The OSHA Laboratory Standard

Do you work in an area defined by OSHA as a laboratory? Did you know that OSHA has different requirements for those work areas that fall under the OSHA definition of a laboratory? If your work area is defined as a laboratory -- a work place where relatively small quantities of many different types of hazardous chemicals are handled on a non-production basis – then you must be sure that you are meeting the basic requirements of the OSHA Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450).

The Laboratory Standard requirements include designating a Chemical Hygiene Officer, writing a Chemical Hygiene Plan, and training employees to follow the Chemical Hygiene Plan. Also required is risk assessment and job safety analyses yielding the development of "best practice." Key elements in the overall program are: safe handling and use of chemicals; proper storage; waste stream segregation and disposal considerations; and procedures for spill cleanup.

The Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) is the backbone of your chemical safety program. It is developed, written, and followed to address the specific hazards and operations in your particular workplace. The CHP should be evaluated at least annually and updated as necessary. The goal of the safety program is to execute the CHP so that employees are protected from hazards associated with chemicals and to ensure permissible exposure limits (PEL) are not exceeded. Components of the Chemical Hygiene Plan include:

• Safe Practice and Instructions (SPI) or Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the safe use of hazardous materials, operations and procedures
• Criteria used to assess hazards, and the controls in place to protect against the hazards
• Set roles and responsibilities to assure the program is fully implemented, including engineering controls (example: fume hoods) and careful selection and upkeep of personal protective equipment
• Training requirements for employees
• Set parameters for "approval prior to initiating work"
• Chemical inventory; chemical gate-keeping and purchasing controls
• Provisions for medical surveillance and consultation

An appointed Chemical Hygiene Officer with specific roles and responsibilities, and if necessary a Chemical Hygiene Committee Provisions for particularly hazardous substances such as select carcinogens Safety Partners, Inc. can assist with determining if your area falls under the definition of a laboratory and can also assist with preparing a Chemical Hygiene Plan and executing a performance-based chemical safety program.

Contact Us  |  Back to Articles

Safety Partners efficiently and cost-effectively implements hands-on environmental, health, and safety (EHS) programs at emerging life sciences companies. Safety Partners tailors its programs to each client's unique science, processes, procedures, and facilities, while reducing program implementation burdens. Its expertise is unmatched, clocking over 85,000 hours at over 120 New England life sciences firms.