power system requires 10-20 seconds to kick in; this delay will cause computers and computer-driven devices to crash if not connected via a UPS device. Fridges and freezers will usually be fine. A good quality surge protector or line filter is strongly recommended. |
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Ergonomics |
All employees, including grad students, who use a computer at least four hours per day average are required to get an ergonomic evaluation of their workstation. Joseph Yon (3072 VLSB, 642-2467, jyon@berkeley.edu, 510-292-9031 cell) is the campus-certified ergonomic evaluator for BDS. |
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Events |
See http://bds.berkeley.edu and use the ‘quicklinks’ menu to see room reservation and rental info for specific buildings. |
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All types of filming by outside entities is regulated on campus. See the Real Estate Services webpage at http://www.cp.berkeley.edu/reso/homepg.htm The Public Affairs office has a rep dedicated to science communications who is very helpful at negotiating filming requirements and procedures. Contact Robert Sanders at 643-6998, rsanders@berkeley.edu. |
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Shared glassware washers and dryers are available in 4188 and 5180 VLSB, and in central core rooms in LSA, Barker and Koshland. |
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Gloves in halls |
Please do not wear latex/nitrile gloves in building hallways in a manner that contaminates door handles, elevator buttons etc. Please wear only one glove in the halls and use your clean hand to open doors, or have a helper with clean hands open doors if you need two gloved hands to carry your sample. PIs and lab managers should train new researchers and remind them frequently. |
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Grad Student Lounge |
The IB grad student lounge is located in 5047 VLSB. Lunchrooms are available in LSA (349, 449) and in Barker (434) but must be reserved for group functions. |
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Greenhouse |
Two greenhouses are associated with VLSB:
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Any work involving human subjects is regulated by the Committee for Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) and the Office for the Protection of Human Subjects (OPHS). |
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Shared water ice machines are available in the VLSB, LSA and Barker core rooms. The machines produce crushed/flaked ice. |
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IIPP |
The Injury and Illness Prevention Program is a department-level health and safety plan and list of policies, procedures, and resources. Integrative Biology’s IIPP can be found at http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/vlsbiipp.pdf MCB’s IIPP can be found at For help setting up or editing your department’s IIPP, see |
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Incidents |
All safety or security incidents including hazardous spills, spills of and recombinant DNA material, crimes, threats, etc., must be reported. Please always notify both UCPD (911, 642-3333 from a cell phone for emergencies, 642-6760 non-emergency) or EH&S (642-3073) as appropriate, and your building safety contact: VLSB: Joseph Yon 642-2467, 3072 VLSB, 510-292-9031 cell LSA: Barbara Duncan 643-8121, 165 LSA Barker/Koshland: Carol Wehr 642-6604, 206 Barker |
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Injuries |
All work-related injuries must be reported to your supervisor and your unit’s Human Resources administrator. In any emergency call 911, or 642-3333 from a cell phone. See http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff/dms/chap2.shtml for an important checklist of steps to take when an injury occurs. |
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Inspections |
Scheduled lab inspections occur in the spring and fall. In the spring of every year, a representative of EH&S and your building safety officer inspect every lab per federal regulations. These inspections take 15-20 minutes per lab. A rough schedule will be announced, along with a list of items EH&S will concentrate on. Every fall, PIs will be notified by their department safety officer that lab self-inspections are due, with a link to the form to be used. Approximately one month will be available to complete the self-inspections. OSHA, Cal-OSHA, the City of Berkeley, EBMUD, or other inspectors may appear at any time and ask to inspect your lab. Always ask them politely to wait so that you may call your building safety officer VLSB: Joseph Yon 642-2467, 3072 VLSB, 510-292-9031 cell LSA: Barbara Duncan 643-8121, 165 LSA Barker/Koshland: Carol Wehr 642-6604, 206 Barker and EH&S (642-3073) to accompany the inspection. They will wait for us to arrive. |
