2003 DIVCHAS AWARD SYMPOSIUM

Principles of laboratory safety

management in academia

By Barbara L. Foster NINE ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE distributed to those who are expected
LABORATORY SAFETY PROGRAM to follow them. ``I didn't know that I
couldn't wear a halter-top and sandals
INTRODUCTION Chemical Hygiene PlanÐA Guide for to lab. Now I don't have time to go
Students (both undergraduate and Life back to my dorm and change!'' To
graduate) learn by example. If they Every facet of your Chemical Hygiene strengthen your safety program and
look around their chemistry depart- Plan (CHP) should be designed to pro- protect your laboratory workers, cre-
ment and sense a ®rm, unwavering tect your students and employees in the ate and enforce safety rules for all of
commitment to their health and safety, academic and research laboratories the employees and students who are in
they tend to respect this environment from exposure to hazardous chemicals the various laboratories in your depart-
and those who enforce the safety rules. and unsafe work practices.1 In the de- ment. If you currently have undergrad-
If, however, they encounter cavalier partmental CHP, it is a good idea to uates in academic labs, undergraduates
attitudes toward safety, students tend clearly de®ne chemical hygiene respon- in research labs, employees in research
to react in kind. After the students in sibilities within the department to labs, and/or lab staff and prep room
our chemistry laboratories graduate, avoid the ``not my job'' syndrome. Add- personnel, you should create and
they will eventually enter the work- itionally, sections on emergency plans, enforce safety rules for each of these
force. We need to instill a keen sense personal protective equipment (PPE), groups of laboratory workers.
of responsibility regarding laboratory safety equipment, hazardous materials
safety in our undergraduate and grad- management, and chemical waste poli- Emergency Planning
uate students and set good examples cies should be written to accommodate Have you ever found yourself in the
for them when they are in our build- the needs of your employees and stu- midst of an emergency and did not
ings. Employers in private industry dents, the limitations of the facilities, know who to call or what to do next?
want to hire laboratory personnel and the resources at hand. Remember how you felt during that
who will follow safety rules, set good experience and make sure that it does
examples in their workplaces, and who Chemical Hygiene Of®cer (CHO) not happen to your colleagues. It is
will be proactive in laboratory safety. In the university setting, the CHO important and sometimes life-saving
After more than a decade of experience wears a variety of hats and changes to provide clear and concise written
as a Safety Director in academia, I them frequently, sometimes on a daily instructions (with contact names and
have identi®ed the following nine ele- basis. Generally, the CHO in academia telephone numbers) on what to do in
ments that combine to create a suc- oversees: the event of a chemical spill, ®re, med-
cessful laboratory safety program in ical emergency, and bomb threat.
the academic setting.  CHP reviews and revisions on at
least an annual basis. Laboratory InspectionsÐInspect to
 Laboratory inspections in the Protect your Employees and Students
Barbara L. Foster has served as the research and academic laboratories When I inspect laboratories, I include
West Virginia University Department on a regular basis. the following on my checklist:
of Chemistry Safety Director for the  Chemical inventory updates on a
academic and research programs since regular basis.  HousekeepingÐAs stated by George
1991 and the Eberly College of Arts  Employee and student training that Wahl, Jr. in Chapter 8 of the Hand-
and Sciences Safety Coordinator since is appropriate for their needs. book of Chemical Health and Safety,
1999. Foster is a Certi®ed Chemical  The collection and maintenance of ``Most safety experts will agree that
Hygiene Of®cer, an elected Member- the departmental Material Safety the principal cause of laboratory
at-Large on the Executive Committee Data Sheets (MSDS). accidents is poor housekeeping.''2
of the ACS Division of Chemical  Hazardous materials management What a true statement! How many
Health and Safety, and a Committee (i.e., chemical procurement, storage, of us have inspected dirty labs and
Associate on the American Chemical handling, and disposal) in the worried about the safety of the indi-
Society Joint Board-Council research and academic laboratories. viduals who work there? Do you
Committee on Chemical Safety detect chemical odors when you
(Tel.: 304-293-2729; Safety Rules and Policies enter the laboratory? Are laboratory
fax: 304-293-4904; Safety rules cannot be followed or workers using noxious-smelling che-
e-mail: [email protected]). enforced if they are not written and micals on the bench top?

