Regulatory Safety Compliance
Many federal and state agencies, along with the university, school and department, have established rules and regulations which must be obeyed and followed by anyone working in a laboratory. Disobeying these rules can lead to personal injury, destruction of property and/or damage to the environment, as well as fines and other penalties. These rules and regulations change continually and new ones are constantly being added. Therefore, the listing here may not be complete. Any questions should be directed to U. B.'s Environment, Health & Safety Services (EHS).
Training: Anyone working in a laboratory must be properly trained. See the link at the left.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs): In each laboratory the MSDS for every chemical within that lab must be available. Anyone working in that lab must be able to produce such a MSDS upon request.
Chemical Hygiene Plans (CHPs): Every laboratory must have a CHP. The CHP lists emergency phone numbers and procedures on its first page. It also contains valuable safety practices and requirements. The CHP must contain a standard operating procedure (see below) for each piece of equipment in that lab and for every procedure that takes place in that lab. Anyone working in that lab must be able to produce the CHP upon request.
Standard Operating Procedured (SOPs): For every procedure that is routinely carried out in a lab, and for each piece of equipment in a lab, there must be a corresponding SOP in the chemical hygiene plan for that lab. New SOPs must be submitted to the Chemical and Biological Engineering Department Safety Committee. That committee will review the SOP and also forward it to U. B.'s Environment, Health and Safety Services (EHS) for their review. Once approved, one copy is kept on file in the department and one copy is placed in the chemical hygiene plan.
Chemical Spill Kits: There must be a spill kit in every laboratory. The use of spill kits is covered in the mandatory safety training required before one can work in the laboratory. In the event of an actual spill, if there is any doubt about being able to clean up a spill safely, U. B.'s Environment, Health and Safety Services should be called for assistance (2222 from an on-campus phone; 645-2222 from a cell phone).
Satellite Waste Accumulation Sites: Every laboratory must have a waste accumulation area. This waste accumulation area must be inspected every week. EHS provides a form that may be used for this purpose. Records for the weekly inspection of satellite waste accumulation areas must be maintained on file and available for a period of three years.
Biological and Regulated Medical Waste: Anyone working in a biological laboratory must be familiar and in compliance with EHS Biological and Regulated Medical Waste Procedures.
Call-In Tags: Every door (not just laboratories) must have a call-in sticker on it giving contact information about all who use that space. Any person running an experiment in a lab should have their name on that lab's call-in tag. The call-in sticker must be updated at least once per year. These stickers are available from EHS or from the department office.
Labeling of Containers: If you transfer chemicals (note, even water is a chemical) from a labeled container to an unlabeled container, you must either consume those chemicals within 8 hours or else label the new container. Here the word consume is taken to mean that the unlabeled container must be emptied. This would normally be done by using the reagent (in a reaction, as a solvent, etc.) to prepare a sample and then either storing that sample in a labeled container or disposing of that sample using proper disposal procedure (see below). Labels should include your name and the chemical name of what's within. It is OK to also put your own code on the label, but in addition to the other items. A label that reads Z7-433 might mean everything to you, but it is meaningless to anyone else. Hazardous waste containers must also be labeled as described below under disposal procedures.
Storage of Chemicals and Compressed Gases: Chemicals must be stored so that incompatible chemicals are segregated from each other. For example, it is required that
- reactive chemicals be segregated from ignitable chemicals,
- acids be segregated from caustics,
- corrosives be segregated from flammables,
- oxidizers be segregated from all other chemicals, and
- organic reactives be segregated from inorganic reactives
Bottles containing liquids must be placed in secondary containment trays of sufficient volume to hold the contents of the bottle, should it break.
Additionally, there is a limit on the amount of flammable chemicals that can be stored in any one laboratory. These limits vary depending upon the presence of sprinklers, use of flammable storage cabinets and other factors. U. B.'s Environment, Health & Safety Services should be consulted to determine the allowable quantity of flammable material in any particular laboratory.
These rules on chemical storage and segregation also apply to wastes that are stored in satellite waste accumulation sites.
Compressed gas cylinders must be secured using a chain or strap so that they can not tip over. If a cylinder is not in use, the regulator should be removed and the cap reinstalled. Cylinders may only be moved using a cylinder cart (which includes a chain for securing the cylinder), and the regulator must be removed and the cap installed during the move. Piping or tubing connected to gas cylinders must similarly be secured and provision must be made for pressure relief should the pressure regulator on the cylinder fail. If compressed gases are present in a laboratory, the door to that laboratory must display a compressed gases sticker.
Disposal Procedures: The following is an abbreviated procedure for the management of hazardous waste:
No chemical substances may be put in the trash or down the drain of any sink. They must be accumulated in labeled containers and, when full, sent to EHS. EHS will determine whether the material is hazardous or not.
Every container used to accumulate waste must be labeled (get labels from the Department Office) when the first waste is put into it.
In addition to being segregated on the basis of chemical compatibility, waste should be segregated by class. The cost of disposal rises as the toxicity and environmental "unfriendliness" increases. Once you put even a drop of chlorinated aromatic into a waste solvent container, that whole container must be treated as chlorinated aromatic waste.
Whenever a waste container becomes full, the label must be marked with the fill date and an order to have EHS pick it up must be submitted (the same day). Forms are available on-line at the EHS web site.
Labeled containers must be available for the disposal of clean, empty glass containers and other glassware. Suitable cardboard containers can be obtained from standard chemical supply sources. These containers must be closed and sealed before being picked up by the custodial staff. Contaminated glassware that can not be cleaned should be treated as hazardous waste.
EHS maintains that sharps (syringes, scalpels, etc.) that could be used in medical research must be treated and handled as regulated medical waste. Other sharp objects, razor blades, utility knife blades, etc. should first be enclosed in a secondary container (e.g. a small, clear plastic bottle) before throwing them in the regular garbage.
