News, views from the Safety Office

These news briefs are excerpted from the Safetech Journal, a quarterly newsletter published by Caltech’s Environment, Health, and Safety Office. For more information on campus safety, e-mail safety@caltech.edu or visit http://safety.caltech.edu.

911 and your wireless phone
One reason people purchase cell phones is to be able to call emergency response services. But your call may not reach help. That’s because not all wireless carriers allow 911 calls to access local emergency response systems, as required by the FCC.

When purchasing a cell phone, find out if the carrier provides wireless 911 service. Make sure the service connection is available in all areas of promised coverage. Also, find out if the cell phone company provides enhanced wireless service. Enhanced service, which the 911 operator needs to identify the caller’s location, requires upgrades the carrier may not have made in all areas.

AED: The shock of life
The newest member at the Braun Gym is the AED, or automated external defibrillator. It is a laptop-sized device that analyzes a cardiac-arrest victim’s heart rhythm and advises a rescuer to deliver
a shock when appropriate. Audible prompts tell the rescuer what to do, from attaching electrodes to the patient’s chest to pushing a button to deliver a shock. This shock, called defibrillation, can only be administered when the AED’s internal computer chip detects the presence of irregular cardiac rhythms. It may help the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm of its own.

Anyone using an AED should have proper training. AED training is available through the American Red Cross First Aid/CPR/AED classes, which are offered through the Safety Office during the first month of each quarter and can be specially arranged for groups of 10 or more.

Caltech radiation safety
In January, an inspector from the state Department of Health Services radio-logical health branch visited Caltech to conduct an inspection of our activities as they relate to radiation safety regulations.

The inspector looked at the Safety Office’s records regarding how radio-active material is received, used, stored, processed, and removed. He also inspected benches and floors in the laboratories for contamination, checked for evidence of food in the labs, and observed compliance with regulations.

Despite this rigorous scrutiny, no violations were found. This is the third inspection in the past eight years in which Caltech has been found to run clean and orderly labs, thanks primarily to the Institute’s Radiation Safety Committee.

One of the issues discussed with the inspector was the security of radioactive materials. After September 11, Environment, Health, and Safety Services has taken steps to lock up large sources of radioactive materials. For laboratories using radioactive material, personnel should lock lab doors, storage cabinets, and freezers. Staff and students should be vigilant and inform Security of any suspicious activity. Security of the campus, community, and country is now, more than ever, everybody’s responsibility.
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