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VLSB Adam Doban, 3028 VLSB, 333-9523, adoban@berkeley.edu. See http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/who.php LSA: Barbara Duncan 643-8121, 165 LSA Barker/Koshland: Carol Wehr 642-6604, 206 Barker A faculty- level signature will be required for all keys and cardkeys. |
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The VLSB Onderdonk Lobby (2nd floor, east side of courtyard) may be reserved through the building manager. No events of any kind may be held without written approval of the VLSB building manager. Currently the building manager is Joseph Yon (3072 VLSB, 642-2467, jyon@berkeley.edu, 510-292-9031 cell). Amplified sound or other noisy events are never allowed. The VLSB Lobby may be available for rent. See Facilities Rental information at: http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/VLSB_fac_capacity.php The Onderdonk Lobby in VLSB is home to the Golub microscope collection; see http://golubcollection.berkeley.edu/ For room rental and reservation information in other BDS buildings please see http://bds.berkeley.edu/facilities and choose the building you are interested in, or see http://bds.berkeley.edu and use the quicklinks menu. |
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The Center for Stable Isotope Biogeochemistryoperates mass spectrometers on a recharge basis in room 1040 VLSB. Please see http://ib.berkeley.edu/groups/biogeochemistry/ |
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MSDS |
Materials Safety Data Sheet UCB subscribes to a comprehensive web-based source of MSDSs. See http://www.actiocms.com/chemquik/mainpage.cfm Please bookmark this page on your lab computers and train researchers so they know its location and how to use the site. This is important not only day-to-day for safety purposes, but in case of a federal or state inspection. |
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Office of Laboratory Animal Care See http://www.olac.berkeley.edu/ |
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The Scientific Visualization Center in 2031 VLSB prints high-quality, large-format posters, maps, and other graphics on a recharge basis. Design and scanning are also available. Contact Diana Velia Villa, SVC Manager at 643-6838 |
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Power outage procedure |
Please see http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/powerfail.php |
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Rad waste disposal |
Radioactive waste may be disposed of in room 155 LSA. There is no cost, but items must be labeled with isotope. Please see http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/chemtrans.php |
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Radiation Use Authorization (RUA) |
Required before work with radioactive materials begins, or before materials are shipped or brought to UCB. See: |
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Remodeling |
Alterations to your building must be approved in advance. Contact your building manager: VLSB: Adam Doban 333-9523, 3028 VLSB or Joseph Yon 642-2467, 3072 VLSB, 510-292-9031 cell LSA: Barbara Duncan 643-8121, 165 LSA Barker/Koshland: Greg Vitan 642-0943 208 Barker or Carol Wehr 642-6604, 206 Barker
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Repairs |
For building repairs, please contact: VLSB: Adam Doban 333-9523, 3028 VLSB or Joseph Yon 642-2467, 3072 VLSB, 510-292-9031 cell LSA: Barbara Duncan 643-8121, 165 LSA Barker/Koshland: Greg Vitan 642-0943 208 Barker or Carol Wehr 642-6604, 206 Barker
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Each campus department has its own Safety Committee. MCB’s Safety Committee membership can be found on the LSA or Barker Hall Bulding Emergency Plans: see http://bds.berkeley.edu/facilities In VLSB there is a building-wide Safety Committee composed of members from all administrative units in the building. For the current list of Safety Committee members, see page 5 of the VLSB Building Emergency Plan at http://bds.berkeley.edu/facilities Building faculty, staff or students may confidentially report safety concerns to any member of the committee. The committees also investigates incidents and accidents. See also http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/index.php |
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Safety Officer |
Currently the BDS Safety Officer is Joseph Yon (3072 VLSB, 642-2467, jyon@berkeley.edu, 510-292-9031 cell). Joseph is also the MCB and VLSB Facilties Manager. LSA and Barker Koshland also each have an on-site safety coordinator: LSA: Barbara Duncan 643-8121, 165 LSA Barker/Koshland: Carol Wehr 642-6604, 206 Barker |
