The OSHA Laboratory Standard
In 1990, the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a regulation (standard 1910.1450), entitled Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories, also known as the Laboratory Standard.
The Laboratory Standard aims to protect workers from overexposure to hazardous chemicals by ensuring they are informed about the hazards of chemicals in their workplace and are protected from chemical exposures exceeding OSHA Permissible Exposure Limits. This goal is achieved by establishing safe work practices in laboratories through the implementation of a written Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP), which details how the facility will control exposures.
- YSU maintains a web-based Laboratory Safety Manual, which includes the Chemical Hygiene Plan, available to all laboratories covered under the Laboratory Standard.
- YSU's Laboratory Safety Manual and CHP must be readily available to personnel where hazardous chemicals are used.
Please visit ysu.edu/ehs/cmc/labsafety for Lab Safety & Chemical Hygiene programs, procedures and guidance materials.
Scope of the CHP
YSU's Chemical Hygiene Plan applies to all laboratories that use, store, or handle potentially hazardous chemicals and all personnel who work in these facilities.
The CHP does not apply to research involving exclusively radiological or biological materals. - Please refer to the YSU Biosafety and Radiation Plans, respectively, for activities involving these types of materials.
Research involving more than one type of hazard must comply with all applicable regulatory requirements and follow guidance outlined in the relevant safety manuals.
Content of the CHP
The CHP is a written plan that establishes safety procedures and rules for handling chemicals in the laboratory. The CHP includes guidance and requirements for the use of laboratory equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, lab coats, safety eyewear, and respirators.
The CHP must also establish safe 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 designated work areas. Particularly hazardous substances include select carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and chemicals with a high degree of acute toxicity.