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SAFETY PLAN CONTENT
The Safety Plan is expected to vary from work area to work area based
on the hazards present. For specific information concerning laboratory
use, please visit our Lab Safety
page. For non-laboratory information, please visit our Health
& Safety page.
To provide some minimum uniformity to permit quick referral and ease
of use by various agencies, the following minimal rules of format and
content should be followed:
COVER SHEET
The Safety Plan must include a Cover Sheet (See
Attachment C) with the following information :
- Building and Room Number of the "area" (plus a complete
street address if not on the NCSU Main Campus)
- Name of Principal Investigator(s) [or designee]along with
his/her office location, box number, phone, and home phone number.
- Names of persons authorized to work in the area. If the area
is used by a class, that class name may be listed instead of individual
names.
- General Emergency Number, plus any other emergency numbers
that might be appropriate (e.g., Carolina's Poison Center, Radiation
Office, etc.)
- Signatures and Dates of Principal Investigator and the EH&S
Center reviewer.
SAFETY INFORMATION (See
Attachment D)
The body of the Safety Plan must include the following information:
- Process - List the processes or process types which involve
hazardous materials or processes. Processes may be described in general
terms, such as "extraction" and "distillation,"
or you may use more detailed terms such as "spectrophotometric
analysis of cholesterol." You must account for all the major processes
that are performed in your area(s). Use a separate copy of the attachment
for each process in your area.
- Hazardous Chemical - Chemical Class - List the hazardous chemicals
involved in each phase of the process and the expected by-products produced
- Potential Hazards - Describe the potential
hazards for each process (physical, biological or chemical). If
the laboratory contains many chemicals, it is acceptable to define the
hazard for a class of chemicals such as corrosive, oxidizer or flammable.
Give specific examples of chemicals used in the laboratory. Permissible
exposure limits and signs and symptoms of exposure must be detailed
if not available on MSDS's.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Identify the PPE and
hygiene practices required for each process, class of chemicals, individual
chemical, or physical hazards. PPE includes gloves, eyeglasses, goggles,
face shields, and respirators. If eye protection or respirators are
required, indicate when and why they must be used.
For respirator use, include the type of respirator that will be
worn and the specific cartridge used. If you use respirator(s), you
must have a separate and specific written procedure, and have received
training and fit testing by the Environmental Health and Safety Center,
and a medical exam before use. The laboratory written Respiratory
Protection Program must be kept with the Safety Plan.
-
Engineering/Ventilation Controls - Describe engineering controls
used to reduce employee exposures to hazardous chemicals, or physical
agents such as ventilation devices, aerosol suppression devices, shielding
and safety features on equipment.
-
Special Handling Procedures and Storage Requirements -
List storage requirements for hazardous materials in
your area. Include specific storage areas, special containment devices,
restricted access plans, etc.
- Spill and Accident Procedures - Indicate how spills or accident
releases will be handled, and by whom.
- Special Precautions for Animal Use - Indicate whether any hazardous
chemicals are being administered to animals. Describe applicable safety
procedures when working with animals.
- Decontamination - Address decontamination procedures for equipment
and glassware. If biologicals are used, describe method of sterilization.
CHEMICAL INVENTORY
List all the chemicals used in your facility giving common
names where applicable and the quantity typically on hand. List all gas
cylinders used. The format for the inventory is left up to the user.
TRAINING (See Attachment
E)
Safety Training Requirements
Each Safety Plan is intended to serve as an instructional tool so that
persons working in an area will be informed of the hazards, as well as
the procedures necessary to foster a safe work environment. The
responsible individual must provide or arrange for employees to receive
information and training to ensure that workers are aware of chemical
and physical hazards in the work area. Training must be provided at time
of initial assignment to an area where hazardous materials are used or
stored or where hazardous processes exist and prior to assignment involving
new exposure situations. The information provided to employees must include:
- Hazard awareness for all chemicals in the area
- Use of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
- Permissible exposure limits and/or recommended exposure limits
- Signs and symptoms of exposure for each chemical
- Location of reference sources
- Methods and observations to detect the presence or release of hazardous
materials
- Function-specific work practices
- Emergency procedures
- Selection, care, and use of available or required personal protective
clothing or equipment
- Emergency procedures consisting of actions to be taken by area personnel
in the event of fire, chemical spill, accident, or other potential emergency
situation shall also be reviewed.
A brief description of the material and procedures for training of
personnel who will use the area, and a schedule stating when the training
will be given must be clearly outlined in the Safety Plan. The minimum
frequency for personnel training must be on initial use of the area, and
then at least on an annual basis. The training material conveyed in the
Safety Plan is intended to serve as the minimal training information. EH&S
Center personnel should be used as a training resource. Center personnel
provide radiation safety, biosafety, back injury protection, and other general
safety training upon request.
All training must be documented by a brief outline of the material covered
and the date of the training and attested by the signatures of the person(s)
trained on that date. A copy of this signed documentation should be included
in the departmental personnel files after each training session.
EVACUATION PLANS (See
Attachment)
Every Safety Plan must include a schematic drawing of the laboratory,
which shows equipment, aisles, egress, fire extinguisher, and emergency
power shutoffs, if available. There should be written protocols telling
occupants how to evacuate and what emergency conditions require evacuation
of the laboratory.
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