UC Davis Safety Services Monthly Safety Spotlight April 2010: Chemical and Laboratory Safety Safety Discussion Topics Critical Questions to Ask Laboratory Safety Basics – A Helpful Checklist Cover Up! Protect your skin Employee Illness or Injury? Reporting Required! Hazardous Material Spill or Release? Reporting Required! Thorough Training is Your Best Ally

Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe. Monthly Safety Spotlight, April 2010 Chemical and Laboratory Safety Before you use a chemical or other hazardous material, you must understand the material you’re dealing with and how to protect yourself from any dangers associated with the material. What is the material? Read and understand the label, the MSDS and other references for every hazardous material you handle. What Personal Protective Equipment should you wear? Consult Safety Net #5, Safety Net #50 and the UC Davis Policy & Procedure Manual Section for advice on proper PPE. What will you be doing with this material? Rigorously follow the SOP to stay safe and protect your work. What should you do if you spill the material? Consult SafetyNet #13 and SafetyNet #127 for proper spill response. How will you dispose the material or any reaction products you don’t need anymore? Comply with the UC Davis hazardous waste process. Contact the Office of Environmental Health & Safety if you need information or updates on any laboratory procedures, manuals, MSDS, training, compliance or other safety information (ehs.ucdavis.edu)

Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe. Monthly Safety Spotlight, April 2010 Chemical and Laboratory Safety Is your team doing everything possible to keep your workplace a safe and productive environment? The checklist below is a handy guide to review your workplace safety program.  Laboratory Safety Plan (also known as the chemical hygiene or chemical safety plan) reviewed by and easily accessible to staff.  All safety procedures are followed.  MSDSs are readily available or the MSDS database search icon placed on all workplace computers.  Emergency evacuation and spill procedures posted, understood and practiced by all staff.  Standard operating procedures are developed for hazardous tasks.  Annual training, at a minimum, is completed and documented.  Engineering controls – fume hoods, glove boxes, biosafety cabinets – are certified and in good repair.  Hazardous waste management is in compliance with UC Davis policy. Contact the Office of Environmental Health & Safety if you need information or updates on any laboratory procedures, manuals, MSDS, training, compliance or other safety information (ehs.ucdavis.edu)

Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe. Monthly Safety Spotlight, April 2010 Chemical and Laboratory Safety The skin is the largest organ in the human body. Protect your skin when you’re working with hazardous materials. Basic Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the lab is a lab coat, appropriate chemically-resistant gloves, safety eyewear (chemical splash goggles or safety glasses), and closed-toe, closed-heel shoes. A glove guide, from the glove manufacturer, is important to select the proper glove for potential chemical exposure. Safety glasses with side shields should be worn routinely in the lab. Chemical splash goggles should be worn whenever there is a risk of a splash to the eye, either from your own work or the activities of your co-workers. Use care with sharp objects and broken glass to prevent lacerations. Follow all safety procedures as you perform your work. Contact the Office of Environmental Health & Safety if you need information or updates on any laboratory procedures, manuals, MSDS, training, compliance or other safety information (ehs.ucdavis.edu)

Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe. Monthly Safety Spotlight, April 2010 Chemical and Laboratory Safety UC policy requires that ALL workplace injuries be reported immediately. Be sure your team understands and follows the UC Davis Worker’s Compensation Injury Reporting Procedure. For more information, consult SafetyNet #121 (ehs.ucdavis.edu) and the UC Davis Workers’ Compensation website: safetyservices.ucdavis.edu/workers-compensation. Timely reporting results in faster, more effective treatment for the employee. Timely reporting enables the University to document the incident and begin processing a workers compensation claim if appropriate. If you are injured, immediately inform your supervisor or nearest responsible person, then contact Occupational Health Services at or Sutter Health (Davis) ER or the closest medical treatment facility if the injury takes place after hours. Employees are treated fairly and courteously when they report an injury. Be sure that all staff, permanent, temporary and visiting, understand and follow the Injury Reporting Procedure. Contact the Office of Environmental Health & Safety if you need information or updates on any laboratory procedures, manuals, MSDS, training, compliance or other safety information (ehs.ucdavis.edu)

Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe. Monthly Safety Spotlight, April 2010 Chemical and Laboratory Safety UC policy requires that ALL releases of materials that could be harmful to people or the environment be reported immediately using the Guidelines for Chemical Spill Control (SafetyNet 13). For more information, go to Report hazmat releases Secure the room Notify others in the area Decontaminate laboratory persons as needed Lab personnel should be able to clean up small spills or low hazard chemical spills Contact the Office of Environmental Health & Safety if you need information or updates on any laboratory procedures, manuals, MSDS, training, compliance or other safety information (ehs.ucdavis.edu)

Think Safe. Act Safe. Be Safe. Monthly Safety Spotlight, April 2010 Chemical and Laboratory Safety Proper training helps you avoid personal injury and illness as well as damage to your laboratory. All employees need to have initial training and at least annually thereafter. Training must also occur when there is a change in the hazards in the workplace. Contact the Office of Environmental Health & Safety if you need information or updates on any laboratory procedures, manuals, MSDS, training, compliance or other safety information (ehs.ucdavis.edu) EH&S recommends new lab employees attend Chemical and Laboratory Safety Training. New employees also must have laboratory- specific training. EH&S training is required for researchers who have a Biological Use or Radiation Use Authorization. Incorporating a safety topic in regular group meetings is a good practice. Developing a training program starts with identifying the hazards in the lab and how workers need to protect themselves from those hazards.