From:
James Stubbs <james.stubbs**At_Symbol_Here**EHS.UTAH.EDU>
Subject:
Re: [DCHAS-L] permanent phones in lab
Date:
Apr 2, 2025 18:24 UTC
Reply-To:
ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID:
<IA1PR11MB731764E3D9F93DB0873FD824A7AF2**At_Symbol_Here**IA1PR11MB7317.namprd11.prod.outlook.com>
In-Reply-To:
<CANkUwAoDwoK=QXJqO08mE7DOhNGF6jkufWuXyC-u76JHrOugCg**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com>
In my opinion a hard wired land line phone is a critical piece of safety equipment. That said, technology is such that most “hard wired” phones are actually VoIP not land actual land lines, which have similar limitations as a cell phone.
We have fought long and hard on our campus to keep actual landlines for several reasons, much to the dismay of our facilities folks. We have now settled on a compromise solution where a hard wired land line emergency phone is installed in a reasonably accessible
location on each floor (with appropriate signage) - multiples on each floor for very large buildings or buildings with weird layouts that could impede quick access in an emergency. Labs are then required to identify the phone’s location in their lab safety
or chem hygiene plans and include the information in their annual training. It’s not perfect but it’s something.
-James
James R. Stubbs
Associate Director
Environmental Health and Safety
University of Utah
125 S Fort Douglas Blvd
Salt Lake City, UT 84113
801.585.5788
james.stubbs**At_Symbol_Here**ehs.utah.edu
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
On Behalf Of Jonathan Klane
Sent: Wednesday, April 2, 2025 9:04 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] permanent phones in lab
> "They definitely never get used and are clunky to use."
The same could be said for spill kits. They rarely/never get used and can be clunky. Yet we maintain them as a critical piece of equipment in the event of a spill.
In the event of an emergency (e.g., medical, chemical, biological, fire, physical threat, etc.) a landline can be quite helpful. If cell lines are packed, a landline call will go through. Cell phone signals don't triangulate as well as
landlines for location. Some landlines in a campus system can even show 9-1-1 which room the call is.
Landlines are simple to use. Pick up the receiver, hear a dial tone, push the numbers and it goes through. Easy peasy. If students are unfamiliar with its operation, then they should be trained on it the same way we train them on any
other piece of emergency equipment they might use in the event.
Keep them. It could be the most important decision that saves lives.
Jonathan Klane, M.S.Ed., CIH, CSP, CHMM, CIT
Business Development, Senior Manager | Advisor
Draeger, Inc.
PhD candidate, Human + Social Dimensions of Science + Technology
College of Global Futures
School for the Future of Innovation in Society
Dear Jarral
The important phone numbers in case of emergencies are necessary to display either in preparation lab area or in the main lab where the faculty seats so in case of emergencies they are visible.
It is always advisable to have emergency numbers at reach.
Regards
Rupesh
We are remodeling our organic chemistry and physics labs. We had a phone on the wall in the prep area in the old lab. Is that a requirement? And if so, is there anything we should
consider with it?
Our school is thinking of removing all the phones from offices and maybe keeping the ones in the labs so that is also on the radar. They definitely never get used and are clunky
to use.
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at
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--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at
membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at
membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org
