Table of Contents:

Purpose
Scope
Responsibilities:

Standard Operating Procedures:

Control Measures:

Performance Management:

Information and Training:

Prior Approval for Medical Consultation and Examination:

Particularly Hazardous Substances:

          Protective Provisions Review and Documentation of Chemical Hygiene Plan:

References
Authorization
APPENDIX A - Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories
APPENDIX B - Oregon Rules for Air Contaminants
APPENDIX C - University Forms

Purpose:

The purpose of the Chemical Hygiene Plan is to set forth policies and procedures in accordance with the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard and the Oregon-Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OR-OSHA) standard for Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories (Appendix A). The information contained within this plan explains general safety and safe work practices for employees in contact with hazardous chemicals in the laboratory. The provisions defined in this plan are capable of protecting employees from health hazards associated with hazardous chemicals in the laboratory, and are also capable of keeping exposures below the permissible exposure limit for OR-OSHA regulated substances.

Scope:

This Chemical Hygiene Plan applies to all employees of the University of Oregon engaged in the laboratory use of hazardous chemicals and working with these chemicals on a laboratory scale in which there is potential for exposure.

Responsibilities

Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO):

Departments:

Departments are responsible for cost incurred through the need for medical evaluations and exposure monitoring.

Employee:

Each laboratory employee is responsible for attending safety training sessions, following safety guidelines applicable to the procedures being carried out, assuring that required safety precautions are in place before work is started, and reporting hazardous conditions as they are discovered. Employees who have significant responsibility for directing their own laboratory work are responsible for assuring that potential hazards of specific projects have been identified and addressed before work is started.

Environmental Health and Safety (EHS):

Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for preparing and updating the Chemical Hygiene Plan. It also distributes the plan to applicable departments and participates in providing resources for departments in the development of their individual Health and Safety Programs

Laboratory Safety Committee:

The Laboratory Safety Committee, in conjunction with Environmental Health and Safety, is responsible for implementing the Chemical Hygiene Plan. It is also responsible for review of reports regarding laboratory safety practices and recommending appropriate changes to improve employee safety.

Supervisor:


The laboratory supervisor or principal investigator is responsible for enforcing safe work practices. The supervisor will schedule time for the employee to attend designated training sessions and will provide the employee with adequate safety equipment and personal protective equipment as is needed for specific projects. The supervisor identifies potential hazards of specific projects before work is started. The supervisor will inform the employee as to the location of the Chemical Hygiene Plan and make sure that the employee has read and understands the plan. The supervisor shall perform regular, formal chemical hygiene and housekeeping inspections.

University:

The University of Oregon is responsible for developing and supporting a broad-based Chemical Hygiene Program that will protect laboratory employees from health effects associated with hazardous chemicals.

Standard Operating Procedures

Safe Work Practices with Hazardous Chemicals in the Laboratory at the University of Oregon will include the following:

• Assist support personnel who may have to enter laboratories by removing hazardous materials from equipment/facilities to be serviced and forewarning them of the need for protective equipment or work practices, etc.
  
  
• Avoid the release of toxic substances in work spaces, especially in cold rooms and warm rooms, since they have contained, recirculated atmospheres.
  
  
• Conduct all work within the hood at a distance of at least six inches behind the face opening and position the vertical sliding sash at the height specified on the certification sticker. By following these steps, the hood provides adequate containment for most chemical operations.
  
  
• Employees with life threatening or very serious injuries or exposures should contact emergency dispatch for an ambulance through DPS dispatch at 346-6666.
  
  
• Ensure unimpeded access to safety showers and eyewash stations.
  
  
• Follow the established procedures for the decontamination and safe movement of scientific and medical equipment.
  
  
• Follow the hazardous material spill procedure immediately in the event of a hazardous chemical spill.
  
  
• Keep all doors to the laboratory closed when using the fume hood to ensure proper hood operation. Opened laboratory doors can adversely affect hood performance.
  
