Hazard Identification
Each laboratory must identify which hazardous chemicals will be encountered by its workers.
Lab Techniques and Safety
Hazardous chemicals can be serious physical and/or health threats to workers in clinical, industrial, and academic laboratories. Hazardous laboratory chemicals include:
- cancer-causing agents (carcinogens);
- toxins that may affect the liver, kidney, or nervous system;
- irritants, corrosives, and sensitizers; and
- agents that act on the blood system or damage the lungs, skin, eyes, or mucous membranes.
OSHA rules limit all industry exposures to approximately 400 substances.
OSHA Inspection: Laboratory Cited Six Willful Violations
For several months, employees at an environmental laboratory complained to management about faulty ventilation systems at the work site and about symptoms – including dizziness, light-headedness, headaches and unsteady walking – that can be caused by exposure to methylene chloride due to inadequate ventilation and recurring leaks from equipment. Employees sustained exposures to methylene chloride above the permissible exposure limit.
Despite knowledge of these employee complaints, management took few effective measures to monitor and address the exposures and provide effective safeguards for its employees.
OSHA cited the employer for six willful violations, 10 serious violations and one other than serious violation and proposed a total of $907,253 in penalties.
OSHA’s inspection found that the employer failed to:
- Ensure employees were not overexposed to methylene chloride.
- Perform initial exposure monitoring and inform employees of results.
- Determine employee exposure levels when the control methods were known to be inadequate.
- Ensure adequate ventilation for employees exposed to methylene chloride.
- Implement procedures to detect, contain and safely dispose of leaking methylene chloride.
- Provide employees with adequate PPE protection from methylene chloride and other solvents.
- Conduct medical surveillance and provide exams to exposed employees.
- Provide employees with information and training on the hazards of chemicals they use.
- Ensure that chemical fume hoods functioned properly and did not leak.
OSHA uncovered additional hazards which included exposure to flammable vapors, improper storage, unsafe handling and transfer of flammable chemicals, lack of suitable quick-drenching eye facilities where corrosives were used, and several electrical violations.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
1-3. Which of the following would NOT be considered a hazardous chemical in the laboratory?
You forgot to answer the question!