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The OSHA Lab Safety Standard 2015 OSHA Lab Standards in Prac:ce Miriam Weil, ScD, MPH Boston Children’s Hospital
The OSHA Lab Safety Standard 2015
OSHA Lab Standards in Prac:ce Miriam Weil, ScD, MPH
Boston Children’s Hospital
GOAL OF PROJECT
• To understand how elements of the OSHA Lab Standard are being carried out in various ins:tu:ons.
INTRODUCTION
• How is the laboratory standard applied in the field?
• Two surveys about aspects of the OSHA Lab Standard
• Boston Children’s Hospital EH&S approach to implemen:ng aspects of the standard
SURVEY PROJECTS DESCRIPTION • Two Surveys:
• Both about AWtudes, Usefulness, Adherence to Rules – OSHA Lab Standard Compliance and Usefulness – PPE Survey – Different Audiences
• 1st Mostly Safety Professionals • 2nd Lab Personnel at Boston Children’s Hospital and associated research laboratories
WHO RESPONDED TO THE LAB STANDARD SURVEY?
Central Environmental Health and Safety staff
Departmental or College level Environmental Health and Safety staff
Laboratory safety representa:ves
Laboratory worker with no designated safety responsibili:es
62%
18%
19%
1%
SINGLE CHO OR MULTIPLE
60%
27%
14%
Single campus-‐wide CHO
Chemical Hygiene Officers are assigned to specific colleges or departments
Each lab is expected to have their own Chemical Hygiene Officer.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE CHO
Primarily technical , focused on risk assessment and hazard management
Primarily administra:ve , focused on program development and management
Split between these responsibili:es 48%
32%
23%
WITH WHICH PARTS OF THE LABORATORY COMMUNITY DOES
THE CHO WORK?
Lab staff and/or students
Safety representa:ves for specific laboratories
Lab supervisors in their area of responsibility
Laboratory administra:on and facility managers
Ins:tu:on wide lab safety issues (e.g. haz waste management, emergency planning
82%
51%
66%
66%
49%
FORMAT OF THE CHP
Single complete Chemical Hygiene Plan
Expected to be wrigen at the department or college level, using ins:tu:onal plans as a basis
En:rely wrigen at the lab level
68%
20%
12%
USE RANKING OF THE CHP
A reference work for ins:tu:on specific informa:on and procedures
An opera:ng document for daily laboratory work
A basis for laboratory safety training
A "roles and responsibili:es" document that forms the basis for safety oversight at the ins:tu:on
35%
34%
22%
8%
HOW OFTEN IS THE CHP REVIEWED?
At least annually
Occasionally
Specific laboratory safety programs that support the CHP are rou:nely updated, but the CHP itself is seldom updated
Not updated
52%
25%
Don’t know
HAZCOMM -‐ GHS
• 41. 5% said somewhat • 25 % said yes • 19% said no • 15% said unclear
DO LAB WORKERS GET CLEAR GUIDANCE ABOUT PPE?
Yes
No
Don't know
80%
10%
10%
PPE Survey
• Conducted between November 8 and December 8, 2014
• Approximately 100 responses • The denominator in the responses varies due to: – open ended ques:ons where more than one item was listed
– not every ques:on was answered by every respondent
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU USE AT LEAST ONE KIND OF PPE?
68%
16%
5% 4% 2% 2%
Almost all the :me (>90%)
70% to 90%
10% to 30%
50% to 70%
less than 10%
30% to 50%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Percentage of :me
WHAT PPE DO YOU TYPICALLY WEAR AT WORK?
95% 91%
49%
23% 19%
7% 4% 4%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Types of PPE
Percent of total responses
N=98 (open ended quesPon, more than one response).
58%
37% 35% 35% 32% 26%
19%
5%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Percent of total answers
Ideas for Improvement
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO INCREASE/
IMPROVE PPE USE?
(more than one answer, n=144)
WHAT FACTORS DO CURRENT AVAILABLE EYE WEAR LACK?
