This document is mounted at innowings.engg.hku.hk/safety_wetlab/ and it details the precautions for using the equipment items and conducting polymerase chain reaction (PRC) related experiments in the Room LG-09 (wetlab) of InnoWing.

1. Balance

· Keep the balance in a vibration-free environment.

· Place in an area with controlled humidity and temperature.

· Careless handling with the glass components can lead to breakage of glass and damage cuttings.

2. Biodrop

· Do not to stare into the beam or attempt to deflect the beam as prolonged exposure could result in permanent eye damage.

· Wipe the exterior casework with disinfectant cleaning wipes.

· Wash with disinfectant appropriate for the biohazard in question, and rinse with distilled water. Allow to dry thoroughly before reuse.

3. FAS-Nano Gel Documentation

· Prolonged exposure of human naked eyes with light irradiation in the blue spectrum may increase the probability of suffering from retina diseases. It is recommended to use the amber shield included in the box, when handling the illuminator while the dark box is not attached.

4. Centrifuge

● Do not use this device to process any explosive or highly reactive substances, or any substances which may generate an explosive atmosphere.

● Only switch on the device if the device and mains/power cord are undamaged.

● Only connect the device to voltage sources which correspond with the electrical requirements on the nameplate.

● Only use earth/grounded sockets with a protective earth (PE) conductor, and the mains/power cord supplied.

● When handling infectious liquids and pathogenic germs, observe the national regulations, the biosafety level of your laboratory, the material safety data sheets, and the manufacturer’s application notes.

● Do not reach between the device and centrifuge lid when opening or closing the centrifuge lid, or reach into the locking mechanism of the centrifuge lid.

● Open the centrifuge lid fully to ensure that the centrifuge lid cannot slam shut.

● In case of danger, disconnect the device from the mains/power supply voltage. Disconnect the mains/power plug from the device or the earth/grounded socket. Use the isolating device intended for this purpose (e.g. the emergency switch in the laboratory).

5. Fumehood

· All operations, which may generate air contaminants at levels above the exposure limit, must be conducted inside a hood.

· Ensure that there is enough space in the fume hood for the work and place everything required inside the fume hood before starting operations.

· Ensure that there is no equipment or other materials blocking the rear slots or interfere with airflow.

· Ensure that the fume hood is working correctly by a visual check of the airflow indicator or the direction of airflow by using, e.g., a piece of tissue paper.

· Check the toxic properties of the substances you are working with and check that the fume cupboard is suitable for the intended use.

· The fume hood should is a working space. Chemicals and any apparatus should NOT be stored inside the fume hood.

· Use equipment that has legs to raise them off the work surface and allow even airflow to the lower slots of the baffle.

· Minimize pedestrian traffic in front of the fume hood, particularly during hazardous experiments and DO NOT put your head in the fume cupboard or stand inside a walk-in fume cupboard when contaminants are generated during experiments.

· Lower the sash & leave the fan on until the released fume is completely removed.

6. Gel Electrophoresis System + Mini Pro 300V Power Supply

· Always isolate electrophoresis units from their power supply before removing the safety cover. Isolate the power supply from the mains first then disconnect the leads.

· Do not exceed the maximum operating voltage or current.

· Wear protective gloves while working.

· Do not fill the unit with a running buffer above the maximum fill lines.

· Do not move the unit when it is running.

· During electrophoresis, make sure that the apparatus is run in a well ventilated area.

7. MicroPlate Shaker

· Avoid wetting or unnecessary exposure to fumes.

· The finish can be washed With water (after unplugging) and soap or detergents, using a cloth or sponge. Keep the unit clean by immediately blotting any spills.

· Do not use in hazardous atmospheres or with hazardous materials.

· Do not use it in mixing flammable materials.

8. Microwave

· Microwaves used for laboratory applications cannot be used for food preparation.

· Do not use aluminum foil or any metal containers, metal utensils, metal objects, or objects with metal or foil trim in the oven. They can cause arcing, damaging the oven and creating a fire or burn hazard.

· Do not heat objects that are sealed as they may explode, damaging the oven and blowing off the door.

· Never heat flammable or combustible liquid in the oven.

· Be careful when removing containers from the microwave oven.

9. Orbital Shaker

· Before connecting the electrical supply, check to see if the supply voltage is within the range stated at the rating label, and see to it that the device be seated firmly.

