Chapter 1

 Define safety, risk, and risk assessment.  List all entities that are responsible for developing and carrying out regulations and standards related to safety.  Describe how the “Right to Know” law and Chemical Hygiene Plan impact safety in the lab.  Describe the process by which companies and individuals can go about creating a “total safety culture” in the lab.

 Safety elimination of potential threats to human health and well-being  Can a completely safe environment be established in the laboratory? No  Most lab accidents occur while performing routine tasks

 All labs have hazards. equipment, chemicals, and conditions that can cause harm  Most accidents in a lab are minor in nature trips, slips, and falls slamming fingers in doors or drawers minor cuts

 Since it is impossible to eliminate all hazards in a lab, safety is measured in terms of risk. probability that a hazard will cause harm risk assessment attempts to estimate the potential for human injury or damage to property from an activity – “measurement of safety”

 Industry standards and practices for health, safety and environmental issues are more stringent than laboratories  Safety is a condition of employment  Required to understand and practice safe behaviors

 Safety is everyone’s business. Federal Agencies  Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA)  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  Department of Transportation (DOT)  Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Institutions Laboratories Individuals

 Additional sources for information related to safety in the laboratory: Prudent Practices in the Laboratory Handling and Disposal of Chemicals  Professional organizations American National Standards Institute (ANSI) National Safety Council

 Number of federal, state, and local regulations along with industry standards. regulations  operating principles required by law  CFR’s standards  operating principles or requirements related to many areas, including safety

 Regulations and standards that apply to lab technicians can be categorized. Worker safety  Ex. require lab chemicals be labeled Environmental protection  Ex. disposal of chemicals is regulated to minimize impact on environment Use and handling of animals  Ex. type of cages that can be used to house animals Regulation of radioisotopes  Ex. how radioisotopes should be handled and stored

 Federal Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) of 1983 regulates hazardous materials in industrial settings “Right to Know” law  Employer must provide:  workplace hazard identification  written hazard communication plan  MSDS on file for all hazardous chemicals  training for workers on how to safely use all chemicals

 CHP outlines the policies and procedures for working safely with hazardous materials.  Requirement by federal law – most labs

 1990 Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories Standards (29 CFR Part 1910) expands HCS to include academic, industrial, and clinical laboratories requires a Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) be developed to include specific information and procedures to protect workers from hazardous chemicals all work-related injuries and health problems must be reported to OSHA

 Today it is recommended that a laboratory create a “total safety culture”. everyone feels responsible people go beyond what is normally expected of them to identify and correct unsafe conditions clear written descriptions of safe attitudes and practices (ex. CHP) Safety should not be considered as a priority but as an immovable value

 A number of businesses & industries have implemented the use of a critical behavior checklist (CBC).  See checklist pg. 7  Usually a “safety coach” or someone from the safety committee will be charged with looks at behaviors that:  have caused or could cause a large number of injuries or near misses  have caused or could cause a serious injury or fatality

 Care: truly care about health and safety of their co-workers  Observe: take permission to observe behavior of others systematically and objectively  Analyze: must understand risky behaviors can occur because of work demands, inconsistent messages from management, etc

 Communicate: must be active listener and a persuasive speaker Separate behavioral feedback from personal attitudes and feelings  Help: coworkers work more safely

 Even with all of the regulations and standards that exist, it still falls on the individual to be responsible and use good judgment.

 Define safety.  What is CHP?  Explain the work of a safety coach?  How can you keep yourself safe in any work place?

 This project is funded by a grant awarded under the President’s Community Based Job Training Grant as implemented by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (CB ). NCC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the following basis:  against any individual in the United States, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age disability, political affiliation or belief; and  against any beneficiary of programs financially assisted under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), on the basis of the beneficiary’s citizenship/status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States, or his or her participation in any WIA Title I-financially assisted program or activity.

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