41%
15%
15%
11%
10%
8%
1%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
Comfort
None
Style
Choice
Other
Construction
Durability
What factors do current gloves lack?
41%
23%
16%
8%
7%
3%
1%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%
None
Durability
Comfort
Other
Construction
Choice
Style
WHAT FACTORS DO CURRENT LAB
COATS LACK?
30%
16%
16%
13%
13%
8%
3%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%
None
Style
Other
Comfort
Choice
Construction
Durability
Are the following activities
performed in the lab?
Chemical Hazards
Yes
No
Activity
Activity Description
Activity Location
Activity Length
Additional Details
Working with small volumes (< 1 liters) of corrosive liquids.
Working with large volumes (> 1 liters) of corrosive liquids, small to large volumes of acutely toxic corrosives, or work which creates a splash hazard.
Working with small volumes (< 1 liters) of organic solvents or flammable organic compounds.
Working with large volumes (> 1 liters) of organic solvents, small to large volumes of very dangerous solvents, or work which creates a splash hazard.
Working with irritants, sensitizers, mutagens, teratogens or other toxic hazardous chemicals (solid, liquid, or gas).
Working with acutely toxic or hazardous chemicals (solid, liquid, or gas).
Working with an apparatus with contents under pressure or vacuum.
Working with air or water reactive chemicals.
Working with potentially explosive chemicals.
Research Version 1
LIQUID NITROGEN HANDLING Laboratory Hazard Assessment Training Tool for Personal ProtecPve Equipment Use
Hazard Type AcPvity DescripPon PotenPal Hazard Safety Controls Applicable PPE
Physical
Dispensing liquid nitrogen from primary to secondary containers designed for cryogenic materials Removing and inserting racks from Dewar's and other vessels
-Major skin, tissue or eye damage -Frostbite
Use in a well ventilated area
Face Shield Temperature Resistant Gloves
Physical Removing vials from liquid nitrogen
-Vials may explode upon rapid warming
-Cuts to face and neck
Use vials approved for
cryogenic material
Physical
Recovering vials and/or specimen boxes lost in Dewar’s
-Major skin, tissue or eye damage -Frostbite
Use “Cryo Grabbers” to extract lost science
Physical Connecting tanks to Dewar and/or manifold systems
-Major skin, tissue or eye damage -Frostbite
N/A
Northern Blot (Gel PreparaPon)
Laboratory Hazard Assessment Training Tool for Personal ProtecPve Equipment Use
Hazard Type AcPvity DescripPon PotenPal Hazard Safety Controls Applicable PPE
Physical Hea:ng agar with formaldehyde on a hotplate
-‐ Burns resul:ng in skin or eye damage -‐ Inhala:on hazard (carcinogen)
Chemical fume hood required
-‐ Heat Resistant Gloves
-‐ Hot Hands
Chemical Use of DEPC (diethyl pyrocarbonate), formaldehyde and ethidium bromide
-‐ Skin or eye damage (irritant) -‐ Inhala:on hazard (carcinogen)
Chemical fume hood or down dran table required
Version 1
11%
14%
16%
23%
28%
32%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40%
Improve wording
Embedded in SOPs
Improve format
Other
More pictures
Our lab does not have PPE one-pagers
Percent of total answers (more than one answer), n=98
Ideas for Improvement
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE USABILITY OF ONE-‐PAGERS?
CONCLUSIONS
• Safety professionals have chosen ways to comply with the Lab standards that suit their individual ins:tu:ons.
• Chemical Hygiene Officer, Chemical Hygiene Plan • CHO responsibili:es are technical and administra:ve. • Benefit these elements of the Lab Safety Plan have on the
laboratory personnel. • Boston Children’s Hospital Approach provides a unique way
to bring chemical safety to the lab workers as one pagers.
• Thank you to Ralph Stuart, DCHAS, Chad Pires, Nick Kielbania, Lou Diberardinis, Pete Reinhart