· Place the unit in a safe and dry location and not touch the surrounding.

· Follow the safety precautions for chemicals / dangerous materials.

10. PRC-related Experiments

· Use your pinkie, as far as you can, when changing gloves if you go from working in post-PCR areas to pre-PCR areas.

· Always work in the PCR UV workstation hood when handling sample preparation. Switch on the UV light in the station for at least 45 minutes after use.

11. PCR Machine

· Do not remove instrument protective covers. If you remove the protective instrument panels or disable interlock devices, you may be exposed to serious hazards including, but not limited to, severe electrical shock, laser exposure, crushing, or chemical exposure.

· Moving parts can crush, pinch and cut. Keep hands clear of moving parts while operating the instrument.

· Disconnect power before servicing.

· Plug the system into a properly grounded receptacle with adequate current capacity, and ensure the electrical supply is of suitable voltage.

· No decontamination or cleaning agents are used that could result in a reaction with parts of the equipment or with material contained in the equipment. Use only the cleaning and decontamination methods specified in the manufacturer’s user documentation. Before using any cleaning or decontamination methods (except those recommended by the manufacturer), users should confirm with the manufacturer that the proposed method will not damage the equipment.

12. PCR Workstation

· Ensure that all personnel are properly protected against shortwave (254nm) UV radiation before operation.

· Disconnect the power supply before assembling or servicing the PCR Hoods.

13. Qubit

· Do not install the instrument in heavy humidity to avoid a danger of electric shock. If water or other material enters the instrument, the adaptor, or power inlet, disconnect the power cord and contact a service person.

· Always ensure that the power supply input voltage matches the voltage available.

· Do not install the instrument on a slant or a place prone to vibrations.

· If the instrument is broken, dropped or emitted smoke, disconnect the power cord and contact technical services.

· Do not disassemble the instrument.

· Use only authorized accessories (e.g. adaptor, power cord, and USB drive).

14. Vortex

· Avoid wetting or unnecessary exposure to fumes.

· The finish can be washed with water (after unplugging) and soap or detergents, using a cloth or sponge. Keep the unit clean by immediately blotting any spills.

Back to the top

Revised on June 2021

This document is mounted as innowing.hk/safety and it details the arrangement for safety and health issues of Tam Wing Fun Innovation Wing. The following abbreviations are adopted in this document.

Content

Preamble
Safety & Health Relevant Staff
Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities
3.1 Supervisory Staff
3.2 Staff and Students of the University
3.3 Staff of Tam Wing Fun Innovation Wing
3.4 Director
3.5 Technical Manager
3.6 Safety Representative
3.7 Chemical Waste Manager
3.8 Administrative Assistant / Executive Office
3.9 Manual Handling Operation Risks Assessor
3.10 Staff-in-charge
3.11 Technician-in-charge
3.12 Fire Wardens
Fire Safety
4.1 Escape Routes
4.2 Fire Fighting Equipment
4.3 Emergency Evacuation
Workplace Safety Regulations
5.1 General Safety
5.2 Electrical Safety Regulations
5.3 Machinery Safety Regulations
5.4 Chemical Safety Regulations
In-house Inspection System
Reporting Incidents and Injuries
Infection Control Measures
Safety Awareness Declaration
Guidelines on Safety Pest Control Operation

1. Preamble

In addition to its commitment to excellence in teaching and research and the service it renders to both local industry and society, Tam Wing Fun Innovation Wing is also devoted to the improvement and maintenance of safety and occupational hygiene standards for all staff, students, visitors, etc.

The safety arrangements and regulations are overseen by the Safety Working Group under the Executive Committee of Tam Wing Fun Innovation Wing. In this document, the arrangements and regulations are described and the principal safety responsibilities of different staff are also indicated.

2. Safety & Health Relevant Staff

All staff and users have their own safety and health responsibilities. The following lists the safety & health relevant staff who assume more specific safety tasks:

Role	Staff	Office	Contact number
Director	Dr. C.K. Chui	IW-G01B Director's office	2857 8452
Technical Manager	Mr. C.S. Seto	IW-G06 Machine shop	3910 2384
Fire Wardens for IW-G	Mr. C.S. Seto, Edison Ye	IW-G06 Machine Shop	3910 2384
Fire Wardens for IW-LG	Mr. Edward Hung, K.F. Lee	IW-G01 General Office	3910 2388
Safety Working Group	Dr. C.K. Chui, Mr.C.S. Seto, Prof. K.Y. Sze	IW-G01 General Office	3910 2388

Remarks:
The Technical Manager is also the Safety Representative, the Chemical Waste Manager, the First Aid Box Coordinator and the Manual Handling Operation Risk Assessor.
As radioactive substance and display screen equipment are not used in IW, there is no Radiation Safety Representative and Display Screen Equipment Assessor.

3. Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities

In this section, the principal safety & health responsibilities of various parties are indicated. The order does not necessarily reflect the level of responsibility and importance. Additional descriptions on the responsibilities can be viewed at http://www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/.

3.1 Supervisory Staff

All supervisory staff are responsible for ensuring that any risks to safety and health within their area of responsibility are properly identified and controlled. This responsibility extends beyond the boundaries of the University campus and includes off-campus activities.

Every staff member (this includes principal investigators and class instructors) is responsible for the health and safety of those employees and students under their supervision. This applies equally to academic and administrative staff as to technical staff;
Staff cannot delegate out of this responsibility and should endeavor to encourage and foster safe working practices among the supervisees;
In cases where safety and health guidelines have not been prepared at Innovation Wing or University level, supervisory staff must ensure that a risk assessment has been completed and appropriate provisions have been made to eliminate or control the risks.

3.2 Staff and Students of the University

All members of the University community are required to conduct themselves and to perform their duties in a safe manner so as not to endanger themselves or others who may be affected by their activities. They have a duty to cooperate with the University and the staff in Tam Wing Fun Innovation Wing in order to enable the University to comply with legal and policy requirements that relate to their activities and actions in cases of emergency.

Any accident, dangerous occurrence, property damage, or potential hazard should be brought to the attention of the safety representative or the Safety Office.

3.3 Staff of Tam Wing Fun Innovation Wing

All full-time and part-time staff should be familiar with the safety & health arrangement and recognize that they all have a part to play in preventing accidents and incidents of ill health emanating from the workplace. They have the responsibility to cooperate with supervisors and other staff to achieve a safe & healthy workplace and to take reasonable care of themselves and others. They should not take risks nor carry out procedures or work practices contrary to safe working practices and if they are in any doubt they should raise such items with their immediate supervisor. If the supervisor does not offer a reasonable solution, the matter must be referred to the Safety Representative and the Director.
In particular, technical staff should know how to use the fire fighting equipment provided in the Innovation Wing.

3.4 Director

The Director has overall safety & health responsibilities for the staff and students working in the Innovation Wing. The responsibilities include

providing adequate resources to ensure that healthy and safe working conditions are maintained and that only safe working practices and safe systems of work are adopted by the staff and students;
providing sufficient information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure as far as is reasonably practicable the safety and well being of the staff and students;
ensuring that all measures designed to safeguard the safety & health of each individual are put into practice;
ensuring that all technical staff how to use the fire fighting equipment provided in the Innovation Wing.

3.5 Technical Manager

Technical manager is automatically the Safety Representative, the Chemical Waste Manager, First Aid Box Coordinator and Manual Handling Operation Risk Assessor of the Innovation Wing. He/she is also responsible for health, safety and welfare of all the technical staff working in the Innovation Wing. He/she as the immediate supervisor of all technical staff has the full responsibility in their roles in upholding the safety regulations. In particular, his/her responsibilities are:

• directing and coordinating the handling of chemical wastes as stipulated in “Chemical Waste” at www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/CHWD.pdf;

• ensuring adequate first-aid materials are provided in all first-aid boxes and that they are regularly renewed (duty of the First-Aid Box Coordinator)
• enforcing and participating in the In-house Inspection System (see Section 6);
• enforcing and observing the In-house Incidents Report Procedure (see Section 7);
• enforcing and participating in the Laboratory Safety Awareness Declaration (see Section 9).

