Don't Get Burned! October is Fire Safety Month
Sep 29, 2009 5:06:49 AM
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Topics: General Industry H&S, H&S Training, Fire Safety, Working Green, NFPA
Swine Flu Update
Sep 17, 2009 1:52:33 AM
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Topics: H&S Training, Occupational Health, Webinar, emergency response training, Occupational Training, Safety Training in Spanish, Swine Flu
My Immunity, No More
Sep 15, 2009 11:27:08 AM
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Topics: Personal Protective Equipment, General Industry H&S, H&S Training, Occupational Health, Exposure
September is National Preparedness Month
Sep 8, 2009 2:36:44 AM
Martha Hernandez
An effort to raise awareness - You never know when an emergency is going to happen. You must be and stay prepared for the unexpected at home, in school, at the workplace and in your community. Some emergencies which may happen: A Biological Threat , Blackouts, Earthquakes, Explosions, Fires, Floods, Hurricanes, Influenza Pandemic, Tornadoes, Wildfires, Winter Storms
Follow these simple steps for confidence during a disaster or crisis which may occur
1. Create a kit of emergency supplies (placing everything in a backpack is a great idea in case you have to evacuate quickly)
Items to include in your kit should be:
Copies of your important documents placed into a waterproof container
Birth certificates
Photo ids
Insurance cards
Copies of credit cards and ATM cards
Extra set of keys to your house and car
Cash or Travelers checks (stored in a waterproof container)
A weeks supply of medications and a list of the medications you take
Dosages, doctors names, doctors phone numbers
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Battery operated radio and extra batteries
Bottled water and non-perishable food
Personal Toiletries
Whistle
2. Create an emergency stash of Items to keep in your home (in case you are told to stay indoors)
Items to include should be:
Three days' supply of water
Rule of thumb: a total of one gallon per person per day = 3 gallons per person
Manual (non-electric) can opener
Utensils
Three days' supply of canned, non-perishable, ready-to-eat food
Canned fruit, beans
Special Needs items:
Infant care items
Items for elderly family members
Items for relatives with disabilities
Items for your pets
Phone that does not require electricity
3. Make a plan for you and your family
Determine and practice:
Where to go where is your location to reunite
Church, school, or a community center are ideal public places?
How to find one another
** Each family member must carry contact information
Phone numbers for work, school and each family member
A name a phone number of a relative who lives out of state they can become your main number to call in case you get separated
How to use different routes to get to your meeting place
4. Stay Informed
Learn what could happen where you live
Learn how to respond to different emergencies
Learn about the emergency plans that your community has set up
Read More
An effort to raise awareness - You never know when an emergency is going to happen. You must be and stay prepared for the unexpected at home, in school, at the workplace and in your community. Some emergencies which may happen: A Biological Threat , Blackouts, Earthquakes, Explosions, Fires, Floods, Hurricanes, Influenza Pandemic, Tornadoes, Wildfires, Winter Storms
Follow these simple steps for confidence during a disaster or crisis which may occur
1. Create a kit of emergency supplies (placing everything in a backpack is a great idea in case you have to evacuate quickly)
Items to include in your kit should be:
Copies of your important documents placed into a waterproof container
Birth certificates
Photo ids
Insurance cards
Copies of credit cards and ATM cards
Extra set of keys to your house and car
Cash or Travelers checks (stored in a waterproof container)
A weeks supply of medications and a list of the medications you take
Dosages, doctors names, doctors phone numbers
Flashlight and extra batteries
First aid kit
Battery operated radio and extra batteries
Bottled water and non-perishable food
Personal Toiletries
Whistle
2. Create an emergency stash of Items to keep in your home (in case you are told to stay indoors)
Items to include should be:
Three days' supply of water
Rule of thumb: a total of one gallon per person per day = 3 gallons per person
Manual (non-electric) can opener
Utensils
Three days' supply of canned, non-perishable, ready-to-eat food
Canned fruit, beans
Special Needs items:
Infant care items
Items for elderly family members
Items for relatives with disabilities
Items for your pets
Phone that does not require electricity
3. Make a plan for you and your family
Determine and practice:
Where to go where is your location to reunite
Church, school, or a community center are ideal public places?
