An Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard titled Occupational Exposures to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories was enacted in 1990. This standard requires all organizations with laboratory employees to implement exposure control programs and to convey chemical health and safety information to laboratory employees working with hazardous chemicals.
The standard's intent is to ensure that laboratory employees are apprised of the hazards of chemicals in their work area, and that appropriate work practices and procedures are in place to protect laboratory employees from chemical health and safety hazards. The manner in which Brown University is complying with each of the elements in OSHA's Laboratory Standard is detailed in the Chemical Hygiene Plan & Laboratory Safety Manual (CHP). A copy of the CHP has been sent to each Laboratory Supervisor responsible for a research or teaching laboratory in which hazardous chemicals are handled.
Chemical Hygiene Plan & Laboratory Safety Manual (CHP)
CHP Annual Update Requirement
Your Laboratory's Chemical Hygiene Plan consists of a cover page and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) section. This section must be reviewed and updated annually. All new laboratories are required to complete the cover page and SOP sections, which include a list of current laboratory personnel, chemicals, and specific procedures routinely performed in the course of your research and any new room assignments. Annually, the cover page and SOP section need to be reviewed for updates. If there are no changes in the Laboratory SOP section, then the cover page is the only form that needs to be updated and sent to the Chemical Hygiene Officer for completion. The SOP section needs to be sent in for review only if you have made changes to it.