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Hazard communication and respiratory protection

Lab Safety Advisor, March 6, 2007

As you can see by the top 10 list, most OSHA violations for general industry do not relate to laboratories. However, the following are issues that impact laboratory operations.

#2-Hazard communication
This standard has been around for 20 years and there are still laboratories that fail to develop and maintain a written program. Other violations include not having material safety data sheets for each hazardous chemical and inadequate employee training about hazardous chemicals used within the laboratory. Finally, failing to label each container with the identity of the hazardous chemical, especially with transfer containers, is a common violation.

#4-Respiratory protection
This standard requires employers to establish and maintain a respiratory protection program whenever the permissible exposure levels are exceeded. Laboratories must conduct environmental monitoring and ensure employees are fit tested for respirators if necessary.

How does your laboratory stack up?

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