Maps and Journeys- Risk Assessments

Over the last couple of weeks in the maps and journeys project, my time has been taken up mostly by risk assessments being done and re-done. This is due to the nature of the project involving live bacteria and the necessity of getting materials used to create the agar solution delivered to the university.

The first time I did the risk assessment, I did two as I wanted to differentiate between the growing of the bacteria and the display of that bacteria. However, since then it has become apparent that we may be showing our work in a gallery throughout the end of January to the middle of February, so I have put that side on hold until I have more information about the space.

My initial risk assessment was rejected because it did not contain enough information about the products I wanted to order, and the lecturers wanted to do some more research into the bacteria I wanted to grow to check for toxicity etc. So, I went to the supplier I was looking at using and found some safety data sheets of the products and bacteria to attach to the risk assessment. I then sent this off, hoping that this would be sufficient.

The order of the products was then put on hold as the project needed to be reviewed, and Rosie wanted some more advice on the project. She sent it to Tim Savage, who helps with a lot of the risk assessments across the uni, and orders chemicals for photography and other subjects fairly often. He then made some comments about my risk assessment:

Assuming that this is a residence, where in the house will the culture be grown?  Avoid food preparation areas.

Is it a house share?  If so all others who may come into contact with the space should be notified and forewarned.  

In what vessel will the algae be grown?

How long with the algae/bacteria be grown for, is it intended that it would reach spore stage (risk of inhalation and spread increases with time).

What control measures are in place to prevent unwanted bacteria (such as e-coli) growing in the form (a control measure would be anyone coming in to contact with the dish wearing masks and keeping it covered).

The algae should assume a known colour if it remains uncontaminated during growth, if the colour changes to unfamiliar (or red), the cultures should be disposed of.

Hands should be washed with soap and water after all contact with the materials.

What type of lightbulbs would be used, do they contain gas under pressure?

Temperatures of storage are listed at 10-30 degrees on the MSDS sheet, will the light bulbs will be switched on and if so do they run at heat?

Hollowing bulbs should take place within cloth or confined space to reduce the risk of shards escaping into other areas (bulbs are usually a vacuum which means the glass is likely to shatter).

The risk assessment doesn’t describe hazards associated with actual filming process and production, cameras, cables, lighting…etc.

The risk assessment doesn’t describe arrangements for clearing up in the event of spillage.

The risk assessment doesn’t describe how the disposal of contaminated materials and broken glass will be managed.

This was a lot of changes to undertake, however they were necessary and the comments made were helpful as I hasn't even thought of them. I made some adjustments and sent it off again. Rosie asked about the gallery work as well, and Tim said that it could be more challenging, but if the work was grown properly then it should not be hazardous. He suggested to have it sent off to Ceri, who is the head of health and safety in the university. She made some comments as well this morning:

Overall I am happy for this to go ahead.  My only comments is the location of where this is going ahead is unclear and also in terms of cleaning they mention a water/bleach mix but have not identified any chemical hazards.  If bleach comes into contact with other chemicals it can release a chlorine gas.  Lucy will need to get the Safety data sheet for the cleaning agent used and add additional controls to the risk assessment for this.  I would also advise checking to see if anyone who is doing the filming has an allergy to chlorine?

This was great news for me, and I was more than happy to make the minor adjustments. I am now waiting on a reply, and hope that my project can finally get approval. I also have a meeting with the curator of the gallery this week to discuss the project, and I'm hoping that I can discuss the risks in a bit more detail with him to assure him with ways in which the project can be erected and remain in the gallery safely throughout the 3 weeks.