3.6 Safety Representative

Responsibilities of the safety representative can be viewed at http://www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/DSR.html for further details. He/she assists the Director in fulfilling the safety & health responsibilities in the following aspects:

• informing the Director and Safety Office of any special hazards in, or new hazards about to be introduced into, the unit;
• ensuring that new members of the Innovation Wing, including students, are informed of the safety & health policy, standards and procedures;
• identifying training needs and conducting activities;
• ensuring that means exist for all machinery and equipment to be properly maintained and used in a safe condition;
• ensuring with the assistance of Safety Office that first aid, personal protective equipment and safety facilities are provided and properly maintained;
• directing a regular program of safety inspections, and participating in such inspections;
• ensuring that accidents are reported promptly by following the University procedures and reporting any case of non-compliance to the Director of Innovation Wing;
• investigating accidents and incidents and recommending accident prevention measures to the Director as and when necessary.
• ensuring that the technical staff, Chemical Waste Manager, first aiders and the fire wardens are adequately trained, instructed, supervised and informed of any potential hazards associated with the handling, transport and storage of various tools, equipment, chemicals, etc.;
• ensuring that laboratories/workshops are maintained in a tidy and organized condition, and they continue to meet the safety & health requirements;
• ensuring that safety regulations are properly enforced in all workshops/studios;
• ensuring technical staff have appropriate tools, equipment, access to equipment and proper safety gears to enable them to carry out work safely without risks to health;
• ensuring that outside staff such as those who do the repairing and maintenance jobs in the laboratories are not put at risk by University operations and conversely to ensure that they do not jeopardize the safety & health of University staff, students, visitors, etc.;
• identifying new hazards which may arise due to new equipment, projects, etc. and implementing the relevant safety measures and practices;
• updating the Health & Safety Information Placard every six months and whenever new hazard(s) arises;
• ensuring that the workshops/studios workshops with hazards identified on Health & Safety Information Placards are visited at least once in every half working day by technical staff;
• ensuring that all machinery in laboratories/workshops conform to the standard of Regulation of The Factory and Industrial Undertakings (Guarding and Operation of Machinery) by proper inspection and maintenance regularly;

3.7 Chemical Waste Manager

Duties of the Chemical Waste Manager can be viewed at www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/CHWD.pdf. In particular, the duties include

directing and co-ordinating the handling of chemical wastes;

initiating a Waste Log Sheet for each pail (Every waste entering the pail must be properly logged and the filled log sheet must accompany the pail at time of collection by Safety Office.)

3.8 Administrative Assistant / Executive Officer

General duties of the Administrative Assistant / Executive Officer are to ensure that office staff under his/her control are trained, supervised, instructed and informed of any potential hazards in the general office. In particular, his/her safety & health responsibilities include:

maintaining the Innovation Wing Office in an organized condition;
ensuring the general cleanliness, tidiness and housekeeping are kept to a standard such that none are potential causes of accidents and ill-health;
ensuring that infection control measures implemented by the University are upheld (see Section 8);
ensuring that electrical equipment for office and pantry equipment is regularly checked for obvious faults and dangers;
ensuring lighting in the office is adequate for work;
ensuring the position of the computer screen does not create uncomfortable viewing and that the design of the computer installation is within acceptable ergonomic standards.
ensuring the fire warden(s) and first aiders(s) who are office staff are properly trained.

3.9 Manual Handling Operation Risk Assessor

It is required by law (Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance) that risk assessment for manual handling operations by the person responsible for the workplace is necessary. In addition, if ten or more staff are involved in a manual handling operation which may create safety & health risks, the person responsible for the workplace must appoint competent persons to assist in carrying out preventive and protective measures with respect to the Guidance Notes on Manual Handling Operations at www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/oh/GN-MHO.pdf.

3.10 Staff-in-charge

The general duties of the Staff-in-Charge of a workshop, a studio or a Student Interest Group are to ensure that the staff, students and visitors working in the relevant workplace under their supervision are trained, instructed, supervised and informed of any potential hazards (and how to overcome them) which they may be confronted with whilst at work. Their responsibilities also include:
• ensuring the safety and health of the staff, students and visitors, as far as is reasonably practicable, whilst working in areas and laboratories other than their own;
• Identifying and upholding the safety regulations applicable to the workplaces and laboratories;
• Identifying the Safety Checklist(s) applicable to the workplaces and laboratories;
• Informing the Workspace & Safety Committee and the Technical Manager of any special hazards in, or new hazards about to be introduced into the workplace;
• ensuring staff, students and visitors are aware of the hazard(s) in the workplace and the applicable safety regulations;
• ensuring proper, adequate and functioning equipment/facilities are available in the workplace and laboratory as required by various safety regulations on its activities and inventory;
• maintaining and managing the workplaces and laboratories in a tidy and well-organized condition that the health and safety requirements are met;
• enforcing and participating in the In-house Inspection System (see Section 6), Incidents Reporting System (see Section 7) and Safety Awareness Declaration (see Section 9).

