LABORATORY CHEMICAL SAFETY PROGRAM
ROSE-HULMAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Emergency Information
Laboratory Safety Personnel Contacts
1.0 Introduction
·
1.1 Regulatory Basis
·
1.2 Responsibility for Implementation
o
1.2.1 Academic Departments
o
1.2.2 Faculty Members
o
1.2.3 Laboratory and Stockroom Student
Worker
·
1.3 Organization and Content
2.0 Control Measures
·
2.1 Administrative Controls
o
2.1.1 Prior Approval of Hazardous
Operations
o
2.1.2 Laboratory Entrance Signs
·
2.2 Engineering Controls
·
2.3 Procedural Controls
·
2.4 Personal Protective Equipment
o
2.4.1 Eye Protection
o
2.4.2 Face Protection
o
2.4.3 Hand Protection
o
2.4.4 Foot Protection
o
2.4.5 Body Protection
o
2.4.6 Respiratory Protection
3.0 Standard Operating Procedures
·
3.1 General Laboratory Safety Procedures
·
3.2 Procedures for Proper Labeling and Safe
Storage of Chemicals
·
3.3 Chemical Fume Hood - Procedures for
Proper and Safe Use
·
3.4 Corrosive Chemicals - Procedures for
Safe Handling and Storage
·
3.5 Flammable and Combustible Liquids -
Procedures for Safe Handling
·
and Storage
·
3.6 Oxidizing Agents - Procedures for Safe
Handling and Storage
·
3.7 Reactive Chemicals - Procedures for
Safe Handling and Storage
·
3.8 Carcinogens, Reproductive Toxins, and
Acutely Toxic Chemicals -
·
Procedures for Safe Handling and Storage
·
3.9 Compressed Gases - Procedures for Safe
Handling and Storage
·
3.10 Cryogenic Liquids - Procedures for
Safe Handling and Storage
·
3.11 Electrical Safety Procedures
·
3.12 Glassware and Sharps - Procedures for
Safe Handling and Disposal
·
3.13 Chemical Spill Response Procedures
4.0 Information and Training
·
4.1 Required Training Content
·
4.2 Training Resources
·
4.3 Training Documentation
5.0 Medical Consultations and Examinations
·
5.1 Examination Criteria
·
5.2 Information to the Physician
·
5.3 Physician's Written Opinion
·
5.4 Campus Medical Services
6.0 Laboratory Safety Equipment
·
6.1 Chemical Fume Hoods
·
6.2 Safety Showers
·
6.3 Eyewash Stations
·
6.4 Fire Extinguishers
·
6.5 Fire Blankets
·
6.6 Flammable Liquid Storage Cabinets
·
6.7 Safety Cans
·
6.8 Explosion-Proof and Laboratory-Safe
Refrigeration Equipment
·
6.9 First Aid Kits
·
6.10 Chemical Spill Kits
·
6.11 Portable Safety Shields
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EMERGENCY INFORMATION
Major Emergencies
In the event of an accident in
the laboratory which involves an uncontrolled fire, explosion, or a large
release of a hazardous chemical:
·
Evacuate the building by activating the
nearest fire alarm.
·
Call 8911 and give the details of the
accident including the location, types of hazardous material involved, and
whether there were any personal injuries.
If the accident involves
serious personal injury or chemical contamination, follow the above steps as
appropriate and at the same time:
·
Move the victim from the immediate area of
the fire, explosion, or spill (if this can be done without further injury to
the victim or you).
·
Remove any contaminated clothing from the
victim and flush all areas of the body contacted by chemicals with copious
amounts of water for 15 minutes.
Minor Emergencies
In the event of an accident in
the laboratory which involves a minor chemical release or spill (with no
personal injuries):
·
Follow the Chemical Spill Response
Procedures - SOP 3.13.
