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Airflow in the Laboratory

General airflow through the laboratory space is a design element that safety is often asked to comment on. With the growing awareness of energy conservation for both sustainability efforts and costs savings, labs are being asked “how low can you go” when it comes to air changes per hour (ACH). The general heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) controls for the laboratory space can often be manipulated for efficient air supply that provides both occupant comfort and some degree of safety. When determining what the proper air flow should be, several factors must be considered in conjunction with ACH.

In offices, a percentage of the air supplied to the space can be recirculated from the same space, which saves on heating and cooling costs. All laboratory air is single pass, which means that it is 100% supplied fresh air from the outside. This is good news for lab occupants, as the air circulating in the space is all fresh, but not good news for […]

May 28th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Hygiene, IH, Industrial Hygiene, Safety Tips|

Massachusetts Safety Standards for Laboratories During the COVID-19 Reopening Period

On Monday Governor Baker announced the State’s Plan to safely reopen the Massachusetts economy, while minimizing the health impacts of COVID-19. The guidance includes mandatory sector-specific standards and recommended best practices for sectors that are eligible to open in Phase 1, including laboratories that were not already considered essential. The Safety Standards for Laboratories are applicable to all laboratories (essential and non-essential) and are organized around four categories: social distancing, hygiene protocols, staffing and operations, and cleaning and disinfecting.

Social Distancing

Social distancing requirements include ensuring separation of six feet or more between individuals, unless this distance is unsafe due to the nature of the work or configuration of the workspace. This may require closing or reconfiguring worker common and high-density areas such as eating areas, and redesigning workstations including the use of physical partitions (must be taller than a standing worker). In addition, designated work areas must be assigned to limit movement throughout […]

May 20th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: COVID-19, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Office Safety Culture|

Are Workplace-Related COVID-19 Cases Recordable and Reportable?

On April 10, 2020, OSHA published interim guidance regarding the enforcement of employers’ obligation to record and report employees’ COVID-19 cases.

The OSHA guidance recognizes that determining whether an employee contracted COVID-19 at work will often be difficult, and because of this, relaxed COVID-19-related recordkeeping obligations for many employers.

However, for employers of workers in the healthcare industry, emergency response organizations (e.g., emergency medical, firefighting, law enforcement services), and correctional institutions, COVID-19 is a recordable illness.

These employers are responsible for recording cases of COVID-19, if:

The case is a confirmed case of COVID-19, as defined by theCDC

The case is work-related as defined by the OSHA standard on recording and reporting occupational injuries and illnesses 29 CFR 1904.5 and

The case involves one or more of the general recording criteria: death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.

For other employers, including […]

May 16th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: corona virus, COVID-19, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), OSHA, Regulatory Compliance, Safety Tips|

SARS-CoV-2: Determining Your Employees’ Exposure Risk Level

OSHA recently issued a guidance document on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 that focuses on determining employees’ risk of occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in order to identify the appropriate control measures that can be put in place to protect employees from exposure.

OSHA has divided job tasks into four risk exposure levels:

Very high exposure risk

Jobs with high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of COVID-19 during specific medical, postmortem, or laboratory procedures. Workers in this category include healthcare workers (e.g., doctors, nurses, EMTs) performing aerosol generating procedures (e.g., intubation, cough induction procedures, invasive specimen collection); healthcare or laboratory personnel collecting or handling specimens from known or suspected COVID-19 patients; and morgue workers performing autopsies on people known or suspected of having COVID-19.

High exposure risk

Jobs with high potential for exposure to known or suspected sources of COVID-19. Workers in this category include healthcare and support staff (e.g., doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff who […]

May 6th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: Biosafety, corona virus, COVID-19, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), OSHA, Regulatory Compliance, Safety Tips|

COVID-19: Hands-on, Customized Guidance for a Safe Return to Full-scale Operations

Safety Partners support during the Coronavirus Pandemic

The Baker-Polito Administration has issued a comprehensive plan to safely reopen the Massachusetts economy, get people back to work, and ease social restrictions while minimizing the health impacts of COVID-19. As part of this plan, all businesses must develop a written control plan outlining how its workplace will comply with the mandatory safety standards (see the full announcement at www.mass.gov).

