Chemical Hygiene in Laboratories

Does this standard cover your work?

The Laboratory standard applies to employers engaged in the laboratory use of hazardous chemicals. That means all of these are true:

• Chemicals are handled on a laboratory scale (containers designed to be easily and safely handled by one person)
• Multiple chemical procedures or chemicals are used
• The work is not part of a production process and does not simulate one
• Protective laboratory practices and equipment are available and in common use

When it does not apply

• Uses that do not meet that definition, even inside a lab. Then the other OSHA chemical standards apply instead.
• Lab uses with no potential for employee exposure, for example Dip-and-Read test strips, or commercially prepared kits (such as pregnancy test kits) that contain all the reagents needed to conduct the test.

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.1450(a)(1) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(b) "Laboratory use of hazardous chemicals" · 29 CFR 1910.1450(a)(3)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(a)(3)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(b) "Laboratory scale" · 29 CFR 1910.1450(a)(3)(ii)(A) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(a)(3)(ii)(B)

Your lab's written plan

Where hazardous chemicals are used, your employer must develop and carry out a written Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP). It must be readily available to you and your representatives. Know where it is.

What you will find in it

• Standard operating procedures to follow when lab work involves hazardous chemicals
• The criteria for control measures: engineering controls, PPE and hygiene practices
• A requirement that fume hoods and other protective equipment work properly, and the measures to make sure they do
• Which operations or procedures need prior approval before you start them
• Who is responsible, including the Chemical Hygiene Officer
• Training, medical consultation, and extra protection for particularly hazardous substances

The employer must review the plan's effectiveness at least annually and update it as needed.

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(1) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(2) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(3)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(3)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(3)(iii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(3)(v) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(3)(vii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(4) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(3)(iv) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(3)(vi) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(3)(viii)

Labels, SDSs and signs of a release

Labels and safety data sheets

• Labels on incoming containers must not be removed or defaced.
• Safety data sheets received with shipments are kept and must be readily accessible to you.

What you must be told

You get this information when you are first assigned to a work area with hazardous chemicals, and before assignments involving new exposure situations:

• The contents of the Laboratory standard and its appendices, which must be made available to you
• Where the Chemical Hygiene Plan is
• The exposure limits (OSHA PELs, or recommended limits where there is no OSHA standard)
• The signs and symptoms of exposure to the chemicals in your lab
• Where to find known reference material on the hazards, safe handling, storage and disposal of the lab's chemicals, including safety data sheets from the chemical supplier

How a release may show itself

Your training must cover ways to detect the presence or release of a hazardous chemical, such as employer monitoring, continuous monitoring devices, and the visual appearance or odor of a chemical being released.

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.1450(h)(1)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(h)(1)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(f)(3)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(f)(3)(iii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(f)(3)(iv) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(f)(4)(i)(A) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(f)(2) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(f)(3)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(f)(3)(v)

Chemicals you make in the lab

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.1450(h)(2)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(h)(2)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(h)(2)(iii)

Hoods, designated areas and respirators

Your employer must keep your exposure to OSHA regulated substances at or below the permissible exposure limits.

The laboratory hood

A laboratory-type hood draws air from the lab and prevents or minimizes the escape of contaminants into the lab. It is built so chemical manipulations can be done in the enclosure without putting any part of your body inside other than your hands and arms. Walk-in hoods with adjustable sashes also meet the definition, provided the sashes are adjusted during use so that the airflow and the exhaust of air contaminants are not compromised and employees do not work inside the enclosure during the release of airborne hazardous chemicals.

Good practice: at a bench-type hood, keep your head out of the enclosure.

Particularly hazardous substances

Select carcinogens, reproductive toxins and substances with a high degree of acute toxicity get extra protection in the plan, where appropriate:

• A designated area (the whole lab, part of it, or a device such as a hood)
• Containment devices such as fume hoods or glove boxes
• Procedures for safe removal of contaminated waste
• Decontamination procedures

Respirators

Where respirators are necessary to keep exposure below the limits, the employer provides them at no cost to you, selected and used under the respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134).

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.1450(c) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(b) "Laboratory-type hood" · 29 CFR 1910.1450(e)(3)(viii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(b) "Designated area" · 29 CFR 1910.1450(i) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(f)(4)(i)(C)

Your right to medical attention

When you get a medical opportunity

Your employer must give you an opportunity to receive medical attention, including any follow-up examinations the examining physician finds necessary, in these cases:

• If you develop signs or symptoms associated with a hazardous chemical you may have been exposed to in the lab: an opportunity for an appropriate medical examination.
• After a spill, leak, explosion or other event that makes a hazardous exposure likely: an opportunity for a medical consultation to decide whether you need an exam.
• If exposure monitoring shows your exposure is routinely above the action level (or, where there is no action level, the PEL) for an OSHA regulated substance with exposure monitoring and medical surveillance requirements: medical surveillance as that substance's standard prescribes.

How it is provided

• By or under the direct supervision of a licensed physician
• Without cost to you, without loss of pay, at a reasonable time and place
• The employer gives the physician the identity of the chemicals, a description of the conditions of the exposure (including quantitative exposure data, if available), and a description of your signs and symptoms, if any

Monitoring results

If your exposure is monitored, the employer must tell you the results in writing within 15 working days after receiving them, individually or by posting them where you can see them.

Reference: 29 CFR 1910.1450(g)(1)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(g)(1)(iii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(g)(2) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(g)(3)(i) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(d)(4) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(g)(1) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(g)(1)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(g)(3)(ii) · 29 CFR 1910.1450(g)(3)(iii)