3.11 Technician-in-charge

Technician-in-charge of a workshop or studios is identified on Health & Safety Information Placard. His/her responsibility include:
• upholding the safety regulations in the workplace; if the act of upholding the regulations fails, they should report the incident to the technical manager and/or staff-in-charge immediately;
• being aware of the hazards as well as newly appeared hazards in the workplace and attending training workshops related to these hazards organized by the Safety Office or elsewhere;
• maintaining and managing the workplace in a tidy and organized condition and that the workplace continue to meet the health and safety requirements;
• ensuring the well-being of all the fire-fighting, safety-related and first-aid equipment materials/facilities and learning how to operate them;
• making the hazard(s) known to students before the laboratory sessions are started and ensuring that the students are closely supervised;
• making the hazard(s) known to contractor and their workers, ensuring that contractor and their workers sign a record book in which their name, the company name, I.D. Card number, contact telephone number; all work done by the contractor and their workers must be closely supervised;
• preparing the list of chemicals used and/or stored in the workshop or studios; the list should mention the means such as hardcopies or internet links for accessing the related Material Safety Data Sheets
• reporting any accident, injury, near-misses and repeated violations of safety regulations occurred in their respectively laboratory or during the work by following the In-house Incidents Reporting Procedure (see Section 7) as soon as possible; implementing the Laboratory/Workshop Safety Awareness Declaration (see Section 9);
• working with the First-Aid Box Coordinator to ensure that the first-aid box in the workplace contain sufficient quantity of suitable first aid materials and nothing else;
• if there are hazard on the Health & Safety Information Placard of the workplace, ensuring that the laboratories/workshops are visited at least once in every half working day by a technical staff;

3.12 Fire Wardens

A fire warden should under no circumstances be responsible for more than one floor. The roles of the fire wardens are detailed in the document “Role of Fire Wardens” at www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/FREng.pdf. On hearing the alarm, each fire warden is requested to
• immediately put on the “HKU Fire Warden” cap provided by the Safety Office for identification;
• check rooms within previously agreed area to ensure all people have left; if some people are unwilling to leave, do not delay but continue to search other rooms;
• spur on people to leave their place of work and to direct them to the appropriate exit(s);
• note which rooms or areas were not checked due to smoke/fires and to inform fire brigade upon its arrival without delay;
• move people away from building exits to the assembly point;
• report any problems (missing persons, non-evacuated staff etc.) to the fire brigade without delay.
• identify key holders should the fire brigade wish to enter locked rooms.

4. Fire Safety

4.1 Escape Routes

A poster on escape routes is posted near the exit of each workplace. Technician-in-charge should inform the users of the workplace with the escape route before they use the workplace.

4.2 Emergency Evacuation

In an emergency, the technician-in-charge and the fire warden have TOTAL authority to evacuate the workplace. Evacuation orders MUST be followed. If fire alarm is on, unless it is on testing mode, all individuals must evacuate immediately by following an escape route.

5. Workplace Safety Regulations

The hazard(s) in the studio/workshop is identified on the Health & Safety Information Placard posted on the door of the studio/workshop. Safety guidelines, regulations and checklists can be viewed at www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/lab.html and/or www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/manual.html. Following is a partial list of the relevant documents and their links:
• Action in Case of an Emergency (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/EP.pdf )
• Carcinogens (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/Car.pdf )
• Chemical Safety in Laboratories (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/CSL.pdf )
• Chemical Waste (http://www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/CHWD.pdf )
• Code of Practice on User of High-Power Lasers (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/LCOP.pdf )
• Display Screen Equipment (Visual Display Units) (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/DSE.pdf)
• Electrical Hazards (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/manual_EH.html)
• Guidelines on Safe Pest Control Operation (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/PestCont.pdf)
• Health & Safety Information Placard (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/HSP.pdf)
• Laboratory Fume Cupboards (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/FumCup.pdf)
• Machinery safety (http://www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/MSG.pdf)
• Reporting Procedure for Accidents, Dangerous Occurrence & Near Misses (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/ACCR.pdf)
• Work Outside Normal Working Hours (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/WONWH.pdf)
• Inspection Lists (www.safety.hku.hk/homepage/pdf/DSRIC.pdf)

The applicable regulations and checklists to a workplace is specified by the Staff-in-charge and endorsed by the Safety Working Group. The information given below is intended to be an outline of the more specific and exhaustive regulations. They should not be regarded as the only applicable regulations.