Safety Partners can guide you through the process of developing and/or finalizing your plan, with emphasis on the areas highlighted by the Governor:

Social Distancing
Hygiene Protocols
Staffing and Operations
Cleaning and Disinfecting

In addition to following the new state guidelines, CDC, WHO, OSHA, and local guidance, let us guide you through the process of developing your customized policy that fits your corporate culture and timeline for returning to full-scale operations by examining issues including:

• Tiered Staffing
• General Health Checks and Guidance for Sick Employees
• Office Cleanliness
• Use of Shared Lab Equipment
• Working Alone
• Enhanced Cleaning Procedures
• Glove, […]

April 27th, 2020|Categories: News|Tags: Biosafety, Chemical Safety, corona virus, COVID-19, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Office Safety Culture|

Risk Assessments: The Key to Working Safely with COVID-19 Positive Samples

We have been getting many questions from clients on appropriate precautions to take when working with COVID-19 positive samples in the lab. The World Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) have all published extremely informative guidance on this topic:

WHO: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Technical Guidance: Laboratory Testing for 2019-nCoV in Humans

CDC: Information for Laboratories

PHAC: SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2)

ABSA: COVID-19 Toolbox

The information is consistent among these agencies and all stress the importance of starting with a risk assessment. This includes a site and protocol-specific assessment of the procedures to be performed, the identification of the hazards of the processes and procedures, an evaluation of the laboratory facility and equipment, as well as an assessment of available resources including personal protective equipment (PPE).

Coronaviruses generally infect the upper or lower respiratory tract, therefore work with respiratory specimens poses the highest risk. […]

April 24th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: Biosafety, COVID-19, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), OSHA, Safety Tips|

New Watertown Regulation: Biotechnology and the Use of Recombinant DNA Molecule Technology

Watertown announced yesterday that due to the COVID-19 emergency they will be postponing the effective date of their new regulation (Biotechnology and the Use of Recombinant DNA Molecule Technology) from May 1 until July 1, 2020. Existing facilities located in Watertown will have one year from the effective date to come into compliance.

Overall, the new regulation is similar to other cities and towns in the area. One difference is that Watertown will be regulating non-recombinant DNA (rDNA) research involving biologic agents at Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) and Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3). (BSL-4 work is prohibited in Watertown.) Examples of agents at BSL-2 include non-recombinant work with Salmonella enterica, Staphylococcus aureus, Hepatitis B, and Herpes Simplex Virus. BSL-2 agents can also include toxins of biological origin requiring BSL-2. In comparison, Cambridge, Lexington, and Boston only regulate biologic agents at BSL-3.

The Watertown regulations do not apply to finished products which contain rDNA molecules and which have been approved by other government regulatory […]

April 16th, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: Biosafety, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Permits and Licenses, Regulatory Compliance, Safety Tips|

To Mask or Not to Mask….That is the Question!

There is a lot of talk lately on the news and social media about the use of masks for helping to flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections.

Current guidance continues to encourage everyone to stay home and avoid public outings. The CDC now recommends wearing a cloth face covering whenever it is necessary to go out in public, such as to the grocery store. The reasoning behind this recommendation is that people can transmit the virus to those around them through respiratory droplets, without knowing they are sick. It has been shown that carriers can transmit the disease either before they exhibit symptoms, or they may never show any symptoms at all.

With all the talk about mask shortages for healthcare workers and the current CDC guidance, how can you choose the right face covering for you? First it is important to understand there are different types of masks that serve different purposes. Here […]

April 7th, 2020|Categories: Insights|

Hazard and Risk Analysis

The terms risk and hazard are used often in the safety world, many times interchangeably. They have very different meanings, however, and when using these terms, care should be taken to use them appropriately. When evaluating a process or procedure, assigning these terms appropriately can help simplify the safety assessment process.

What is a hazard?

A hazard refers to a potential source of harm. Examples can include chemical, biological, radiological, and physical hazards. Toxic chemicals, infectious biologics, and moving mechanical parts are all different types of hazards. The hazard level of a particular item or condition is static, meaning it does not vary. However, it can be evaluated relative to other hazards. Simply put, a hazard is a material or condition that can have an adverse effect on a person’s health or physical property.

What is risk?

Risk is the potential for interaction with a hazard. Generally speaking, risk is referenced in relative […]

April 3rd, 2020|Categories: Insights|Tags: Biosafety, Chemical Safety, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS), Hygiene, IH, OSHA, Regulatory Compliance, Safety Tips|

Safety Partners’ COVID-19 Update

The Coronavirus pandemic continues to impact all of us in profound ways. Most importantly, employee safety continues to be at the forefront of our efforts which extends to Safety Partners employees, families, clients and friends.

Safety Partners continues to monitor the current reports and guidance from the CDC, WHO, Governor Baker and public health officials to make the best decisions we can based on all this information. We are implementing recommendations and providing additional guidance to our employees with the goal of protecting the health and safety of all individuals and promoting business continuity.

Safety Partners provides essential services to lab-based companies.

Safety Partners is providing EHS support to our clients.
We are working together with all clients to make sure we are adhering to their institution’s current guidance and Governor Baker’s order, so we can remain consistent while continuing to provide services remotely and on-site only when it is absolutely necessary to maintain safe operations.

Safety Partners can provide EHS support to […]

March 24th, 2020|Categories: News|

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