1074-9098/03/$30.00 ß Division of Chemical Health and Safety of the American Chemical Society 13
doi:10.1016/S1074-9098(02)00457-4 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.
 fire extinguisher, safety shower, and
eyewash station on your inspection
sheet.5 If needed, contact the appro-
priate authority to arrange safety
equipment inspections. Check to
ensure that the fire blanket is in
place in each laboratory.
 Physical plant issuesÐAre the floors
cleaned on a regular basis? Do the
lights or the plumbing need atten-
tion? Is the lab too hot or too cold?

Hazardous Materials Management

Hazardous materials management is
one of the most critical aspects of
your laboratory safety program. Your
department should have a written pol-
icy regarding procurement, delivery,
receipt, storage, handling, and disposal
of hazardous materials. Chemicals
Figure 1. An undergraduate student in an analytical laboratory prepares to should be dated upon receipt, sepa-
begin the laboratory session. The student is following the departmental safety rated, and stored according to category
rules and is wearing the appropriate attire and personal protective equipment. and compatibility. Peroxide-formers
Note the safety messages on the bulletin board and the safety poster that is should be dated again upon opening
mounted on the wall. and sent out as waste according to
the expiration date on the bottle
and the Material Safety Data Sheet.
 Personal protective equipment or other supportive device. Check All secondary containers must be
(PPE)ÐDuring each inspection, take the dates of the cylinders and record properly labeled with the chemical
a good look at the laboratory work- the dates of old cylinders in your name, hazard warnings, name of the
ers. Are they wearing the appropri- inspection report. manufacturer, name of the researcher
ate PPE (Figure 1)?3  Emergency safety equipmentÐ in charge, and the date of transfer
 Chemical storageÐAre the chemi- Record dates of inspections of the to the vessel. To avoid accidents,
cals stored according to compatibil-
ity tables and the policies in your
departmental/institutional CHP?4
 Signs and labelsÐThe safety shower,
eyewash station, fire extinguisher,
and fire blanket in the laboratory
should be clearly visible and marked
with signs. Are the secondary con-
tainers properly labeled throughout
the laboratory?
 Laboratory hoodsÐAre the hoods
working properly? Have they re-
cently been inspected and tested?
Are the inspection results posted on
the hood? If the hoods did not pass
the inspection, contact the appropri-
ate authority to arrange for repairs.
Are the hoods clean? Are the labora-
tory workers storing chemicals in the
hood? Are the chemicals and appa-
ratus positioned at least six inches
from the hood face (Figure 2)? Are
the students and workers using the Figure 2. The chemicals and apparatus in this fume hood are not positioned six
hoods correctly (Figure 3)? inches from the hood face. There are unlabeled secondary containers that contain
 Gas cylinder storageÐAll cylinders solutions and the work area should be cleaned. Contaminated pipettes and spatulas
must be securely fastened to the wall are balanced on the edge of the hood sash, creating a health and safety hazard.

14 Chemical Health & Safety, March/April 2003

 tant functions of the Safety Committee
is to perform laboratory inspections on
a regular basis and to prepare subse-
quent inspection reports for adminis-
tration.

