Top Ten Things You Need to Know about the Chemical Hygiene Standard
Laurie de Laski1. The OSHA Standard for regulating safety in research and development laboratories is: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories (29 CFR 1910.1450). The standard does not apply to production or QA/QC labs (see definition in #9).
2. The employer must develop and maintain a Chemical Hygiene Plan for each lab
3. The employer must designate a Chemical Hygiene Officer (an individual or group of individuals responsible for implementation of all requirements of the lab standard)
4. The employer must provide a formal training program for all employees that will work in R&D laboratories, to be provided prior to initial assignment AND whenever a new chemical, hazard, or task is introduced.
5. Training should include a review of the Chemical Hygiene Plan, location of MSDS and reference materials, chemical use and hazard information, standard operating procedures and emergency procedures, chemical labeling system, and proper storage.
6. An Up-to-date inventory maintained for all hazardous materials must be maintained
7. Hazardous Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) must be maintained and all employees must know the location of MSDS' and related reference material
8. All chemical containers must have an appropriate label based on the labs labeling/identification system
9. Workplaces covered by the laboratory standard are determined by their conformance with the laboratory use and laboratory scale criteria, as defined in the standard terms as those operations involving:
- use of chemicals in relatively small quantities and multiple chemical procedures
- chemical containers of such a size that can be easily and safely handled by one person
- small scale research procedures (investigative scale), and not production processes (industrial scale)
- use of protective laboratory practices and equipment (e.g., fume hoods)
10. R&D Lab facilities may have other support operations (shipping/receiving, warehouse) where the OSHA Hazard Communications Standard 1910.1200 applies.
Topics:
OSHA,
General Industry H&S,
H&S Training,
HazCom,
Hazardous Materials,
Lab Safety & Electrical,
MSDS,
Occupational Training,
Lab Safety,
hygiene standard
Dian Cucchisi, PhD, CHMM
1. Is the material hazardous? This can be determined by looking at the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) or the label.
2. Does the Department of Transportation consider the material a hazardous material for transportation? Check the Hazardous Material Table (HMT) found in 49 CFR 172.101.
3. Is the material listed by name in the HMT? If so, that would be the proper shipping name.
4. Is the material not listed by name in the HMT but is a hazardous material due to flammability, corrosivity, etc.? If so, a generic proper shipping name would be used. The generic proper shipping names are also located in the HMT.
5. Do you have personnel trained according to 49 CFR 172.704?
6. Do you have the proper label(s) as required by 49 CFR 172.400 - .450?
7. Is the packaging approved for the shipment of hazardous materials according to 49 CFR 173?
8. Have you completed the Shipper's Declaration of Dangerous Goods?
9. Is the listed emergency response telephone number answered by a "live person?"
10. Failure to ship hazardous materials properly has resulted in monetary fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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Topics:
OSHA,
DOT,
health and safety,
General Industry H&S,
Emergency Response,
H&S Training,
Hazardous Materials,
Occupational Health,
Occupational Safety,
emergency response training,
MSDS,
Respiratory,
Occupational Training,
Safety Training in Spanish
Diego Tolosa, CHSTOSHA has unveiled its latest National Emphasis Program (NEP), the Process Safety Management (PSM) Covered Chemical Facilities National Emphasis Program. This program targets workplaces that could potentially release highly hazardous chemicals by evaluating their compliance of the PSM standard (29 CFR 1910.119). The only NAICS that has been excluded is 32411 (Petroleum refineries), which has been covered by the Petroleum Refinery Process Safety Management NEP.
The PSM Covered Chemical Facilities NEP will be used for programmed inspections at sites selected for the NEP in Regions 1, 7, and 10, unprogrammed and site-specific targeted PSM inspections in all OSHA Regions (
click here to view the regions). Some of areas that will be assessed during the inspection include:
Contract Employer Compliance (maintenance or construction).
Individual processes. Includes: operator(s), age of the system and nature and PPE selection.
Documentation. Includes: list of PSM-covered processes, maximum intended inventories, unit flow diagrams, process narrative descriptions, Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) and safe upper and lower operating limits and unit electrical classification diagrams.
For more information on the PSM Covered Chemical Facilities NEP, please refer to:
http://osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/CPL_02_09-06.pdf
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Topics:
OSHA,
General Industry H&S,
H&S Training,
Hazardous Waste Management,
HazCom,
Compliance,
MSDS,
NAICS
Kevin Zeller1. OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1910.134 details the requirements for a Respiratory Protection Program.
