Department's Chemical Hygiene Committee wins university-wide safety award

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Richard Hickey
ChyComm Chair Richard Hickey

The University Laboratory Safety Committee, a joint effort between Ohio State's Office of Research and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, has selected the William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering's in-house safety committee, ChyComm (short for Chemical Hygiene Committee), for the 2021 Group Excellence in Safety Award!  

ChyComm and other groups within the department have been leaders in matters of safety within the College of Engineering and University at large since 2017. This was the first year that USLC began issuing the ULSC Excellence in Safety Awards. Professor Umit Ozkan's Heterogeneous Catalysis Research Group group was chosen to be the first recipient of the Group Excellence in Safety Award. In addition, in 2016, 2017, and 2018, Dr. Ozkan's group was included in the Laboratory Safety Dean's List

Graduate School Dean Alicia Bertone (right) presents Elizabeth Jergens with a first place award in the math, physical sciences, and engineering poster presentations category
Elizabeth Jergens
Kayane Dingilian won second place in the 2019 AAAR Video Competition
Kayane Dingilian

Led since 2019 by then-doctoral student Richard Hickey, ChyComm undertook a breadth of activities to expand and improve safety throughout the department. Hickey and other doctoral students Kayane Dingilian (vice chair), Elizabeth Jergens and Vance Gustin (inspection co-coordinators) worked to ensure that all laboratories in the building were properly handling and disposing of chemicals; demonstrating consistent and correct usage of personal protective equipment; and preventing the transmission of contaminated materials to public spaces.

A former paramedic, Hickey personally dedicated himself to going "above and beyond," also initiating activities independently. He established the department as a fully-certified Red Cross training center and led training sessions that resulted in nearly 50 Red Cross-certified students, faculty and staff within the department. In addition, in his role as the former Laboratory Safety Officer in Professor Andre Palmer's laboratory, he trained new lab members about safety procedures; maintained records; and ensured the good condition of safety equipment.

For these efforts, in April 2020, Richard Hickey was awarded the Excellence in Safety Award by ULSC, which recognizes a university student, faculty or staff member who has made a considerable contribution to improving laboratory safety on the Ohio State campus.