Certificate of Fitness
Due to recent changes in New York City Fire regulation, Carleton Laboratory is now required to have a C-14 Certificate of Fitness holder present at any time when a laboratory is in operation. This is a simple certification by the FDNY that proves an understanding of basic fire safety in a laboratory environment. Both the manager and assistant manager of Carleton Lab hold C-14 certifications, so all activities performed during normal operating hours of the lab do not require certification.
However, any researcher who works in the Carleton Laboratory (including Burmister) outside of normal operating hours (9:00am to 5:00pm M-F) must obtain a C-14 Certificate of Fitness. Columbia Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) holds a free one-hour certification class every Tuesday, from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. The only other qualification is an M.S. degree with at least two years of laboratory experience or a BS degree with five years of experience. A copy of your diploma must be brought to the certification session. The certification process is sponsored by Columbia University, so the application process is free to all students, faculty, and staff.
Please see the EH&S Website with further information on the C-14 Certificate of Fitness: http://www.ehs.columbia.edu/COFreq.html