<<PI’s name here>>
<<date>>
CHEMICAL HYGIENE PLAN
Regarding Use of <<name of reagent>>
<<PI’s Name>> Laboratory
<<Unit Name>>, Georgia Institute of Technology
1.
The Chemical Hazard Standard <<modify the following as appropriate >>
Standard practices for occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals have been defined
by Georgia Tech in accordance with Federal Regulations (Occupational Exposure to Hazardous
Chemicals in Laboratories, 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.1450, published in the Federal
Register Vol. 55, No. 21, January, 1990). Training in the recognition and prevention of
occupational exposure to hazardous materials will be given by <<name>>, in collaboration
with the Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) office, to all employees whose job
responsibilities may expose them to potentially hazardous materials. Written records of
training sessions will be maintained by <<name>>. All employees in the laboratory will
receive “Basic Training” in handling hazardous chemicals. Employees who will be working
with << reagent name >> will receive “Chemical-Specific Training” regarding << reagent
name >>.
2.
Exposure Control Plan <<modify the following as appropriate >>
We will adopt the Georgia Tech Biohazardous Safety Policy as our standard. The
present document provides specific instruction regarding the use of << reagent name >>, which
present a health hazard with LD50 of  50 mg/kg body weight. In accordance with
recommendations of the CDC for this agent, we will apply the criteria recommended for
biosafety level << BSL>> in terms of practices, safety equipment, and facilities, and we will
adopt the concept of "universal precautions," which assumes that all instruments coming in
contact with concentrated or dilute solutions of << reagent name >> are potentially hazardous.
Criteria for biosafety level << BSL>> are incorporated into the following sections.
3.
4.
Statement of Specific Hazard for <<reagent name>> << supply a description >>
Engineering Controls <<modify the following as appropriate >>
<< describe location of experiments to be performed, plus safety precautions, as
suggested in the following example>> All experiments using <<reagent name>> will be
performed in Room << room number >> << building name >>. All manipulations for
preparations of concentrated stocks of <<reagent>> will be performed in the tissue culture
facility in <<location>>, using Class << BSC class >> biological safety cabinets. Safety
cabinets will be certified annually. This facility will be off-limits at all times to children 12
years of age or younger. Older children may enter only when supervised. When <<reagent
name>> manipulation is under way, traffic into the room will be limited to only that which is
unavoidable. Addition of concentrated stocks to experimental solutions will be performed just
<< date >>
<<PI’s name >> Lab
before use of these experimental solutions; this operation will be performed in the chemical
fume hood located in <<location>>.
5.
Work Practice Controls <<modify the following as appropriate >>
a.
Mechanical pipetting and suctioning devices will be used for manipulations of
potentially hazardous fluids; pipetting or suctioning by mouth is strictly prohibited.
b.
Employees will place all used needles, scalpels, and other sharps directly into a
labeled, puncture-proof sharps container immediately following use, without any effort made to
recap by hand, destroy or remove needles from the syringes. Such containers will have an
adequate volume of 0.5% sodium hypochlorite, to inactivate trace quantities of << reagent >>.
c.
The following activities are prohibited from Room << location >> during use of
the << reagent >>: eating; drinking; smoking; application of cosmetics or lip balm; handling of
contact lenses; storage or preparation of food or drink.
d.
Employees with increased risk (broken skin, immunocompromised) should
avoid working with potentially hazardous materials.
e.
Work surfaces are decontaminated at least once per day, and after any spill of
hazardous material. In practice, the surface of the biological safety cabinet will be cleaned with
70% isopropanol before it is used, and cleaned with 10% bleach after use.
f.
Containers for potentially hazardous laboratory waste will be labeled, leakproof, and closeable.
g.
All tools of manipulation for solutions containing << reagent >> (e.g., pipette
tips, injection needles, perfusion syringes) will be placed in a container with << chemical
inactivator >>.
h.
All recording chambers for experimental platforms that are used for experiments
with the << reagent >> will be treated for 10 min. with a solution of 0.5% sodium hypochlorite
at the end of the experiment.
i.
Aspiration bottles for liquid waste from the experimental chambers used for
experiments with the << reagent >> will contain concentrated sodium hypochlorite at a volume
large enough that the final concentration of sodium hypochlorite will not go below 0.5% as the
bottle is filled.
j.
All potentially hazardous liquid or solid waste is decontaminated by treatment
with 0.5% sodium hypochlorite. Liquid waste, which will include sodium hypochlorite, will
be autoclaved and then discarded.
k.
Hazardous waste that has been autoclaved (for a minimum of 30 minutes) may
be discarded as non-regulated solid waste. However, red bags bearing the biohazard symbol
may not be visible when placed in the solid waste, since this material will not be accepted by
the landfill. These should be placed in the special trash receptacle for this purpose, located near
the autoclave.
l.
There will be no unattended operations using << reagent >>.
m.
All procedures are performed carefully to minimize the creation of aerosols.
n.