5.1 General Safety

All personnel in a workplace MUST understand and follow the applicable safety regulations at ALL times. Violation of these regulations is sufficient ground to revoke user’s access privilege for the workplace by the technician-in-charge who is responsible to uphold the regulations. If the act of upholding the regulations fails, the technical staff-in-charge should report the incident to the Technical Manager as soon as possible.
Unauthorized entrance is strictly prohibited.
Unauthorized work/experiment is strictly prohibited.
Never perform work/experiment within any workplace alone or use any items inside these areas alone. Operating any equipment with exposed high speed moving/rotating part(s) after drug that may cause drowsiness is strictly prohibited.
In all studios, workshops and makerspaces, loosened clothes and open-toed shoes, such as slippers, pumps and sandals, must NOT be worn. Shoes MUST provide adequate protection of your feet and MUST cover the whole feet. Proper protective gear(s) MUST be worn when working in designated areas.

Be aware of the location of the first aid materials/facilities, chemical spill kits, fire-fighting equipment and the fire escape route.
In an emergency, the technical staff and the fire warden have TOTAL authority to evacuate the workplace. Evacuation orders MUST be followed. If fire alarm is on, unless it is on testing intermittent mode, all personnel in the workplace must evacuate immediately.
All accidents, injuries (no matter how minor), near-misses and repeated violations of safety regulations should be reported to the staff listed in the Health & Safety Information Placard and the Technical Manager as soon as possible (See Section 7 & Section 8).

5.2 Electrical Safety Regulations

• Be very careful with electrical equipment and never touch/operate any electrical switch gears if your hands are wet.
• All electrical connections must be completely and properly insulated and grounded. All conducting wires must be adequately concealed.
• The installation/repair of any apparatus operating at above 50 V a.c. or 120 V d.c. must be done by an approved licensed electrician “A” holder or above from the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department. The installations/repair can also be performed by a licensed contractor or an electrician from Estates Office.
• For portable apparatus operating at above 50 V a.c. or 120 V d.c., its flexible wires must either be permanently fixed to the power supply outlet, or alternatively, its connection to the power supply must be made through properly constructed plug and socket. The use of combination sockets is not recommended for heavy current equipment.
• Where any part of a portable apparatus is made of metal and not of a double insulation type, the portable apparatus must be effectively earthed and inspected every 6 months for loose connection/fault.
• All high voltage equipment and appliances must bear the “High Voltage” warning label. A warning notice in 50 mm red characters and letters and white background bearing “DANGER UNDER REPAIR” and “危險-在維修中”must be displayed in a visible position at or near any conductor, apparatus or switch board being worked on.

5.3 Machinery Safety Regulations

All users of machinery must wear safety spectacles. Long hair and loose clothes must be carefully Suitable personal protective equipment should be worn.
Never put your hands/fingers or any part of your body near the moving parts or in the path of motion of a machinery.
All machine guards must be inspected and maintained periodically to ensure it conforms to the relevant safety standard.
Only students with machine workshop training recognized and endorsed by the Innovation Wing are allowed to enter and use the Machine shop. Even a student is a recognized trained-user, he/she MUST work under the supervision of a technician competent in machining, as designated by signage of the Machine Shop.

5.4 Chemical Safety Regulations

All chemicals must be treated as poisons and properly labelled. Work with chemicals only when you are familiar with their properties: flammability, reactivity, corrosiveness, toxicity, etc. The endorsement from the technical staff-in-charge must be obtained if you intend to bring any chemical into the laboratory. Unknown chemicals will be expropriated without notice. All waste organic solvents must be disposed in specially marked containers (“WASTE SOLVENTS”). Disposal of organic solvents into the drains is strictly prohibited.
All chemicals must be kept safely in their proper place. Spills must be cleaned up immediately and properly. Safety Office should be consulted in disposal of unidentified chemicals.
No chemical should be brought inside the Innovation Wing without the prior approval of the Technical Manager and the technician-in-charge. They, in turn, should consult the staff-in-charge whether the chemical is needed for the activities in the workshop/studio.
Any work involving combustibles, volatile organic compounds, toxic gases, airborne particulates and unpleasant odours must be conducted in exhaust hoods. If there is a sash in an exhaust hood, it should be kept as low as practicable. When no one is working with the exhaust hood, the sash should be shut.
For workshop/studio in which chemicals are stored/used, a list of chemicals must be available. The list should mention the means such as hardcopies or internet links for accessing the related Material Safety Data Sheets.
Pesticides should not be applied without the endorsement of the Technical Manger.