2. A Respiratory Protection Program is mandatory if any employee is required to wear any type of respirator during the course of their job.
3. The establishment and maintenance of a Respiratory Protection Program is the responsibility of the employer and must of: a written program, employee training, fit testing and medical surveillance.
4. All employees who will be issued respiratory protection must be medically cleared to wear a respirator before fit testing and donning a respirator
5. Only respirators which have been certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) should be used
6. Fit testing for respirators is done to determine the correct size respirator for the employee.
7. Fit testing is required for all positive and negative pressure tight fitting facepieces.
8. Fit testing can be accomplished by using either a qualitative agent (eg Bitrex) or quantitatively (eg., PORTACOUNT®) with a probed face piece.
9. Fit testing must be conducted: prior to initial issuance of a respirator; when a different facepiece is used; when an employees physical changes may affect facepiece fit; and annually thereafter.
10. Employees must conduct a user seal check each time they wear a respirator to assure they have donned and adjusted the facepiece correctly.
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Topics:
NIOSH,
OSHA,
health and safety,
General Industry H&S,
Construction H&S,
Emergency Response,
H&S Training,
Hazardous Waste Management,
Compliance,
Occupational Health,
Occupational Safety,
Lab Safety & Electrical,
emergency response training,
Fire Safety,
Respiratory,
Occupational Training,
Safety Training in Spanish,
EMT,
Fit Testing
Capt. John DeFillippo, CHMP, EMT-B
The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim. Its never too late and kids should learn to treat the water with respect at an early age. As a veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, an EMT and a licensed captain working in marine salvage, Ive seen my share of tragedies on the water. Sadly, nearly all were avoidable. Here are some tips to help you stay safe in and on the water this summer when on and off the clock.
At Play
1. Swim in a supervised, marked area with a lifeguard present and never swim alone.
2. Enter the water feet first. Enter the water headfirst only when the area is clearly marked for diving .
3. Adults should never leave a child unobserved around water. Practice "reach supervision" by staying within an arm's length when around the water.
4. If you are caught in a rip current, swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current. Once you are free, turn and swim toward shore. You can't swim against a rip, dont try.
5. Keep toys away from the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children into the pool.
6. If a child is missing, check the pool first. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom, and surface, as well as the surrounding pool area.
7. Take a Safe Boating Course. Many states now require this for operation of vessels, including personal water craft or jet-skies. Check your local laws.
8. Learn CPR and Basic First Aid. Knowing what to do in an emergency can save a life.
9. Leave water rescue to those who are trained. Too many would-be rescuers become victims themselves.
At Work
10. Do you or your employees work on, near or over water? Did you know that there are specific OSHA regulations covering the safety of such workers including required training and protective equipment? If you have any questions or youre not sure, reply to this post or visit our Twitter page -
@Emilcott and send a DM.
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Topics:
General Industry H&S,
Construction H&S,
H&S Training,
Compliance,
worker safety,
Occupational Health,
Occupational Safety,
Safety Training in Spanish,
water safety,
EMT
Topics:
OSHA,
health and safety,
General Industry H&S,
Construction H&S,
Emergency Response,
H&S Training,
Hazardous Waste Management,
Occupational Health,
Occupational Safety,
emergency response training,
Fire Safety,
Exposure,
Respiratory,
Occupational Training,
Safety Training in Spanish
Martha Hernandez
The National Eye Institute (NEI) has deemed May Healthy Vision Month. This year they are emphasizing getting your eyes checked by an eye care professional. Over 11 million Americans have one of the most common (and correctable) vision problems in the United States; refractive errors.
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Topics:
Personal Protective Equipment,
health and safety,
General Industry H&S,
Construction H&S,
H&S Training,
Occupational Health,
Occupational Training
Topics:
OSHA,
health and safety,
General Industry H&S,
Construction H&S,
H&S Training,
Compliance,
Occupational Health,
Occupational Safety,
emergency response training,
Occupational Training,
Safety Training in Spanish,
Confined Space
The Importance of Following OSHAs Hazard Communication Standard 29 CFR 1910.1200
Diego Tolosa, CHST
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Topics:
OSHA,
Personal Protective Equipment,
health and safety,
General Industry H&S,
Construction H&S,
H&S Training,
Hazardous Waste Management,
HazCom,
Hazardous Materials,
Compliance,
Occupational Health,
Occupational Safety,
MSDS,
Occupational Training,
Safety Training in Spanish
