Safety

Source: https://chemistry.mit.edu/about/safety/ Parent: https://chemistry.mit.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate-programs/chemistry-biology-major/

The Department of Chemistry’s Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) Program is administered by the Department EHS Committee. The committee is made up of faculty, graduate students, administrative staff, and the EHS Coordinator, Rick Kayser.

Steve Monstur serves as the EHS Office Lead Contact / Environmental Management Program (EMP) representative for the Chemistry Department.  He can be reached by phone at 617-253-0344.

For Emergency Assistance

For emergency assistance in the event of a fire, serious injury, major chemical spill or urgent police matter:

• Call extension 100 (from a campus phone) or 617-253-1212
• Call 2-EHSS or 617-452-3477 during daytime hours for access to the Environmental Health and Safety Office
• The MIT Facilities 24-hour emergency number is 617-253-4948
• For more information, please visit the School of Science’s Emergency page

The Department of Chemistry Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Committee

Members of the 2026 EHS Committee

Stephen L. Buchwald, Professor\ Office: 18-490\ Phone: 617-253-1885

*Sawyer Cawthern, Graduate Student (J. Johnson Group)*Office: 18-143\ Phone: 617-324-2604

Christopher C. Cummins, Professor\ Office: 6-435\ Phone: 617-253-5332

*Rick L. Danheiser, Professor and Chair of the EHS Committee* Office: 18-298\ Phone: 617-253-1842

Erica Debley, Graduate Student (Nolan Lab)

Office: 56-522

Phone: 617-324-1870

Whitney Hess, *Director of the Chemistry Undergraduate Laboratory*Office: 12-5220\ Phone: 617-258-6848

*Rick Kayser, EHS Coordinator and Chemical Hygiene Officer*Office: 18-281\ Phone: 617-324-6132

*James Law, Postdoctoral Researcher (Buchwald Group)*Office: 18-312\ Phone: 617-253-8893

*Brock Leland, Graduate Student (Suess Group)*Office: 18-452\ Phone: 617-253-1824

Cindy Serena Ngompe Massado, Graduate Student (Freedman Group)\ Office: 6-418\ Phone: 617-715-5618

*Elizabeth Nolan, Professor*Office: 16-573A\ Phone: 617-452-2495

Mohammad Movassaghi, Professor\ Office: 18-290\ Phone: 617-253-3986

Gerard Porter, Graduate Student (Kiessling Group)

Office: 18-408

Phone: 617 324-0182

Alexander T. Radosevich, Professor**Office: 2-321\ Phone: 617-253-4503

Ronald T. Raines, Professor\ Office: 18-498\ Phone: 617-253-1470

Erika Zhang, Graduate Student (Raines Group)\ Office: 18-354\ Phone: 617-258-6056

Shipping

eShipGlobal

The eShipGlobal system is being used by Chemistry for most FedEx, UPS, and DHL shipments.

Resources

Department of Chemistry Chemical Hygiene Plan and Safety Manual

An electronic version of the Department of Chemistry’s current Chemical Hygiene Plan and Safety Manual may be accessed here.

It is the policy of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to provide a safe and healthy workplace in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and regulations of the Department of Labor including 29 CFR 1910.1450 (“Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories”). The Chemical Hygiene Plan and Safety Manual constitutes the document that is required by this regulation. The Plan also includes a discussion of emergency action procedures as required under OHSA Standard 29 CFR 1910.38 (“Employee Emergency Plans and Fire Prevention Plans”).

The purpose of the Chemical Hygiene Plan and Safety Manual is to describe proper practices, procedures, equipment, and facilities to be followed by employees, students, visitors, and other personnel working in each laboratory of the Department of Chemistry in order to protect them from potential health hazards presented by chemicals used in the workplace, and to keep exposures below specified limits. It is the responsibility of the faculty, administration, and research and supervisory personnel to know and to follow the provisions of this Plan.

A hard copy of the Chemical Hygiene Plan and Safety Manual may be obtained in the Department of Chemistry Headquarters Office (Building 18-380) or by contacting EHS Coordinator Rick Kayser.

External Resources

A variety of external Environmental Health and Safety resources can be found below.

• Safety Data Sheet Information (SDS)
• PubChem
• NIOSH—online chemical safety information
• Dupont Industries Safety Protection
• University of Minnesota Chemistry and CEMS Joint Safety Team
• ACS Committee on Chemical Safety
• APLU Safety Guide

Hazardous Waste Guidance

The links below are intended to assist a researcher in determining on how to characterize hazardous waste:

Chemical Waste Determination

Hazardous Waste Classification Guidance Table

Hazardous Materials Shipping

For information regarding Hazardous Materials Shipping, visit the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) website.