  
• Keep food, beverages, cosmetics, and medications outside the area where laboratory chemicals are immediately present.
  
  
• Keep the work area clean and uncluttered. Properly label and store chemicals and equipment; clean up work area on completion of an operation or at the end of each day.
  
  
• Minimize hazardous chemical exposures and avoid an underestimation of the risk.
  
  
• Never mouth pipet.
  
  
• Protect your clothes and exposed skin by wearing laboratory coats. Open-toed shoes, sandals, shorts, and other apparel that leave skin exposed are not appropriate when handling potentially hazardous chemicals. Laboratory coats should be removed immediately if they become contaminated.  Laboratory coat laundering is available through EHS, but costs are paid by the lab's department.
  
  
• Refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet for specific information. Avoid unnecessary exposure to hazardous chemicals by any route.
  
  
• Remove your gloves carefully and thoroughly wash your hands and forearms upon completion of work and before leaving the laboratory.
  
  
• Use a chemical fume hood when opening, pouring or handling hazardous chemicals. Do not exceed the PELs (Permissible Exposure Limits of OR-OSHA, equivalent to Chapter 29 Code of Federal Regulations Part 1910, Subdivision Z). See Appendix B.
  
  
• Wear the appropriate gloves and eye/face protection whenever handling hazardous chemicals.

Additional information is available in a National Research Council publication entitled Prudent Practices in the Laboratory, Handling and Disposal of Chemicals. (Washington D.C.: National Academy Press, 1995). Prudent Practices is available in the Knight Library, call number: T55.3.H3 P78 1995, and is now available on the web.

Control Measures

Engineering controls are physical structures used to minimize the hazards of a substance to the user.

Use of Fume Hoods:

A fume hood is a protective device used for manipulations, which may result in the release of toxic chemical vapors, dust, or aerosols. The fume hood draws air from the laboratory to prevent or minimize the escape of air contaminants from the inside of the hood to the general laboratory area. Chemical manipulations are conducted in the enclosure without insertion of any portion of the employee’s body other than hands and arms. Characteristics to be considered in requiring fume hood use are the physical state, volatility, toxicity, flammability, eye and skin irritation, odor, and the potential for producing aerosols.

A fume hood should be used when one of following occurs during a chemical procedure:

• Emits airborne concentrations which might approach the action level (or permissible exposure limit).
  
  
• Emits flammable vapors which might approach one tenth of the lower explosion limit.
  
  
• When materials of unknown toxicity are used or generated.
  
  
• Produces an odor that is annoying to laboratory occupants or adjacent units.

• Working with any substance that has a potential for splattering or explosion. This includes highly concentrated acids, bases, oxidizers or reducing agents.
  
  
• Working under non-ambient pressure (vacuum or high pressure).
  
  
• Working with a reaction for the first time.
  
  
• Working with a sealed up reaction.
  

Other containment devices such as glove boxes and vented gas cabinets are used when the following occurs:

• An inert atmosphere for the chemical procedure is needed.
  
  
• Capture of any chemical emission is needed.
  
  
• A standard laboratory fume hood does not provide adequate assurance that overexposure to a hazardous chemical will not occur.
  
  
• There are special containment requirements for certain biological or radioactive materials.

Highly localized exhaust ventilation (snorkel tubes) may be required for instrumentation that exhausts toxic or irritating materials to the laboratory environment.

Eye and Face Protection:

Eye protection is required for all personnel and any visitors whose eyes may be exposed to liquid chemical or physical hazards. Any personal protective equipment (PPE) designated for eye and face protection should meet the requirements listed in ANSI Z87.1 and OR-OSHA 1910.133 regulations.

General eye and face protective guidelines include the following:

• Safety goggles are recommended in chemical operations where there is potential for chemical splashes or flying particles.
  
  
• Safety glasses with side shields are required in any operation where there is potential for eye exposure to projectiles.
  
