UC Field Research Safety
I'd like to welcome many new researchers and staff to this newsletter. It's evolved over the past 18 months with a sometimes quirky mix of topics, but is intended to provide updates to UC field researchers and staff on emerging or seasonal hazards relevant to outdoor or remote work; share training opportunities and resources that support safe, successful fieldwork; and create a forum to share incidents and lessons learned. If you ever have requests, or information you'd like to share, please contact me directly at sarasouza@berkeley.edu. Thank you!
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Fall is officially here -- it's getting dark earlier, but with a heat wave and red flag warning this week, wildfire precautions are still critical. Topics this month include new training resources regarding wildfire smoke, some professional opportunities, and review of two recent incidents: a fire during transport of batteries in a truck to a field site, and initial recommendations from the Conception boat tragedy. More information is sure to come, but these incidents are stark reminders that batteries are hazardous and need to be handled and used with caution.
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Incident Report: Last month a field team that was transporting gear and equipment from their campus to a field site to install stream monitors was faced with a scary situation when a fire started in the back of their field truck. Included in their packed gear were lead-acid batteries to be used in conjunction with their solar-powered stream monitors. During transport, some shifting of equipment occurred and conduit material came into contact with the battery terminals.
Response: Fortunately the fire occurred on a main road and other drivers honked and alerted them of smoke coming from their vehicle. They pulled over and as they investigated the smoke, equipment in the back of the truck ignited in flames. They quickly summoned help from a nearby fire department that extinguished the fire. Expensive field equipment and gear was ruined, but no one was injured and the truck itself had minimal damage. Key point: Quick response was critical to minimizing the fire and damage; the same incident on a remote road would likely play out much differently.
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Lessons Learned: Lead-acid batteries are considered hazardous because they can spill and leak corrosive contents, and because of the possibility of fire if shorted. Therefore, they need be protected against short circuits and securely packaged. The battery may come with small covers to set on top of the terminals, but these often come loose and are lost. A properly sized battery box like the one in this picture is inexpensive and will provide better protection.
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More Info: I appreciate staff reaching out to share and discuss this incident. I've paraphrased their account here, but it's become clear that others have had similar close calls with batteries used for various types of field projects. For example, UC Davis shared this battery fire incident from last year. Much more detail on batteries is available at UPS: How to Safely Pack & Ship Batteries, but please reach out to your campus EH&S department or me directly to review any specific scenarios or concerns.
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"On September 2, 2019, the small passenger vessel CONCEPTION caught fire and sank off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, California with loss of life. A Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation (MBI) has been convened and will conduct a thorough and comprehensive marine casualty investigation to determine the causal factors that contributed to this tragic incident." Of note, the initial US Coast Guard marine safety bulletin includes the recommendation: "Reduce potential fire hazards and consider limiting the unsupervised charging of lithium-ion batteries and extensive use of power strips and extension cords". You may access the full bulletin here: Marine Safety Information Bulletin, along with the NTSB Early Report.
The possibility that the boat fire, that killed 34 people sleeping on board, was potentially started by charging of personal electronics has been getting a lot of press, including this LA Times report (Sep 20, 2019): California boat fire: Conception wasn’t built to charge dozens of phones, batteries and cameras. Did this cause the blaze?.
Our UC dive and boat safety officers are familiar with the vessel and are following the ongoing investigation. Also, Divers Alert Network has set up a donation page for families affected by this tragedy.
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Grant Announcement
2019-2020 Climate Change Investments Forest Health & Fire Prevention Grants
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Training Resource: Protection from Wildfire Smoke
A summary of requirements mandated by Cal/OSHA when the Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeds the red "unhealthy" level of 150 due to wildfire smoke is available online: https://training.ucr.edu/courses#wildfire_smoke
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Training Resource: N95 Respirator Use
The back side of the wildfire smoke handout includes instructions, as well as limitations, related to wearing N95 respirators for protection from wildfire smoke.
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Professional Opportunities
UCLA EH&S is currently interviewing for a Field Safety Specialist position -- - so our community of professionals supporting field research is growing!
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The Berkeley Seismology Lab is recruiting for a new Field Engineer. The position will be for an additional member of the Field Engineering team and will immediately support build out efforts for Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) and more broadly the BSL seismic monitoring/GNSS network (Field Engineer 7120U #1645)
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I highly recommend this conference for outdoor program administrators, risk managers, field program coordinators, and others that manage remote outdoor work. Early registration pricing ends 9/27.
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Last, it was nice to see some of you at UCSC's Research Safety Expo Tuesday. I know it's a busy time of year, but as always, please contact me at sarasouza@berkeley.edu with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
Best, Sara
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