I want a safe lab that complies with the OSHA laboratory standard. What should be the scope of our CHEMICAL HYGIENE PLAN?
The OSHA lab standard (OLS) only pertains to chemicals, not infectious agents or other biohazards, or radioactive materials. Further, the OLS focuses on controlling exposures to toxic chemicals. Except where it pertains to minimizing risks to health, your Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) need not to address in detail safe storage or the reactive, flammability hazards of chemicals, for example. Some labs use minute quantities of chemicals, such as in a laser or photolysis laboratory. Consequently, the lab’s CHP can be quite simple — not much different than the template CHP in Appendix C. If your laboratory’s hazards are primarily physical (such as the use of chemicals in high pressure or cryogenic procedures) a Chemical Hygiene Plan is still required. You will probably need only to address chemical exposures minimally. Also, the Guide may not be an adequate reference for safety procedures; ACS’s Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories may be a better reference for these areas. Also, remem
Related Questions
- Does a CHEMICAL HYGIENE PLAN actually improve lab safety, or is it just another ineffective onerous government regulation?
- I want a safe lab that complies with the OSHA laboratory standard. What should be the scope of our CHEMICAL HYGIENE PLAN?
- Is my Department, Laboratory, or Center REQUIRED to use the MIT Chemical Hygiene Plan Template?