The following is a text extract of the OSHA fact sheet of Hazardous Chemicals in Labs.
The
official 2-color publication is a 8.5" x 11" portrait presentation in PDF format.
Hazardous Chemicals in Labs
What types of hazardous chemicals
are present in laboratories?
Hazardous chemicals present physical or health
threats to workers in clinical, industrial, and
academic laboratories. They include carcinogens,
toxins, irritants, corrosives, sensitizers, hepatotoxins,
nephrotoxins, neurotoxins as well as agents that act
on the hematopoietic systems or damage the lungs,
skin, eyes, or mucous membranes. OSHA currently
has rules that limit exposures to approximately
400 substances.
Are there OSHA standards that cover
workers exposed to hazardous chemicals in laboratories?
Yes. Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) 1910.1450, Occupational Exposure to
Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories, covers all
workers using hazardous chemicals in laboratories.
"Laboratory use" means performing chemical
procedures using small quantities of hazardous
chemicals on a laboratory scale and not as part of a
production process in an environment where
protective laboratory practices and equipment are in
common use. This standard requires employers to
keep employee exposures at or below the
permissible exposure limits (PELS) specified in the
standard on air contaminants (see CFR 1910.1000,
Table Z) and in other substance-specific health
standards.
How must employers monitor
employee exposures?
You must periodically measure employee
exposures to harmful substances if you suspect
that these exposures are routinely above the action
level (i.e., the threshold for increased compliance
activities such as air monitoring and medical
examinations). If the exposures are routinely above
the action level, you must conduct periodic
monitoring of employees for that substance.
Monitoring may be terminated when employee
exposures are below the action level.
Are employers required to have a
chemical hygiene plan?
Yes. If your laboratory employees use hazardous
chemicals, you must develop and implement a
written chemical hygiene plan to protect them.
In addition to appropriate safety and health
procedures and hygiene practices for hazardous
chemicals in laboratories, the plan must include the
following:
- Criteria for reducing employee exposure to
hazardous chemicals;
- Use of personal protective equipment;
- Requirements that ensure fume hoods and
other protective equipment are functioning
properly;
- Provisions for employee training;
- Circumstances requiring employer approval of
certain laboratory operations, procedures, or
activities before implementation;
- Provisions for medical consultation;
- Measures to protect employees from
particularly hazardous substances; and
- Assignment of a Chemical Hygiene Officer—
a qualified employee who by training or
experience can provide technical guidance in
developing and implementing the chemical
hygiene plan.
What information and training must
employers provide to workers?
You must provide workers with information and
training that ensures their awareness of the
chemical hazards used in their work area. You also
must provide this information when an employee is
initially assigned to a work area where hazardous
chemicals are present and before assignments
involving new exposure situations.
In addition, you must inform your employees of
the following:
- Contents of the occupational exposure standard
and its appendices;
- Location and availability of the employer’s
chemical hygiene plan;
- PELs for the hazardous substances to which
employees are exposed;
- Signs and symptoms associated with
exposures to hazardous chemicals used in
the laboratory; and
- Location and availability of known reference
material on the chemical hazards, and their
safe handling, storage, and disposal including,
but not limited to, Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDSs) received from chemical suppliers.
You must also train your employees concerning
the following:
- Methods of detecting the presence or release
of a hazardous chemical;
- Hazards (both physical and health) of chemicals
in the work area;
- Measures that workers and their employers can
take to protect employees from hazards, including
specific procedures the employer has implemented
to protect employees from exposure to hazardous
chemicals, such as appropriate work practices,
emergency procedures, and personal protective
equipment; and
- Details of the employer’s written chemical
hygiene plan.
When must employers provide
medical consultation and
examinations for employees?
Employers must give all employees who work
with hazardous chemicals the opportunity to receive
medical attention, including any follow-up
examinations that the examining licensed physician
decides are necessary. Employees must receive any
medical examinations and consultations without cost
or loss of pay and at a reasonable time and place.
The employer must provide certain information
to the physician, including the identity of the
hazardous chemicals, a description of the
conditions under which the exposure occurred,
and a description of the signs and symptoms of
exposure that the employee is experiencing.
What means of hazard identification
must the employer use?
You must ensure that labels on incoming
containers of hazardous chemicals are not removed
or defaced. You must also retain MSDSs on
incoming hazardous chemicals and make them
available to laboratory employees. An MSDS
contains precautions for handling and using
harmful substances and includes information such
as health hazards, fire and explosion hazards,
physical characteristics, hazardous ingredients,
personal protective equipment, and spill
procedures. (See 29 CFR 1910.1450.)
What are the requirements for
respirator use?
If engineering, administrative, and work practice
controls fail to maintain exposures below PELs,
workers must use respirators to achieve that end.
Employers must provide appropriate respiratory
protection at no cost to workers, provide
appropriate training and education regarding its
use, and ensure that workers use it properly.
(See 29 CFR 1910.134.)
What records must the employer
keep?
You must establish and maintain for each
employee an accurate record of any measurements
taken to monitor employee exposure and any
medical consultation and examination including
tests or written opinions.
How can you get more information
on safety and health?
OSHA has various publications, standards,
technical assistance, and compliance tools to help
you, and offers extensive assistance through
workplace consultation, voluntary protection
programs, grants, strategic partnerships, state
plans, training, and education. OSHA’s Safety and
Health Program Management Guidelines ( Federal
Register 54:3904-3916, January 26, 1989) detail
elements critical to the development of a successful
safety and health management system. In addition,
Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories
(OSHA 3119) explains this subject in greater
detail. You can order this publication online from
OSHA at
http://www.osha.gov/pls/publications/publication.html
or by contacting the
OSHA publications office at the address below.
This and other information are available on OSHA’s
website.
- For one free copy of OSHA publications, send a
self-addressed mailing label to OSHA Publications
Office, P.O. Box 37535, Washington, DC
20013-7535; or send a request to our fax at
(202) 693-2498, or call us at (202) 693-1888.
- To order OSHA publications online at
www.osha.gov, go to Publications and follow
the instructions for ordering.
- To file a complaint by phone, report an emergency,
or get OSHA advice, assistance, or products,
contact your nearest OSHA office under the "U.S.
Department of Labor" listing in your phone book,
or call toll-free at (800) 321-OSHA (6742). The
teletypewriter (TTY) number is (877) 889-5627.
- To file a complaint online or obtain more
information on OSHA federal and state programs,
visit OSHA’s website.
This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies, or standards. It does not impose
any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of compliance requirements of OSHA standards or regulations,
refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations. This information will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals
upon request. The voice phone is (202) 693-1999. See also OSHA’s website at www.osha.gov.
U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
2002
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