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Chemical Hygiene and Laboratory Safety Training
The purpose of this training is to promote safety awareness and encourage safe work practices in the laboratory. Although this training is applicable to all research, teaching, and academic laboratories, specific training should be provided to employees and students by laboratory supervisors/faculty regarding the chemicals, equipment and other hazards specific to their laboratory.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires a safe work environment for all types of employment. OSHA has adopted a health standard to protect laboratory workers from chemical hazards in their workplace. That standard is 29CFR 1910.1450, "Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories". This standard mandates that health and safety practices and procedures be developed and written in the form of a Chemical Hygiene Plan for laboratories that use hazardous chemicals. The Standard became effective May 1, 1990. Clemson University (the Chemical Hygiene Officer) has the responsibility of developing and maintaining an institutional Chemical Hygiene Plan. This plan can be found on our website. Each department or college on campus where hazardous chemicals are used in a laboratory setting has also been given several copies ot this plan. At least one of these copies must be located where it is readily accessible to all employees within that department at all times. It is recommended that a copy be given to each faculty researcher. It is the responsiblity of the faculty researcher to develop individual laboratory Standard Operating Procedures and insert them into the University Chemical Hygiene Plan (Section III, B.).
A hazardous chemical is defined by OSHA as a substance for which there is statistically significant evidence, based on at least one scientific study, showing that acute or chronic harm may result from exposure to that chemical. This broad definition clearly applies to most of the chemicals typically used in research laboratories.
The Laboratory Standard is a performance standard. The primary emphasis is on administrative controls necessary to protect workers from overexposure to hazardous substances in laboratories. Faculty researchers having responsibility for individual laboratories must comply (and ensure that employees and students working in those laboratories also comply) with the policies and procedures set forth in the University Chemical Hygiene Plan in order to ensure compliance with the OSHA Standard.