  
• Face shields are necessary where there is potential exposure to projectiles or chemical splashes from harmful liquids. Face shields provide maximum protection to the face and throat. Face shields should not be used as a substitute for eye protection and it may be necessary to provide both means of protection.
  
  
• The use of glasses instead of contact lenses is recommended.

Bare feet, sandals, perforated shoes, or open-toed shoes are not allowed for laboratories where chemicals are worked with or stored.

Hand and body protection is required when working with chemicals that can cause a significant exposure through skin contact. Appropriate gloves, lab coats, and other personal protection should be selected to meet the needs of the specific chemical work environment. General requirements for hand and body protection include the following:

1. Lab coats should be worn by personnel in any area where chemicals are routinely used or stored. Lab coats are required when working with select carcinogens, reproductive toxins, substances which have a high degree of acute toxicity, strong acids and bases, and any substance on the OR-OSHA list for Limits of Exposure to Toxic and Hazardous Substances that carries a "skin" notation. See Appendix B for chemical listings.

Lab coats will not be taken home to be laundered. Lab coat laundering is available through EHS, but costs are paid by the lab's department.

2. Gloves made of appropriate material are necessary to protect the hands and arms from thermal burns, cuts, or chemical exposure that may result in absorption through the skin or reaction on the surface of the skin. Glove materials must be chosen with the specific chemical use in mind (type of material, thickness, and permeation rate).

   A glove reference chart is available at Environmental Health & Safety.

   Gloves are required when working with particularly hazardous substances where possible transfer from hand to mouth must be avoided. Thus gloves are required for work involving pure or concentrated solutions of select carcinogens, reproductive toxins, substances which have a high degree of acute toxicity, strong acids and bases, and any substance on the OR-OSHA PEL list carrying a "skin" notation.

3. Inspect gloves for defects or tears before each use.

Hygiene Practices:

Laboratory workers should not eat, drink, smoke, chew gum, or apply cosmetics in areas where laboratory chemicals are present. Laboratory workers should wash hands before conducting these activities.

Laboratory workers should not store or prepare food or beverages in storage areas or refrigerators used for laboratory operations; in glassware which is used for laboratory operations; or in ovens or microwave ovens which are used for laboratory operations. Food and beverages should not be handled with laboratory utensils.

Keep the laboratory work area clean and uncluttered. Clean up the work area on completion of an operation or at the end of each day.

Laboratory workers are advised to wash hands thoroughly before exiting the laboratory.

Respirators:

In certain situations where engineering controls cannot effectively control the amount of chemical air contaminants within the work environment, personnel may be required to wear respiratory protective equipment. Personnel designated to use respiratory equipment must first have appropriate approvals and training covered by the University Respiratory Protection Program offered by EHS. Availability of respiratory protection for emergency situations may be required when working with chemicals that are highly toxic and highly volatile or gaseous. If an experimental protocol requires exposure above the permissible exposure limit that cannot be reduced, respiratory protection will be required.

Performance Management

Monitoring:

Fume hoods must be monitored daily by the user to ensure that air is moving into the hood. The hood should have a continuous reading device, such as a pressure gauge, to indicate that air is moving correctly. Hoods without pressure gauges should attach a strip of tissue to the bottom of the vertical sliding sash. The user must ensure that the hood and baffles are not blocked by equipment and bottles.

*Eye washes should be flushed weekly by the user. This will ensure that the eye wash is working, and that the water is clean, should emergency use become necessary*

Performance Verification:

Environmental Health and Safety will measure the average face velocity of each fume hood annually. The performance will be verified according to EHS procedure and documented.

Environmental Health and Safety will ensure that the emergency showers and eye washes are checked annually.

Equipment that does not meet the requirements of the performance check shall have a request for servicing submitted to Facilities Services for repair. Corrections will be verified by EHS.

Information and Training

Information:

Oregon - Occupational Safety and Health Administration Laboratory Standard:

"Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories" and its Appendices (Oregon Admistrative Rule Chapter 437 Division 2 Part 1910.1450), a copy of which is found in Appendix A of this Chemical Hygiene Plan.

