Chemical Safety Information

Labels

The PI and the HM representative are responsible for ensuring that all chemical containers are labeled in accordance with this section.

Every container of hazardous chemical delivered to, used at, or shipped from the laboratory must be labeled with the name of the chemical as it appears on the SDS, the name and address of the manufacturer, and the appropriate hazard warnings. The NPS Chemical Labeling Guidelines are found in the NPS HAZMAT instruction, NSAM HAZCOM Plan, and 29CFR1910.1200. Labels will be provided by the NPS HAZMAT Coordinator upon request.

The labels must be maintained in a legible condition. Manufacturers' labels must not be defaced or removed unless the container is immediately labeled with the required information. Any container without a label or with an illegible label should be reported to the supervisor immediately.

If chemicals are transferred out of the original container, the secondary container must be labeled immediately with the information listed above.

All Hazardous Waste must be labeled accordance with the NSA Monterey Hazardous Waste Plan in NSAMINST 5090.3. When the first drop of HAZWASTE is placed into a container, the container must be labeled with the following required 7 items:

1. Words “HAZARDOUS WASTE”
2. Name of Generator
3. Generator Address
4. Composition (Content/Chemical)
5. Physical State (Solid/Liquid/Gas)
6. Hazardous Properties (Flammable/Corrosive/Reactive/Toxic)
7. Accumulation Date (When first drop was placed into the container)

Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)

A SDS should accompany each shipment of any chemical purchased. If no SDS is received in the shipping container and the current ring binder of laboratory SDSs does not contain an SDS for that specific chemical, the HM representative should contact the manufacturer for a copy (which must be provided under OSHA regulations within 30 working days).

Each department is required to maintain current SDSs for each chemical and pharmaceutical used or stored in its work area. SDSs must be in a manageable format readily accessible to employees and students at all times. It is the responsibility of PIs to ensure that employees and students review the SDS prior to initially working with the chemical.

Laboratory Posting Requirements. SDSs are available for each hazardous chemical used in the laboratory. They are located and are readily available to all employees and students.

Chemical Inventory List

All departments must maintain a current inventory list of all chemicals used in each of their laboratories. This list will be updated by the departmental or lab HM representative whenever a new chemical is ordered or chemical use is discontinued. PIs are responsible for marking quantities used on the inventory to aid the HM representative in maintaining the master departmental inventory. Chemicals are to be identified in this chemical inventory by the name that appears on the label and by the HAZMAT control number. A hard copy of this written inventory must be maintained in the laboratory, and be readily available for inspection/review by employees, students and OSHA inspectors.

Please see NPSINST 5100.6 for Suggested Posting

Standard Operating Procedures

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be developed by the PI for procedures in which hazardous chemicals are used, or for each hazard class used in the laboratory. These SOPs will address the safety and health practices to be followed by personnel while using these chemicals.

The PI, with the assistance of NPS Safety, will determine action levels and what engineering and administrative controls and PPE are necessary for each procedure conducted in the laboratory. Under no circumstances will action levels (ALs) or permissible exposure limits {PELs) established by OSHA or threshold limit values (TLV) established by American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienist (ACGIH) be exceeded. If there is any suspicion that the AL, PEL or TLV are being approached or exceeded, a request for exposure monitoring will be submitted to the NPS CHO. Results of initial exposure monitoring may dictate the need for periodic exposure monitoring. This information will be incorporated into the laboratory's SOP.

The SOP will be included as part of the laboratory specific chemical hygiene plan. A chemical use SOP template is located on the NPS OSHE intranet under programs under SOPs. This template is meant to be a starting place only, as each procedure and chemical is unique, so the SOP must be uniquely developed to safely handle the required chemicals in each specific process/procedure.

Employee Information and Training

Every laboratory employee and student receives a basic orientation to laboratory chemical hygiene. This training will be provided by the HM representative, PI, or ESAMS. All training must be documented by the individual presenting the training session. Training must be documented in ESAMS for staff and by a training plan and roster for students. Training documentation of students must be submitted to the NPS CHO and NPS Training Officer for external inspections and record keeping. A copy of the training records will be submitted to NPS Safety. Training must include the following:

1. Requirements of the chemical hygiene program.
2. An explanation of NPS's laboratory chemical hygiene program, NPS's HAZMAT and HAZWASTE labeling systems, SDSs, and how employees can obtain hazard information.
3. A description of the various methods and observations that may be used to detect the presence or release of a hazardous chemical in the work area.
4. General guidance on the selection of protective measures to reduce chemical exposure.
5. Information on safety resources. Emergency procedures to be used in the event of accidental exposure to hazardous chemicals, including emergency phone numbers. It is the responsibility of the supervisor (PI), HM representative (when needed) or lab manager (when needed) to provide laboratory specific on-the-job training, which will inform personnel of:
   1. The details and location of the laboratory chemical hygiene plan.
   2. The chemical inventory list and MSDSs for their work area.
   3. The specific physical and health hazards present in the laboratory.
   4. The OSHA permissible exposure limits of the chemicals used in the laboratory.
   5. The signs and symptoms of excessive exposure associated with these chemicals.
   6. The specific protective measures required when using the chemicals in the laboratory, including the SOPs that have been developed by the PI to protect them from exposure to hazardous chemicals.
   7. The specific methods and observations that may be used to detect the presence or release of a hazardous chemical in the work area.
   8. The location of eye washes and safety showers, and a demonstration of how these safety devices are to be used in the event of a spilled or splashed chemical.
6. Laboratory-specific training will be conducted whenever a new hazard is introduced to the work area, when the employee transfers to a new job within the lab, and whenever the employee demonstrates behaviour that indicates a lack of understanding of the safe handling of chemicals.
7. Supervisors (PIs) are responsible for ensuring that personnel with potential exposure to hazardous chemicals receive the appropriate training before working with those chemicals. To ensure that supervisors and HM representatives are knowledgeable of their training responsibilities, the NPS CHO and NPS HAZMAT Coordinator conduct periodic train-the-trainer courses for all HM representatives and any interested PIs.

A Word Doc template of the Laboratory Orientation may be found HERE.

Chemicals Produced in the Laboratory

To ensure that the hazards of chemicals produced in the laboratory are communicated to personnel, the following requirements must be met:

• If chemicals of known composition, produced for use in the laboratory, are determined to be hazardous by the PI, the PI must ensure that personnel are trained on these hazards and any related safety issues.
• If chemicals of unknown composition are produced for use in the laboratory, personnel will assume that the chemical is hazardous and take all appropriate precautions. The PI has the responsibility of performing a hazard assessment as soon as possible to determine whether the chemical is hazardous or not.
• If chemicals are produced for use by employees outside of the laboratory, the requirements of the Hazard Communication Program must be met. This includes hazard assessment and preparation of labels and SDSs.