How to find one another
** Each family member must carry contact information
Phone numbers for work, school and each family member
A name a phone number of a relative who lives out of state they can become your main number to call in case you get separated
How to use different routes to get to your meeting place
4. Stay Informed
Learn what could happen where you live
Learn how to respond to different emergencies
Learn about the emergency plans that your community has set up
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
Topics: Emergency Response, H&S Training, Hazardous Waste Management, emergency response training, Fire Safety, Medical Records
Watch Your Back! 5 Bending/Lifting Techniques
Aug 27, 2009 8:10:22 AM
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Topics: health and safety, General Industry H&S, Construction H&S, H&S Training, Occupational Health, Occupational Training, Safety Training in Spanish
10 Things EVERYONE Should Know About Fire Safety
Aug 25, 2009 5:09:58 AM
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
Topics: OSHA, health and safety, General Industry H&S, H&S Training, Hazardous Materials, Occupational Health, Occupational Safety, Fire Safety, Occupational Training, Lab Safety, Medical Records, NFPA
Top Ten Things You Need to Know About Lab Safety
Aug 18, 2009 10:30:46 AM
Laurie de Laski
1. The OSHA Standard for regulating hazardous chemicals 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. Please refer to last weeks post for specific requirements of this standard.
2. Proper chemical handling and storage needs to be maintained in labs, including: appropriate spill control methods, separation of incompatible materials, flammable storage, chemical waste storage, dating of dangerous or short shelf life materials.
3. Hazard Assessments should be performed on new or highly hazardous operations or tasks. Basic lab procedures and controls may not be sufficient for some processes or chemicals.
4. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) should be written for all lab practices. SOPs should include control methods, such as the type of personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used. SOPs can also used as part of the Chemical Hygiene program for R&D labs.
5. Chemical Fume Hoods must be available, maintained, and used properly. Hoods must be 100% exhausted and the type of hood is dependent on the chemicals and volumes to be used. Large equipment should not be placed in hoods, but should be provided with alternative local exhaust ventilation. Hood should be monitored and ventilation rates maintained within 20% of the approved face velocity.
6. Personal protective equipment (PPE) must be selected based on the Hazard Assessments conducted and should address all potential exposes to chemicals, infectious agents, or physical hazards (UV, lasers, sharps, etc.). A lab coat, safety glasses and exam-type nitrile gloves may be acceptable for small potential splashes of low hazard chemicals and biologicals, however, larger quantities, high hazard materials, or hazardous operations require additional PPE.
7. Emergency Equipment must be available and well maintained. This includes: spill kits, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, fire blankets, eye wash stations, emergency showers, and PPE. Emergency equipment should be inspected and/or tested at least monthly.
8. Cleaning and decontamination of lab surfaces and equipment should be conducted on a regular schedule. Surfaces, like lab benches and floors, with a high potential to have spilled chemical or biological materials, should be decontaminated at the end of each shift or immediately when contaminated. Other surfaces to consider are computer keyboards, mouse, cabinet and door knobs, equipment (including buttons and doors), and other surfaces that are handled, perhaps with gloves, during normal operations. These surfaces should be cleaned and decontaminated periodically.
9. Special hazards (radiation, lasers, and highly hazardous chemicals) require special controls and procedures. These special hazards should always have a specific SOP to address the additional controls needed, including: training of users and awareness of others in the lab, signs/warnings, special PPE, emergency equipment.
10. Training of lab workers is essential to control hazards and reduce accidents. Lab operations change frequently and it is important for the worker to understand the basics of hazard identification and control in addition to the specifics of the chemical, physical, and biological hazards they may be exposed to in the lab. Though the lab environment tends to be clean, there are many hazards and potential injuries that can occur, including life threatening ones. For example, the recent death of a post-grad student in a lab that spilled a highly flammable chemical on her clothes, and died of her burn injuries.