6. In-house Inspection System

In-house Inspection is conducted at approximately 6-month interval by the Safety Working Group. The Group would go through the applicable checklist(s) for each workplace. A report would be furnished by the Group for each Inspection and disseminate to all the staff-in-charge and technicians-in-charge.

7. Reporting Incidents and Injuries

Incidents here refer to health and safety-related accidents, injuries, near misses, repeated violations of safety regulations, etc. All incidents must be reported to a technical/office staff who should then notify the Technical Manager or the Director as soon as possible. The technical/office staff should note down: (i) time and date of incident, (ii) location of the incident, (iii) name(s) of student/staff/visitor involved, (iv) staff-in-charge of the Incident Location, (v) a brief description of the incident, (vi) medical treatment and medical leave, (v) nature of the incident (e.g. accidents, injuries, near misses, repeated violations of safety regulations) and (vi) telephone number of the relevant person(s).

The Director needs to report any work-related injury (including those on outsiders) leading to temporary or permanent loss of work capacity to Human Resources Section of the Registry and the Safety Office. In practice, it may be difficult to judge whether a minor injury leads to any loss of work capacity. So the policy of the University is that staff, students and visitors are encouraged to report all work-related injuries. In particular, the injured MUST notify the Innovation Wing if he/she sought medical treatment from any hospital, medical clinic or practitioner no matter how minor the injury is.

For emergency, Security Office of the University at 3917 2882 or even 999, if applicable, should be contacted directly.

8. Infection Control Measures

Temperature check using IR camera is done at the main entrance. Persons with fever would be declined from entering the Tam Wing Fun Innovation Wing and advised to visit a medical doctor as soon as possible.
Masks should be worn in all workplaces with more than one user.
Alcohol-based hand-rub is provided at the main entrance for disinfecting, if necessary.
Events & crowd management should be exercised to maintain a reasonable social distancing.

9. Safety Awareness Declaration

All workshops/studios users including technical staff are requested to sign a Safety Awareness Declaration Form.
The duly completed form should be submitted to the staff-in-charge of the thematic workshop or the supervisor of the Student Interest Group for endorsement.
The supervisor submits the endorsed form to the Technical Manager.
The form will automatically expire on 31 August every year. Members should make the declaration again for keeping his/her privilege of working in the thematic workshop/project studio.
Smart card door access privilege to a workshop/studio would not be granted without a duly completed Form.
The technical manager may request users to make a declaration again if a new hazard(s) appears in the premises.
All signed Forms should be kept by the Technical Manager of Innovation Wing until the Forms expire.

Regular access hour:
- 9:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. on weekdays
- 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on weekends
- Closed during university holiday

Supervisor of the Student Interest Groups (SIG) can apply for extended access for the team members to the project studios, subject to the approval of the Innovation Wing Office and the following condition:

Require the presence of designated staff-in-charge arranged by the respective supervisor of the SIG.
The staff-in-charge is responsible for enforcing disciplines and safety regulations.
Any violation of regulations has to report to the Innovation Wing Safety Representative immediately.
Staff/students are only allowed to access to the project studio but not the other area of the Innovation Wing.
Staff/students who are approved to have extended access should first leave the Innovation Wing before the center is closed. Then after 9pm the staff/students can only enter/leave the project studio using the stairway next to the special project room 2.

10. Guidelines on Safe Pest Control Operation

Cases have occurred in Hong Kong in which the health of people has been seriously compromised by pesticides which are by nature toxic chemicals. It is therefore essential to ensure that people are not unduly exposed to pesticides via inhalation, ingestion and/or skin absorption. Fumigation is generally not allowed on campus unless it can be established that it is the only effective method for a particular task.
If staff and students are repeatedly annoyed by pests, please report to the General Office which, at its discretion, can contact the Estates Office for assistance