I can't help but marvel over the modern world of EHS practice when I juxtapose the fire extinguisher discussion with the concealed carry one.  On the one hand, we're asked to address the particular added hazard of people of any level of training, competence, stability, etc. possibly sending bullets flying in a laboratory, where one of the givens is that it is already perfectly acceptable for them to tote the weapons of their choice in a crowded cafeteria.  Then we're asked to worry about whether an untrained person might get their hands on a fire extinguisher during an actual fire, technically violating a regulation (and yes, possibly exposing themselves to injury by staying around when they should have left).  It just seems odd to be in a world where firearms are a personal choice but access to fire extinguishers is something for safety professionals to carefully manage.

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Hi All,

This is the first time I have posted a question to the general community;
we are interested in your opinions and perspectives.

As many of you know, the State of Texas passed a concealed carry law
during the last legislative session. While universities cannot declare an
entire public university a =B3gun-free zone =B2, certain areas can be declared
gun free. Hospital and child care facilities, as well as public
auditoriums and Board of Regents rooms have often been exempted at other
state universities.

At Texas Tech, our Institutional Laboratory Safety Committee has been
exploring under what conditions certain laboratory or research areas
should be declared gun free. So as not to bias the discussion, I will not
tell you where we are heading. But it did raise to my mind the question
that with a number of states now adopting similar laws, should EH&S
professionals be brought into the discussion at a national level?

What do you all think about this? Should all synthesis labs be gun free?
Should only certain areas, like NMR facilities or areas with high magnetic
fields, or areas with cryogenic tanks, be gun free? What about flammables?
Labs with pyrophoric materials?

I am copying Matt Roe, our head of EH&S, to this discussion thread, so
that a couple of us can follow the comments.

Thanks!

Dom Casadonte
Texas Tech University