WAYS TO TEACH STUDENTS ABOUT

SAFETY
How can we teach students about
laboratory safety in a department that
has a laboratory enrollment of 2,000
students per semester? A good way to
start is to concentrate on educating
your Teaching Assistants. A manual
that includes departmental and institu-
tional safety policies and that is written
speci®cally for your Teaching Assis-
tants can be very helpful. Combined
with weekly meetings to discuss safety
Figure 3. An undergraduate student in a general chemistry laboratory is correctly
issues in the upcoming laboratory
setting up his apparatus in the student hood. The Teaching Assistant has written experiments, this can be a winning
safety precautions on the blackboard for his students. combination. Weekly prep labora-
tories for newly-hired Teaching Assis-
tants can be an invaluable tool to
liquid chemicals should be stored Employee and Student Training improving your laboratory safety pro-
no higher than shoulder height in Basic laboratory safety training should gram. In the weekly prep labs that are
the laboratories on suitable shelving be incorporated into the new emp- conducted by a veteran Teaching
00
with 34 lips.6 The amounts of hazar- loyee's orientation session. More Assistant, the rookie Teaching Assis-
dous materials in the laboratories advanced training should be provided tants perform the upcoming experi-
must be monitored and the chemical to employees and students as appro- ment and learn ®rst-hand of the
inventory must be updated at least priate to their laboratory responsibil- safety concerns for that experiment
annually, or as requested by the ities. Training sessions on personal (Figure 4). Safety seminars conducted
CHO. Chemicals should never be protective equipment, proper chemical by the CHO or Safety Director can
stored in the fume hoods. Secondary storage, ®rst-aid and CPR, ®re extin- provide a comfortable forum at which
containment devices should be used guisher use, safety shower and eye- the Teaching Assistants can ask speci-
where appropriate. The chemicals that wash station use, laser safety, and gas ®c questions and learn more about the
are stored in a laboratory refrigerator cylinder use may be helpful to your policies of the department.
and freezer (do not use a household- employees and students. Safety quizzes (based on the safety
type refrigerator) must be properly rules and/or assigned readings) pro-
labeled. Chemical waste must be pro- Departmental Safety Committee vide undergraduate students with their
cessed according to departmental/ The departmental Safety Committee ®rst impression of the department's
institutional policies. can be a guiding force for laboratory commitment to safety in the under-
safety in academia. It is important to graduate laboratories. Safety videos
Facilities Management include representation from the (including the American Chemical
Fume hoods and safety equipment faculty, staff, and graduate students Society video ``Starting with Safety:
should be inspected by experienced when creating this committee. Among An Introduction for the Academic
personnel on a regular basis. Follow- its many responsibilities include the Chemistry Laboratory''), and publica-
ing mandatory chemical inventory creation and subsequent revisions, tions, such as the ACS publication
updates, the NFPA 704 diamond label with the CHO, of the departmental ``Safety in Academic Chemistry
postings on the laboratory doors CHP, the various departmental safety Laboratories'' strengthen your under-
should be updated as required. All rules, and the departmental emergency graduate laboratory safety program
physical plant issues or concerns plan. and help to reinforce your safety
pertaining to heating, ventilation, air- Additionally, the Safety Committee rules.7,8 Teaching Assistants should
conditioning, plumbing, lighting, and can review and discuss accident take the time each week to write safety
custodial duties should be resolved reports at its meetings to attempt to tips on the board and reiterate them
as quickly as possible to ensure the identify and address unsafe work prac- throughout the laboratory period.
health and safety of the laboratory tices in the academic and research Safety posters present your safety mes-
workers. laboratories. One of the most impor- sages in a colorful fashion.

Chemical Health & Safety, March/April 2003 15

 Remember that your graduate students
are students, too! Set a good example
every day by following the safety rules,
enforcing the safety rules, and provid-
ing a safe and healthy learning envir-
onment for your students.

References
1. Occupational Safety and Health Ad-
ministration; Occupational Exposure to
Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories;
29 CFR; Part 1910.1450, 1990.
2. Handbook of Chemical Health and
Safety; Alaimo, R. J., ed. American
Chemical Society; Oxford University
Press, Washington, DC, 2001.
3. ANSI Z87.1-1989; Practice for Occupa-
tional and Educational Eye and Face
Protection. American National Stan-
dards Institute, New York, NY, 1989.
4. Prudent Practices in the Laboratory:
Figure 4. Newly-hired Teaching Assistants participate in weekly prep labs that are Handling and Disposal of Chemicals;
taught by a veteran Teaching Assistant. They quickly learn what it feels like to be an National Research Council, National
undergraduate student in a general chemistry lab. Safety issues are discovered Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1995.
®rst-hand when the Teaching Assistant performs the experiment from start to 5. ANSI Z358.1-1998; Emergency Eye-
®nish. wash and Shower Equipment; Amer-
ican National Standards Institute, New
York, NY, 1998.
SUMMARY hoods are not working properly or 6. Hall, S. K. Chemical Safety in the
To perform a quick assessment of that your students are working with Laboratory. CRC Press, Boca Raton,
your laboratory safety program, ima- noxious chemicals on the bench top? FL, 1994.
gine that you are a visitor who just Are the labs clean? Are the students 7. Wickstrom, L. American Chemical So-
ciety Video Courses; Starting with
walks into one of your laboratories performing the experiment in a safe
Safety: An Introduction for the Aca-
off of the street. What do you see manner and following the safety
demic Chemistry Laboratory, American
in your academic labs? Are the stu- rules? Chemical Society, Washington, DC,
dents properly attired and wearing We are responsible for teaching 1991.
the appropriate PPE? Do you smell laboratory safety to the workforce of 8. Safety in Academic Chemistry Labora-
chemicals or solvents when you the future. Take the time to explain tories; American Chemical Society,
enter the lab, indicating that your your safety policies to your students. Washington, DC, 1995.

16 Chemical Health & Safety, March/April 2003