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Inventorial items (those worth over $5,000 at time of purchase), items with any residual value to UCB, and others needing special handling as waste (refrigerators and electronic waste) must not be thrown away or sold. These items must be disposed of through UCB’s office of Excess and Salvage. Your department’s Berkeley Equipment Tracking System (BETS) administrator can help you determine the correct procedure to dispose of your equipment. Contact: VLSB: Adam Doban 333-9523, 3028 VLSB LSA: Barbara Duncan 643-8121, 165 LSA Barker/Koshland: Greg Vitan 642-0943 208 Barker |
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Scientific Facilities |
A number of scientific services are available to campus labs and students on a recharge basis from facilities run by BDS (these are not restricted to BDS/IB/MCB). These include Mass Spectrometry, Poster Printing, DNA Sequencing, Tissue Culture, Media Prep, Fly Food, Glass Washing. See http://bds.berkeley.edu/scientific-facilities and http://ib.berkeley.edu/groups/biogeochemistry/ and http://svc.berkeley.edu/ |
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Security |
Please report any suspicious activity to VLSB: Adam Doban 333-9523, 3028 VLSB or Joseph Yon 642-2467, 3072 VLSB, 510-292-9031 cell LSA: Barbara Duncan 643-8121, 165 LSA Barker/Koshland: Greg Vitan 642-0943 208 Barker or Carol Wehr 642-6604, 206 Barker At any time call 911, or 642-3333 from a cell phone, for UCB Police in an emergency. They may also be reached at 642-6760 for non-emergency questions or concerns. UCB runs several excellent night safety programs offering rides and escorts on and off campus. See Please see also: http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/contact.php |
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Shared equipment |
See also Core Rooms. VLSB, LSA, Barker and Koshland Halls maintain various shared equipment for use by building labs. Glasswashers and dryers, autoclaves, Millipore ultrapure water, and crushed/flaked water ice are available at no charge. Dry ice is available on a recharge basis in the storerooms in 171 LSA and 1 Barker. See http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/vlsb/corerooms.php |
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Sharps containers and disposal |
Sharps must be disposed of in approved containers, available from the storeroom (http://ib.berkeley.edu/admin/facilities/storeroom.php). All sharps containers, biohazardous or not, must be disposed of in the biohazardous waste accumulation area in 161 LSA or via Carol Wehr 642-6604, 206 Barker during normal business hours, 8 am – 5 pm weekdays. Biohaz waste rooms are locked and access is available from the building manager or storekeeper. There is a charge for disposal, through the biohazardous waste recharge system. See: http://ehs.berkeley.edu/hazmat/biohazwaste.html |
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Shipping and receiving |
See ‘Storeroom’ VLSB also maintains a mailroom/shipping/receiving area in 1005. |
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Shop equipment |
All labs or rooms containing power tools like drill presses, table saws, bandsaws, lathes, or mills are considered ‘shops’ and must be inspected annually. |
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Storerooms |
Recharge storerooms in 171 LSA and 1 Barker sell various lab and office supplies, dry ice via UC fund transfer only; no cash is accepted. In addition, the storerooms assist with key requests, shipping and receiving, gas cylinders, salvaging certain equipment, and packing materials. |
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The Tang Center is the student health center, and the occupational health clinic for work-related injuries and illnesses. See http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/ In an emergency call 911, or 642-3333 from a cell phone. |
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Training |
Training is available for a wide variety of policies, procedures, and programs on the Berkeley campus. Generally this training if offered free of charge. Some programs require employee training before work can begin (controlled substances, radiation). See UCB’s Interactive Course Enrollment page |
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See ‘Salvage’ |
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Volunteers |
Anyone working in a UCB lab–or present in one and exposed to its hazards–who is not a student or employee of the University, must complete a volunteer form to protect UC from liability. See http://www.uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff/dms/VOLUNTEE.pdf |