Reference Materials:

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for laboratory chemicals are available from Environmental Health and Safety and in many individual laboratories. Departments that receive MSDSs directly with chemical shipments will make such information available to the employees using the chemicals, and will also send a copy of the MSDS to Environmental Health and Safety.

Signs and Symptoms:

The signs and symptoms associated with exposure to hazardous chemicals, Laboratory Chemical Safety Summaries (LCSS’s) for 88 commonly encountered laboratory chemicals, are located on pages 235 to 413 of
Prudent Practices, 1995 edition.  LCSS’s are similar to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), but are tailored to the hazards of laboratory use of those chemicals.

University of Oregon Chemical Hygiene Plan:

Training:

Each laboratory supervisor is responsible for ensuring that laboratory employees are provided with training about the hazards of chemicals present in their laboratory work area, and methods to control exposure to such chemicals. Such training must be provided at the time of an employee’s initial assignment to a work area where hazardous chemicals are present and prior to assignments involving new potential exposure situations.

Chemical Hygiene Plans:

Applicable details of the university and Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plans.

Emergency Response:

Appropriate actions for emergency response for the individual laboratories.

Information Available:

The use and location of Material Safety Data Sheets and Laboratory Chemical Safety Summaries.

Hazardous chemicals are identified through the observation of labeling and information available, odors present, real-time monitoring, air sampling, etc.

Physical and Health Hazardous:

The hazards to be reviewed are the toxicity, exposure levels, routes of entry, acute and chronic effects, dose-response relationship, LD₅₀, threshold limit values and permissible exposure limits, exposure time, and health hazards related to classes of chemicals.

Prior Approval:

The responsibility for approval of the acquisition and use of toxic chemical agents rests with the laboratory supervisor. If there are questions concerning the need for university approvals, Environmental Health and Safety should be consulted.

Protective Measures:

Laboratory practices intended to reduce personal exposure and to control physical hazards as well as specific protective mechanisms and warning systems used in individual laboratories. Appropriate use of fume hoods is to be specifically addressed.

Prior Approval for Medical Consultation and Examination

Criteria for Consultation and Examination:

All University of Oregon employees who work with hazardous chemicals will have an opportunity to receive medical attention, including any follow-up examinations that the examining physician determines to be necessary under the following circumstances:

Whenever an employee develops signs or symptoms associated with a hazardous chemical to which the employee may have been exposed in the laboratory, the employee shall be provided an opportunity to receive appropriate medical attention.

Where exposure monitoring reveals an exposure level routinely above the action level (or in the absence of an action level, the PEL) for an OR-OSHA regulated substance for which there are exposure monitoring and medical surveillance requirements, medical surveillance shall be established for the affected employee as prescribed by the particular standard.

Whenever an event takes place in the work area such as a spill, leak, explosion, or other occurrence resulting in the likelihood of a hazardous exposure, the affected employee shall be provided an opportunity for a medical consultation.

The Chemical Hygiene Officer shall be contacted whenever the need for medical consultation or examination occurs, or when there is uncertainty as to whether any of the above criteria have been met.

Documentation and Distribution of Medical Report:

The examining physician will provide Environmental Health and Safety with information about the employee’s physical restrictions that may affect the employee’s performance or ability to be in contact with specific chemical. Environmental Health and Safety will notify the employee’s department of these restrictions.

All medical information, such at diagnosis and prognosis will be kept on file by the University Health Center.

Information for Examining Physician:

The employer shall provide the following information to the physician:

• The identity of the hazardous chemical(s) to which the employee may have been exposed.
  
  
• A description of the conditions under which the exposure occurred including quantitative exposure data, if available.
  
  
• A description of the signs and symptoms of exposure that the employee is experiencing, if any.

Medical Service Provider:

All medical examinations and consultation shall be performed by or under the direct supervision of a licensed physician and shall be provided without cost to the employee, without loss of pay and at a reasonable time and place. The University of Oregon Health Center will provide those services for university employees.

