Chemical Hygiene Plan

Every laboratory should have a Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP).

This is the plan to help protect people working in a laboratory setting. You should be familiar with your school or organization’s CHP, and it should be readily available to all. The CHP is described in the OSHA document 29 CFR 1910.1450, Laboratory Standard.

The components of a CHP include:

  • Standard operating procedures involving the use of hazardous chemicals
  • Criteria to determine and implement control measures to reduce employee exposure to hazardous chemicals
  • Requirements to ensure that control measures perform properly
  • Employee information and training
  • Identification of operations requiring prior employer approval
  • Medical consultation and examinations
  • Designation of chemical hygiene officers
  • Requirements for handling particularly hazardous chemicals
  • Identification of designated areas (laboratories, storage rooms, disposal areas)
  • Containment equipment
  • Procedures for safe removal of contaminated waste
  • Decontamination procedures

This collection of methods and tools for assessing hazards in research laboratories is based on the publication, Identifying and Evaluating Hazards in Research Laboratories [PDF]. The guide was published in 2015 by the Hazard Identification and Evaluation Task Force of the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Chemical Safety in response to a recommendation from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board.

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