Spills and accidents that result in overt exposures to << reagent >>-containings
material are immediately reported to << PI’s name >>, and then to the DEHS.
Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
Chemical Hygiene Sample Plan for Chemical Hazards
October 2007
<< date >>
<<PI’s name >> Lab
o.
During experiments utilizing the << reagent >>, which will be performed in
Room << location >>, the door to the laboratory will remain closed and locked. Only << PI’s
name >> laboratory personnel will be allowed entry during these times. During experiments
using << reagent >>, a biohazard warning sign will be posted which includes the universal
biohazard warning symbol, name of the hazardous chemical(s) in use, and << PI’s name >>
name and telephone number. During use of biohazards, personnel not affiliated with the
laboratory will be warned against entering by the placement of a sign reading: “DO NOT
ENTER – BIOHAZARD EXPERIMENT IN PROGRESS”.
p.
A safety shower and wall-mounted eyewash station is located near the door to
Room << location >>. These facilities are located within 25 feet of the experimental platform
used for those experiments involving << reagent >>.
q.
Stock solutions of << reagent >> will be held in microfuge tubes as aliquots
inside a clearly-labeled, sealed container, in the explosion-safe refrigerator in Room <<
location >>. This refrigerator is clearly labeled as a NON-FOOD storage location.
r.
The following key phrases will remain standard in this laboratory:
Acquire training in handling hazardous materials
Observe "universal precautions"
Wear protective clothing and gear, including gloves, goggles,
and face mask
Avoid sharps
Control splash hazards
Decontaminate waste materials
Decontaminate the equipment
Avoid increased risk
Control aerosols
Respond correctly to exposure
When handling solutions containing << reagent >>, remain vigilant,
leave nothing to ambiguity, follow established protocols, and remain
focused on your work.
6.
Personal Protective Clothes and Devices <<modify the following as appropriate >>
a.
The use of personal protective apparel constitutes the most important barrier in
avoidance of occupational exposure to hazardous materials.
b.
When there is a potential for occupational exposure to hazardous material,
protective clothing and devices must be used.
c.
When manipulating << reagent name >>-containing solutions in the biological
safety cabinet, employees shall wear gloves, a biohazard-designated laboratory coat (not to be
worn outside of Room << location >>), a face shield (if there is substantial chance of splash) or
goggles (if the work is performed in the biological safety cabinet), a face mask, and any other
gear that may be necessary to prevent overt exposures. Long hair must be pulled back and
contained.
d.
In general, lab coats, gloves and goggles will be worn when employees have the
potential for direct or indirect contact with dilute or concentrated << reagnent >>-containing
Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
Chemical Hygiene Sample Plan for Chemical Hazards
October 2007
<< date >>
<<PI’s name >> Lab
solutions. Gloves will be worn during the experiments utilizing << reagent >>. Lab coats,
gloves and goggles will also be worn during all cleaning and decontamination procedures, and
during handling of hazardous waste that has not yet been autoclaved.
e.
When potentially contaminated, laboratory coats designated for use in Room
<<location >> will be removed from this room in a protective container that is closed before
removal from the laboratory, and immediately autoclaved. When potentially contaminated,
laboratory coats designated for use in Room << location >> will be removed from this room in
a protective container that is closed before removal from the laboratory, and immediately
autoclaved. Coats must be decontaminated before laundering.
f.
Laboratory coat, gloves, and goggles will also be worn during performance of
experiments involving << reagent >>.
g.
When manipulating either dilute or concentrated solutions of << reagent >>, or
when handling of hazardous waste, employees shall wear clothing that fully covers their legs
(e.g., long pants) and closed-toe shoes.
7.
Post-Exposure Procedures << modify as appropriate >>
a.
Employees must report exposure incidents to << PI’s name >>, who will
arrange for appropriate medical evaluation and follow-up, and to << name >>, departmental
safety officer.
b.
A toxoid for the << reagent >> is available through the CDC.
c.
Medical evaluation, surveillance, counseling, laboratory testing, prophylaxis,
and treatment will be provided to individuals who have occupational exposure to <<
reagent>>.
d.
Employees who experience on the job injuries, accidents, or exposures to
hazardous materials or agents must prepare a brief narrative report of the incident, as well as an
official Employee Incident Report, submit these to << PI’s name >>, and have them forwarded
to the Biosafety Officer at the EHS.
8.
Emergency Actions <<modify the following as appropriate >>
a.
In case of emergency, such as spill of potentially hazardous material, the only
issue of importance is the health and safety of the individual(s) at risk: the experiment or
procedure is unimportant. All personnel should evacuate the area immediately.
b.
A spill or accident that results in an exposure incident must be reported
immediately to << PI’s name >>.
c.
All spills shall be immediately contained and cleaned up by appropriately trained
individuals. Do not allow the hazard to be spread outside of << location >>.
d.
If a spill occurs, the EHS will be contacted to conduct air sampling to determine
airborne levels of chemicals, and provide monitoring of employee exposure.
Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
Chemical Hygiene Sample Plan for Chemical Hazards
October 2007