Incident Reports

To help identify and correct unrecognized hazards, and to minimize the risk of similar incidents in the future, it is necessary that personnel prepare written reports describing the circumstances of all serious incidents. Please click here to access a template to fill out the report.

Safety Notes and Bulletins

Please click here to view the Department of Chemistry’s Safety Notes and Bulletins.

Training

Learn More about the Departmental Training Policies

All graduate students, UROP students, postdocs, visiting scientists, and other researchers working with chemicals and other hazardous materials must complete the Training Needs Assessment Form accessible through the EHS Office training website. Virtually all researchers (with the exception of some theoretical chemists) will be required, at a minimum, to complete the following steps prior to beginning work in areas where hazardous chemicals are in use. Even if you do not work in areas where hazardous chemical are in use, you still need to complete step 5 listed below.

1. New personnel must attend the Chemical Hygiene and Safety Lecture that is presented in December and January; or take the online version, “Chemical Hygiene & Safety for Chemists EHS00101w.” The online version is available on the MIT Learning Center (certificates required) and can be accessed on the EHS Office training website. Please note that the preferred browser for EHS online trainings is Firefox 17 ESR.
2. Read and understand the Chemistry Department Chemical Hygiene Plan and Safety Manual. Copies of the manual can be obtained from the Department of Chemistry Headquarters Office (Building 18-380) or from Rick Kayser (Building 18-281). You may also email Rick Kayser your location and a manual will be dropped off to you.
3. Receive Initial Lab Specific Chemical Hygiene and Safety Training from your Laboratory Supervisor or your EHS Representative. This is an orientation outlining the location of safety equipment in your laboratory and any special hazards specific to your research group.
4. Complete the training course—Managing Hazardous Waste. This is offered as a web-based course (certificates required) and is accessible through the EHS Office training website. This is an annual requirement.
5. New members of the Department must sign the EHS Clearance Form and obtain their supervisor’s signature. You must submit the form even if you will not be working in an area where hazardous materials are in use.
6. Upon leaving the Department, lab members must sign the Form to Initiate Lab Checkout, also obtaining the signatures of the lab’s EHS Representative and Principal Investigator via Docusign.

No individual is permitted to work in areas in which chemicals are in use until all of the above steps have been completed and a signed EHS Clearance Form is submitted.

Note: Additional training is required for individuals working with other hazardous materials including, but not limited to, lasers, radioactive materials, and certain biohazardous materials. Completing the Training Needs Assessment Form will dictate your training needs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to ensure that all of these training requirements are met.

Please contact Rick Kayser, EHS Coordinator, via email or phone at (617) 324-6132 with any questions.

Prescription Safety Glasses

Learn How to Obtain Your Prescription Safety Glasses

As stated in the Department’s Chemical Hygiene Plan and Safety Manual, it is MIT policy to provide prescription safety glasses free of charge to all those personnel working in laboratories who must wear glasses to correct their vision.

The Chemistry Department continues to encourage researchers to obtain prescription safety glasses.

To obtain prescription safety glasses at MIT’s expense, please fill out this form before following these steps:

1. To begin the process, obtain a prescription or use a prescription that is less than two years old (you must pay for this). A prescription may be obtained with any optometrist.  Appointments with MIT Eye Service may be made through the HealthELife portal or by calling 617-258-9768.
2. MIT Optical is now located on the first floor of MIT Medical (Building E23). MIT Optical is open Monday–Friday from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. by appointment only. To make an appointment, dial 617-258-5367 or send an email to MITOptical@med.mit.edu.
3. The optician will assist in choosing your frame, take necessary measurements, and place your order.

Please note the following:

• Prior approval from Chemistry is needed if you choose a frame and/or lens, which are more expensive than those that are approved for this program. Or optician will charge your credit card for your portion.
• You will be notified when your glasses are ready to be picked up.
• Optician will verify glasses were made correctly and make adjustments.
• E-Mail a copy of the receipt to Julia Bliss once you’ve placed your order. The form serves as an important receipt for Chemistry to reconcile with charges each month.
• Bifocal lenses will be furnished when necessary.
• Prescription safety glasses that have become damaged or out of prescription may be replaced.