Chemistry Student Safety Committee > Homewood Lab Incident Response Flowchart

Homewood Lab Incident Response Flowchart

Emergency response flowchart
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In case of a laboratory incident…

Regardless of whether you perceive the incident to be an emergency, get to a safe location and immediately contact JHU Public Safety if any of the following are true:

  • You or another person are in danger, were injured, or were exposed to a dangerous substance (regardless of the person’s role).
  • Equipment or facilities were damaged.
  • You feel unable to respond to the incident with the staff and tools on-hand (such as a runaway chemical reaction or flooding water you are unable to shut off).

Have one person remain on the phone with Public Safety until told to hang up. They will forward your call to other JHU offices and staff as applicable. Calling Public Safety first ensures the best response time (compared to simply calling 911).

Conclude your incident response by making a report. Details on how to report both near-misses and actual incidents and what happens next are available on our reporting details page. Reporting helps make our community safer for everyone!

In the event of an injury:

You will be asked to describe the condition of the injured person(s) including the cause and extent of their injuries and whether they are student or staff. If it is safe to do so, you should wait with the injured person(s) until help arrives. Do not move an injured person unless they are unsafe and you can move them without risk to yourself. If another uninjured person is available, send them to the building’s entrance to escort EMTs to the scene.

  • Student Health & Wellness (non-emergency): 410-516-8270
  • Occupational Health Homewood (non-emergency): 443-997-1700
  • Occupational Health East Baltimore (non-emergency): 410-955-6211
  • Worker’s Compensation Office (non-emergency): 410-955-4800

After the immediate incident response has concluded, the injured person(s) will be put in contact with Student Health & Wellness (for students) or Occupational Health (for JHU employees) to make a follow-up report.

For mental health concerns:

Public Safety will remain on the line with you until your crisis is resolved. If the affected person is not in danger of imminent harm to themselves or others, Public Safety will connect you with the Counseling Center‘s on-call counselor (number also included below) or to their appointment-scheduling team as appropriate. If there is danger of imminent harm, Public Safety will connect you with a trained crisis responder. They will also send an emergency medical team to your location if it becomes necessary.

Not sure if your issue is an emergency? Please see the Counseling Center’s guides for concerns about yourself and for concerns about others.

To reach the Counseling Center’s on-call counselor for emergencies, call 410-516-8278 extension +1.

For other non-emergency situations, when you’re experiencing some difficulties, etc. call 410-516-8278 extension +2.

For chemical/biological incidents:

You must describe in detail the substance to which someone was exposed or describe the chemical reaction or other hazard taking place. Public Safety will put you in touch with Health, Safety, & the Environment (HSE) and any facilities staff needed to mitigate the hazard. If it is a chemical danger, be prepared to provide the safety data sheets (SDSs) of any chemicals involved to the emergency responders or medical personnel. Public Safety will also contact sub-offices of HSE for biosafety, waste disposal, radiation, bloodborne pathogens, and other concerns as needed.

After the immediate incident response has concluded, your PI or supervisor must complete and submit the Employee Report of Incident. All injuries, minor or major, must be reported to Occupational Health to coordinate benefits under Worker’s Compensation. The PI and any involved lab members will be contacted by a representative from HSE to address any remaining risks. Contact your PI or HSE to obtain copies of official reports.

For fires and physical hazards:

Evacuate to a safe distance. If you are concerned about the fire or hazard spreading to affect others, pull the building’s fire alarm. Public Safety will contact the Baltimore City Fire Department and any needed facilities staff.

For crimes or suspected criminal activity:

If you believe you are in imminent danger, Public Safety will send a police officer to your location to assist you. You can request an escort home at any time via Public Safety’s non-emergency number: 410-516-4600. For non-emergencies, report crimes anonymously on the Public Safety website. Non-criminal acts may also be reported using the SPEAK2US form or phone number: 844-SPEAK2US

For hood flow issues:

If hoods are down, contacting Facilities directly can improve response time. Make sure that a work ticket is generated! Also let your building manager know about the issue.

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