Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories

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1910.1450 – Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories

(e) – Chemical hygiene plan — General.

(3) – The Chemical Hygiene Plan shall include each of the following elements and shall indicate specific measures that the employer will take to ensure laboratory employee protection;

(iv) Provisions for employee information and training as prescribed in paragraph (f) of this section;

(f) – Employee information and training.

(1) – The employer shall provide employees with information and training to ensure that they are apprised of the hazards of chemicals present in their work area.

(2) – Such information shall be provided at the time of an employee’s initial assignment to a work area where hazardous chemicals are present and prior to assignments involving new exposure situations. The frequency of refresher information and training shall be determined by the employer.

(3) – Information. Employees shall be informed of:

(i) The contents of this standard and its appendices which shall be made available to employees;

(ii) the location and availability of the employer’s Chemical Hygiene Plan;

(iii) The permissible exposure limits for OSHA regulated substances or recommended exposure limits for other hazardous chemicals where there is no applicable OSHA standard;

(iv) Signs and symptoms associated with exposures to hazardous chemicals used in the laboratory; and

(v) The location and availability of known reference material on the hazards, safe handling, storage and disposal of hazardous chemicals found in the laboratory including, but not limited to, Material Safety Data Sheets received from the chemical supplier.

(4) – Training.

(i) Employee training shall include:

(A) – Methods and observations that may be used to detect the presence or release of a hazardous chemical (such as monitoring conducted by the employer, continuous monitoring devices, visual appearance or odor of hazardous chemicals when being released, etc.);

(B) – The physical and health hazards of chemicals in the work area; and

(C) – The measures employees can take to protect themselves from these hazards, including specific procedures the employer has implemented to protect employees from exposure to hazardous chemicals, such as appropriate work practices, emergency procedures, and personal protective equipment to be used.

(ii) The employee shall be trained on the applicable details of the employer’s written Chemical Hygiene Plan.