For problems from exposures, the employee can contact a physician of his/her choice, including providers at an urgent care clinic or emergency room.

Written Report from the Examining Physician:

For examination or consultation, the examining physician will provide a written report that shall include the following:

• Any recommendation for further medical follow-up.
  
  
• The results of the medical examination and any associated tests.
  
  
• Any medical condition which may be revealed in the course of the examination which may place the employee at increased risk as a result of exposure to a hazardous workplace.
  
  
• A statement that the employee has been informed by the physician of the results of the consultation or medical examination and any medical condition that may require further examination or treatment.

The written opinion shall not reveal specific findings or diagnoses unrelated to occupational exposure.

Particularly Hazardous Substances

Protective Provisions:

Laboratory supervisors are responsible for assuring that laboratory procedures involving particularly hazardous chemicals have been evaluated for the level of employee protection required. It is important to understand that the OR-OSHA permissible exposure limits (PELs) and substance-specific standards do not include all hazardous chemicals. It is the laboratory supervisor’s responsibility under the Laboratory Standard and the "general duty" clause to apply scientific knowledge in safeguarding workers against risks, even though there may be no specifically applicable OR-OSHA standard.

Before working with a particularly hazardous substance, consideration should be given to the need for inclusion of the following special provisions:

• Establishment of a designated area.
  
• Use of containment devices such as fume hoods or glove boxes.
  
• Procedures for safe removal of contaminated waste.
  
• Decontamination procedures.

Evaluate, assess, and implement those special provisions when appropriate.

When Additional Protection is Needed:

Additional employee protection will be considered for work with particularly hazardous substances. These include select carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and substances that have a high degree of acute toxicity (see Appendix B).

In specialized cases when work with this type of chemical needs to be conducted in a fume hood, the hood should be designated a controlled area with restricted access.

Review and Documentation of Chemical Hygiene Plan

Documentation:

Exposure Evaluation:

Any records of exposure evaluation carried out by individual departments (including continuous monitoring systems) should be retained by the department and a copy sent to Environmental Health and Safety. Results of exposure evaluations carried out by EHS will be kept by EHS and copies sent to the employee, the employee’s supervisor, and the University Health Center. The evaluation report data collected by EHS will be retained for the term of employment plus 30 years.

Fume Hood Monitoring:

Data on annual fume hood monitoring will be kept at Environmental Health and Safety.  Fume hood monitoring data are considered maintenance records and as such the data will be retained for five years.

Medical Consultation and Examination:

Results of medical consultations and examinations will be kept by the University Health Center for a length of time specified by the appropriate medical records standard. This time will be at least 30 years as required by in OR-OSHA 1910.1020.



Training:

Individual employee training should be recorded on the Training form provided in Appendix D and should be kept in the individual’s department for five years. Training records shall be available for inspection. Training conducted by Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) will be retained by EHS.

Periodic Review:

On an annual basis, this Chemical Hygiene Plan will be reviewed and evaluated for effectiveness by Environmental Health and Safety and the laboratory safety committee. It will be updated as necessary. Any changes in the Chemical Hygiene Plan will be transmitted to all departments who are in possession of the plan.

References

Oregon Administrative Rules, Chapter 437 Division 2 Subdivision Z Part 1910, Toxic and Hazardous Substances, 1996

Office of the Federal Register National Archives and Records Administration, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 29 Labor (Washington D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1992)

National Research Council, Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories (Washington D.C.: National Academy Press, 1981)

National Research Council, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory, Handling and Disposal of Chemicals (Washington D.C.: National Academy Press, 1995)

Documentation:

Original Preparation Date:         12/01/98
Latest Revision Number:             5
Latest Revision Date:                  May 25, 2006
Authorization:                                Kay Coots, EHS Director

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Contact:
Maeve Sowles
Lab Safety Officer
Phone: (541) 346-2867
E-Mail: maeve@uoregon.edu