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SAFETY TRAINING

 

• Employee Safety Training
• Things Lab Workers Should Know
• Training Guide for Lab Supervisors
• Students in Laboratory Classes
• More Information

 

Employee Safety Training

The goal of employee training is awareness of both the hazards of their workplace and the precautions necessary to work safely. Safety training must be documented.

Lack of adequate training is one of the chief causes of safety compliance problems. People need to understand workplace hazards This is especially critical in a laboratory environment where some of the chemicals may be particularly hazardous. Aside from potential chemical exposure, the spread of contamination is a vital concern which can be addressed by adequate training and reinforcement of good hygiene practices.

 

Things lab personnel should know

Questions all laboratory personnel should be able to answer…correctly Everyone who works in a laboratory should know the safe work and chemical storage practices to keep them healthy and prevent accidents. The questions below represent just a few of the important ones:

1. Do you wash your hands before leaving the laboratory?
2. Do you wear appropriate gloves, lab coat and splash goggles whenever you work with chemicals in the lab?
3. Are the appropriate hazard signs posted on cabinet doors and designated areas and are emergency numbers posted?
4. Are all containers in your lab legibly labeled with identity and hazard warnings? (Do you know how to interpret the labels?)
5. Do you know where to find Material Safety Data Sheets for all chemicals in your lab?  (Have you ever looked at any of them?)
6. Are the chemicals stored in your lab sorted by hazard class in appropriate shelves or cabinets?
    (Do you know what the different hazard classes are?)
7. Have you been instructed in the use and handling of the chemicals and equipment in your lab?
8. Have you been instructed in the location and use of safety devices such as eyewashes, safety showers and fire extinguishers?
9. Are you aware of emergency procedures in the event of a spill, uncontrolled chemical reaction, or building evacuation?
10. Do you know how to collect your waste, where the accumulation areas are, storage limits, and where to take full waste containers?

 

Students in Laboratory Classes

Some laboratory classes require a documented safety talk provided by the instructor on the first day of class. Your department teaching lab coordinator can tell you if your lab class is one of them. Every student is required to attend the safety talk and sign the lab rules and safety acknowledgment form. Record retention is typically 1 year plus the current semester.

 

 

Training Guide for Laboratory Supervisors

From Appendix A of the Safety, Health, and Hazardous Materials @ COSE handbook (serves as the COSE IIPP)

Safety Orientation Topics	Example/Tip
1.  Location and availability of the Chemical Hygiene Plan, IIPP, & other written safety/health plans.	Where documents are posted or stored. Which room, drawer, wall or shelf?
2.  Evacuation procedures and work-specific emergency response.	Location of emergency equipment, like the eye wash. Discuss building evacuation procedures. Provide instruction on what to do if the power, steam or water goes out and which equipment must be shut down in emergencies.
3.  Fire hazards and instruction in using fire extinguishers	Location of fire extinguisher. Discuss flammable and combustible materials and processes that have the potential for starting a fire.
4.  Common work place hazards and how to prevent injury.	Ergonomic issues with computers and microscopes, slips and falls, electrical and fire hazards.
6.  Definition and availability of Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL). Demonstrate how to obtain an MSDS.	Permissible Exposure Limits for chemicals you commonly use in your work. See the MSDSs for PELs and other health information..
7.  Physical and health hazards of chemicals you are using	Methanol is highly flammable and reactive to strong mineral acids and oxidizers. Can absorb through skin, prolonged contact causes skin to dry out. Exposures above PEL can cause irritation to eyes and central nervous system effects.
8.  Signs and symptoms associated with exposures to the chemicals used in your laboratory	Exposure to escaped corrosive vapors include irritated throat and stinging eyes. Exposure to methanol above the PEL can cause eye irritation, headaches, blurred vision and drowsiness while lengthy contact with skin can cause dryness.
9.  Methods and observations used to detect the presence or release of chemicals in the laboratory	Examples include fume hoods with alarms or other function indicators such as a tape strip as well as spilled materials on surfaces, crystals formed on lids, pungent odors, indicator strips or monitors.
10. Measures lab workers can take to protect themselves from exposure	Demonstrate the correct use of safety goggles, gloves, and fume hoods.
11. Standard operating procedures and work practices.	Review basic hygiene, operating techniques and task-specific SOP’s.
12. Disposal protocols for the waste you   generate.	Show your waste accumulation areas and demonstrate how to obtain and fill-out waste tags.

 

Evaluate the type of work hazards

To help you cover the material necessary for a newly hired person to work safely, consider whether he or she will use, or be in the proximity of, the following hazards:

 

Chemicals? (including oil, buffers, cleaners, fuels, solvents)	YES	NO
Biohazardous or microbiological materials?	YES	NO
Human bodily fluids of tissues?	YES	NO
Live animals for research?	YES	NO
Radioisotopes or X-rays?	YES	NO
Lasers or ultraviolet light?	YES	NO
Power tools, machine tools, or welding rigs?	YES	NO
Compressed gas cylinders?	YES	NO
Cryogenic materials?	YES	NO
High voltage (660Vor greater) equipment?	YES	NO
Registered Cal-OSHA carcinogens?	YES	NO
Field work or driving on University business?	YES	NO
SCUBA diving?	YES	NO
Other hazardous operation? Describe:	YES	NO
*Will the new hire supervise other people? (i.e., part-time research lab managers, teaching lab instructors, research assistants)	YES	NO
Will the people supervised by this person work with any of the listed hazards?	YES	NO

* People who supervise others must have extra training to be sure they are familiar enough with the hazards and safety protocolsto enforce them.

 

More Information

American Chemical Society, "Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories, 7th ed."