Deafness and lab safety
A free app in use at a number of universities can help to keep staff and students safe on campus.
It has particular features for disabled people or people with long-term health conditions. The app can raise alerts by phone or on a wearable device and can share the user鈥檚 location, as well as showing bespoke evacuation plans or care needs. Because the app is on a person鈥檚 phone, they can customise it using their phone鈥檚 accessibility features.
A severely Deaf postdoctoral researcher working in a laboratory environment encountered issues with a lack of visible alerting systems in laboratories. In particular, there were no visible alerting systems for fire, fumehood alarms or low oxygen content. Most alerting systems and alarms rely on sound to convey that there is an emergency. Lighting, such as strobe lighting, which can alert Deaf people to an emergency, can also be used alongside sound-based alarms, but this is often not provided. For this researcher, strobe lighting had been available in one office, but was not provided in another office. The app provides another possible route for alerts, and can enable security to locate people in an emergency or out of hours.
There are issues with a lack of visible alerting systems in laboratories for fire, fume hood alarms, and low oxygen content. I had a strobe light in my office, but this was not moved to my new office. The app makes me feel comfortable working out of hours, knowing security can locate me.