·
Call 8124 for advice or assistance (
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EMERGENCY & LABORATORY SAFETY CONTACTS
Police, Fire Department,
Ambulance 9-911
Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology Security 8911
Environmental Health and Safety
Officer –Mike Howard 8124
Cyndi Brush 8206
David Erwin 8476
Frank Cunning 8380
Physics TBD
Facilities TBD
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
The Laboratory Chemical Safety
Plan is a written program for ensuring the safe use of chemicals in
laboratories at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. It describes policies,
procedures, and control measures which must be understood and observed by all
individuals involved in the laboratory use of chemicals.
1.1 Regulatory Basis
The development and
implementation of a Laboratory Chemical Safety Plan (or Chemical Hygiene Plan)
is a central requirement of the federal rule entitled “Occupational Exposure to
Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories,” more commonly referenced as the
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) “Lab Standard” (Appendix A contains a copy of the
standard). The Lab Standard was published as a “final rule” in the
1.2 Responsibility for Implementation
It is the policy of Rose-Hulman
Institute of Technology to support the use of chemicals and other potentially
hazardous materials for purposes of research and teaching. At the same time,
the Institute is committed to ensuring the safety of its students, employees,
and visitors and to complying with all regulatory requirements which impact its
facilities and operations. Toward this end, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
has designated the following specific responsibilities for developing and
implementing the Laboratory Chemical Safety Plan.
1.2.1 Academic Departments
The head of each academic
department is responsible for the safety of all individuals working in the
department's laboratories. The head fulfills this responsibility, in part, by
ensuring that all departmental faculty members understand and take seriously
their roles in implementing the Laboratory Chemical Safety Plan. To facilitate this process, each head must
appoint a departmental Laboratory Chemical Safety Officer (LCSO) who will
coordinate and monitor the implementation of the LCSP within the department.
1.2.2 Faculty Members
Each faculty member (or
principal investigator) is responsible for the safety of individuals working
within his or her laboratories. Toward this end, faculty members must work with
the respective departmental Laboratory Chemical Safety Officer to adapt and
implement the provisions of the Laboratory Chemical Safety Plan. This includes
ensuring that each individual working within the lab is provided with
appropriate training on safety and regulatory requirements; that required
safety equipment and personal protective devices are provided, maintained, and
used; that specific standard operating procedures incorporating safety
considerations are developed and observed; and that prompt action is taken to
correct any unsafe acts or conditions which have been observed or reported.
1.2.3 Laboratory and Stockroom Student
Workers
Each laboratory and stockroom
student worker is responsible for implementing the requirements of the Laboratory Chemical Safety Plan. This
includes participating in required training, utilizing appropriate safety
equipment and personal protection devices and apparel, observing standard
operating procedures and informing the supervisor (i.e., principal investigator
or lab supervisor) of
any accidents or unsafe conditions.
1.3 Organization and Content
The Laboratory Chemical Safety
Plan (LCSP) is intended to serve as an operational guide for the incorporation
of prudent safety practices into the day-to-day use of chemicals within
laboratories. It was developed and issued in a general form which should be
adapted and expanded by particular departments and research groups to meet
their specific needs. The LCSP was organized in a format that should enable
desired information to be quickly found and readily updated. The content of the
LCSP was established directly from the requirements of the Lab Standard and
includes the following general types of information:
·
Designation of the personnel responsible
for the implementation of the
Laboratory Chemical Safety Plan.
·
Criteria that the employer will use to
implement control measures to reduce individual exposures to chemicals. These
measures include administrative controls, engineering controls, procedural
controls, and the use of personal protective equipment.
·
Standard operating procedures (SOP’s)
relevant to safety and health considerations which are to be observed for the
use of hazardous chemicals in the laboratory. A number of generic SOP’s have
been included in the LCSP. However, each laboratory group should develop and
add specific SOP’s which are appropriate for their particular uses of chemicals.
·
Provisions for personnel training.
·
Provisions for medical consultations and
examinations.
·
Circumstances under which a laboratory
procedure shall require prior
approval before implementation.
·
Provisions for additional personnel
protection for work with carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and chemicals with
high acute toxicity.
