MIT’s administrative community demonstrated that it’s already off to the races when it comes to invention. The jam-packed annual poster session on October 14 brought together 26 sponsoring DLCs and hundreds of Institute community members eager for a preview of what’s next at MIT.

1. Safety Savings Service
EHS, VPF, and DLCs Working Together
Presented by: Jim Bagley (VPF)
Katie Blass (EHS)
Mary Lindstrom (BE, DMSE, CEHS)Get the right coat on the right person at the right time
Gas Cylinders
airgas.mit.edu
Lab Coats
1) Updated policy
2) Improved guidance
on selection, use and
care
3) Increased compliance
4) Outreach efforts
1) Established two
Preferred Vendors
2) Corrected overcharges
3) Improved efficiency =
more savings
Safety
Safety
Service
Service
Savings
Savings
1) Identified effective
lab coat system
2) Increased lab usage of
laundry programs
3) Assessed conditions
to drive future
improvements
1) Airgas collaboration to
improve efficiency
2) Established User Group
for customer buy-in
3) New MIT Airgas website
4) Web-based report
distribution
1) Methods to reduce
monthly rental charges
2) Tools to identify
invoice discrepancies
3) Facilitating invoice
review at lab level
Process improvements and system enhancements
1) Optimized cylinder
storage practices
2) Initiative to reduce
cylinders in halls
3) Ongoing assessment
of gas use and best
practices
Opportunities
Opportunities
Lab Coats 2.0 Proposal
1. Manage lab coat distribution and
administration at the Institute level
2. Establish campus-wide distribution
system
3. Cover lab coat costs centrally
4. Link lab coat distribution to hazard
assessments
Created by MIT
Streamlined pickup
requests, relocation
reporting
Purge of
unneeded cylinders
Storage
Solutions
Material
Selection
Style
Cylinders =
Rental Fees +
Safety
Reporting
Weekly inventory
reports
Simplified invoice
distribution
DLC Program
Lab-run Program
Preferred
Vendor
Other
Vendor
Thrown
Away
Pile in
Corner
What happens to
dirty lab coats?
Survey
From this...
to this!
Corridors
1) Standardize use of clean, hazard-appropriate lab coats
2) Improve distribution and laundering of lab coats across the the Institute
1) Streamline communications between labs and vendor for increased efficiency
2) Develop cylinder management tools to save money and increase safety