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Postgraduate students, staff of the Vhembe District Municipality and Univen staff members who attended the seminar.

Don't destroy fire extinguishers

 

Students have a tendency of destroying fire extinguishers and all safety equipment when they are on strike.

This was said by Mr Hendrik Sibara from the Vhembe District Municipality Fire Station during a safety seminar held at the University of Venda Research Conference Centre a fortnight ago. Sibara added that destroying fire extinguishers was an activity that was harmful to all students and might catch up with them sooner or later. "What you do today might affect other people’s lives in future," he said.

The seminar was aimed at creating safety awareness among postgraduate chemistry students who are conducting their research and experiments in the university’s laboratories.

The Dean for the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences, Prof Natasha Potgieter, said students must follow proper procedure when working in the laboratories. "Chemicals are not only found in laboratories. We also use other chemicals at our homes on a daily basis and we need to be careful and know how to handle them. To be able to do that, we need training such as this," Potgieter said. "Be aware of the steps that should be taken in case of an emergency that might save a life."

Dr Nikita Tavengwa, a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, said the university community should work together in making sure that laboratories and all buildings were always safe. “If you suspect that something is malfunctioning in the lab, please report it," he said.

Mr Vincent Lotter from Lasec advised the students never to mix chemicals that they were not sure of. "Those chemicals could explode and burn you or even the whole building," Lotter said. They were also advised to never enter the lab without a lab coat on or to handle chemicals without gloves and safety glasses. 

 

News - Date: 22 June 2019

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Mbulaheni Ridovhona

The 22-year-old Mbulaheni (Gary) Ridovhona has been passionate about journalism to the extent that he would buy himself a copy of weekly Univen students' newsletter, Our Voice. After reading, he would write stories about his rural village, Mamvuka, and submit them to the very newsletter for publication. His deep-rooted love for words and writing saw him register for a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies at the University of Venda, and joined the Limpopo Mirror team in February 2016 as a journalism intern.

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