·
A requirement that fume hoods and other
protective equipment function properly and that measures will be taken to
ensure this.
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2.0 CONTROL MEASURES
The OSHA Lab Standard requires
that laboratory personnel implement appropriate control measures to ensure that
chemical exposures are maintained below regulatory limits and as low as
reasonably achievable. In general, control measures can be categorized as
administrative controls, engineering
controls, procedural controls (i.e., standard operating procedures), or
personal protection.
2.1 Administrative Controls
Administrative controls consist
of various policies and requirements which are established at an administrative
level (e.g., by the department head, department safety committee, or Institute
Laboratory Chemical Safety Committee) to promote safety in the laboratory. They may include:
·
Ensuring that all laboratory personnel have
been provided with adequate training to enable them to conduct their duties
safely (see Section 4.0 Information and Training).
·
Requiring prior approval and additional
control measures for certain
particularly hazardous operations or activities.
·
Restricting access to areas in which
particularly hazardous chemicals are used.
·
Posting appropriate signs to identify
specific hazards within an area.
·
Requiring that various standard practices
for chemical safety and good
housekeeping be observed at all times in the laboratory.
2.1.1 Prior Approval of Hazardous
Operations
The OSHA Lab Standard requires
that activities which involve certain particularly hazardous chemicals be
reviewed and approved in advance by an appropriate individual or group.
Depending upon the specific department, this approving entity could be a
department safety committee, the Laboratory Chemical Safety Officer, or the
department head. At the time of approval, any additional required control
measures for the project should be specified. Examples of the types of
operations which should receive prior approval are those involving the use of
select carcinogens, reproductive
toxins, acutely toxic chemicals, highly reactive or shock sensitive chemicals,
or highly corrosive or oxidizing chemicals. In addition, any operation that
produces unknown but potentially
hazardous results should receive prior approval.
2.1.2 Laboratory Entrance Signs
The entrance to each laboratory
in which chemicals are used or stored shall be posted with the names and phone
numbers of the principal investigator (or lab supervisor) and any other
designated personnel who can be contacted in the event of an emergency. In
addition, laboratory entrance postings should indicate the presence of certain
specific hazards.
2.2 Engineering Controls
Engineering controls consist of
various measures for reducing a hazard at its source or for separating
personnel from the hazard. In the laboratory, examples of engineering controls
include the substitution of less hazardous chemicals in an operation, isolating
a particular chemical operation, enclosing a potentially explosive reaction, or
utilizing local exhaust such as a fume hood for an operation which produces
airborne chemicals (see Section 6.1 Chemical Fume Hoods). Because engineering
controls function to reduce or eliminate a hazard at its source before it is
created, they should be fully considered and utilized whenever possible as the
first step in chemical hazard control within the laboratory.
2.3 Procedural Controls
Procedural controls (or work
practice controls) are typically in the form of standard operating procedures
(SOP’s) which define the manner in which certain types of chemicals are to be
handled, or the manner in which specific operations involving chemicals are to be
conducted, in order to minimize hazards. Section 3.0 of this Plan contains a
number of SOP’s which are generally applicable to all laboratories. It is the
responsibility of personnel in each laboratory, however, to develop (and
incorporate into the LCSP) specific SOP’s which reflect the operations and
experimental protocols performed in their laboratory.
2.4 Personal Protective Equipment
For many laboratory operations,
the risk of chemical exposure cannot be totally eliminated through the use of
engineering and procedural control measures. For this reason, it is necessary
to supplement such measures with the use of personal protective equipment and
apparel (PPE). Because PPE functions as a barrier between the laboratory worker
and the chemical hazard, rather than by actually reducing or eliminating the
hazard, its use should always be in addition to (and never as a substitute for)
appropriate engineering and procedural controls. It is the responsibility of
the principal investigator (or supervisor) of the laboratory to ensure that
appropriate personal protective equipment is provided to, and used by, all
laboratory personnel. Such equipment should be adequate to ensure personnel are
protected from chemical exposure to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract.
2.4.1 Eye Protection