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Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) has developed a laboratory safety manual and chemical hygiene plan for the School of Engineering and Applied Science, School of Medicine and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. It has been provided to your laboratory in order to comply with the requirements of the California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 5191. These regulations state that a chemical hygiene plan must be present and readily available where hazardous chemicals are used. The goal of the manual is to protect the health of those working in a laboratory setting.
A Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) is a written plan that establishes the various safety procedures and chemical handling rules for the laboratory. The CHP includes guidance and requirements for the use of laboratory equipment and personal protective equipment such as gloves, safety eyewear and respirators. The CHP must also establish work practices, known as standard operating procedures (SOPs), for the use of hazardous chemicals in the laboratory. Chemicals that are identified as particularly hazardous substances will often need special stringent procedures that include a discussion of workplace control methods such as fume hoods, glove boxes and isolated work areas. Particularly hazardous substances may include select carcinogens, reproductive toxins and chemicals with a high degree of acute toxicity.
The manual, however, is not specific to each individual laboratory. The CHP is meant to be a guidance and procedural document for each lab. It is the responsibility of the Principle Investigator and laboratory personnel to include items specific to the laboratory such as training records and SOP. It is also up to the laboratory to review the manual and make necessary changes on an annual basis. A Research Group Chemical Safety Officer must also be assigned to each laboratory. Their name should be written on page I-3 of the safety manual. Look in the Introduction section of the manual for a full list of responsibilities the laboratory has.
The CHP should be kept in the lab, and should be accessible to the laboratory staff and students who need to refer to it. If you need a copy of the CHP you can download it or, contact the EH&S Laboratory Safety Officer for your department. The Laboratory Safety Officers can assist you in preparing your CHP and will make recommendations for adding laboratory specific procedures as needed.
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