Read More
1. The OSHA Standard for regulating hazardous chemicals 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. Please refer to last weeks post for specific requirements of this standard.
2. Proper chemical handling and storage needs to be maintained in labs, including: appropriate spill control methods, separation of incompatible materials, flammable storage, chemical waste storage, dating of dangerous or short shelf life materials.
3. Hazard Assessments should be performed on new or highly hazardous operations or tasks. Basic lab procedures and controls may not be sufficient for some processes or chemicals.
4. Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) should be written for all lab practices. SOPs should include control methods, such as the type of personal protective equipment (PPE) to be used. SOPs can also used as part of the Chemical Hygiene program for R&D labs.
5. Chemical Fume Hoods must be available, maintained, and used properly. Hoods must be 100% exhausted and the type of hood is dependent on the chemicals and volumes to be used. Large equipment should not be placed in hoods, but should be provided with alternative local exhaust ventilation. Hood should be monitored and ventilation rates maintained within 20% of the approved face velocity.
6. Personal protective equipment (PPE) must be selected based on the Hazard Assessments conducted and should address all potential exposes to chemicals, infectious agents, or physical hazards (UV, lasers, sharps, etc.). A lab coat, safety glasses and exam-type nitrile gloves may be acceptable for small potential splashes of low hazard chemicals and biologicals, however, larger quantities, high hazard materials, or hazardous operations require additional PPE.
7. Emergency Equipment must be available and well maintained. This includes: spill kits, first aid kits, fire extinguishers, fire blankets, eye wash stations, emergency showers, and PPE. Emergency equipment should be inspected and/or tested at least monthly.
8. Cleaning and decontamination of lab surfaces and equipment should be conducted on a regular schedule. Surfaces, like lab benches and floors, with a high potential to have spilled chemical or biological materials, should be decontaminated at the end of each shift or immediately when contaminated. Other surfaces to consider are computer keyboards, mouse, cabinet and door knobs, equipment (including buttons and doors), and other surfaces that are handled, perhaps with gloves, during normal operations. These surfaces should be cleaned and decontaminated periodically.
9. Special hazards (radiation, lasers, and highly hazardous chemicals) require special controls and procedures. These special hazards should always have a specific SOP to address the additional controls needed, including: training of users and awareness of others in the lab, signs/warnings, special PPE, emergency equipment.
10. Training of lab workers is essential to control hazards and reduce accidents. Lab operations change frequently and it is important for the worker to understand the basics of hazard identification and control in addition to the specifics of the chemical, physical, and biological hazards they may be exposed to in the lab. Though the lab environment tends to be clean, there are many hazards and potential injuries that can occur, including life threatening ones. For example, the recent death of a post-grad student in a lab that spilled a highly flammable chemical on her clothes, and died of her burn injuries.
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
Topics: OSHA, Personal Protective Equipment, health and safety, General Industry H&S, Emergency Response, H&S Training, Hazardous Waste Management, Lab Safety & Electrical, Occupational Training, Lab Safety
Top 10: Chemical Hygiene Standards
Aug 11, 2009 9:16:44 AM
Top Ten Things You Need to Know about the Chemical Hygiene Standard
Laurie de Laski
1. 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:
10. R&D Lab facilities may have other support operations (shipping/receiving, warehouse) where the OSHA Hazard Communications Standard 1910.1200 applies.
Read More
Laurie de Laski
1. 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.
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
Topics: OSHA, General Industry H&S, H&S Training, HazCom, Hazardous Materials, Lab Safety & Electrical, MSDS, Occupational Training, Lab Safety, hygiene standard
Top 10 Things to Know BEFORE Shipping Hazardous Materials
Aug 4, 2009 8:34:54 AM
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.
Read More
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.
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
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
OSHA's Latest National Emphasis Program (NEP)
Jul 30, 2009 9:23:15 AM
Diego Tolosa, CHST
OSHA 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
Read More
OSHA 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
0 Comments Click here to read/write comments
Topics: OSHA, General Industry H&S, H&S Training, Hazardous Waste Management, HazCom, Compliance, MSDS, NAICS