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
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