Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) SOURCES OF CHEMICAL SAFETY INFORMATION FOR TULANE LABORATORY EMPLOYEES WHO WANT TO FIND INFORMATION ON CHEMICALS THEY MAY ENCOUNTER AND HOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES January, 2005

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Objectives To become familiar with some useful resources (online websites, books, regulatory agencies) where one can find information on chemical and laboratory safety related topics

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Office of Environmental Health & Safety Website OEHS has put together a website which is a great resource tool and a wealth of safety information:

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) OEHS Website Topics These are some of the topics and links that can be found on the OEHS website: Material Safety Data Sheets Chemical Safety Hazardous Materials & Waste Fire Safety Departmental Safety Representatives Biological Safety Radiation Safety Laser Safety Ergonomics General Safety OEHS Policies & Procedures Manual

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) OEHS Website – Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) Link Material Safety Data Sheets are available on the OEHS website under the MSDS link See the OEHS PowerPoint presentation on the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard for information regarding MSDSs MSDSs are documents provided by the manufacturer of a chemical that tell you about that chemical and how to protect yourself

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) OEHS Website - Chemical Safety Link This is some of the information available under the Chemical Safety link of the OEHS website: Annual Lab Safety Documentation Forms OSHA Formaldehyde Standard Guide OSHA Hazard Communication Standard Guide OSHA Lab Standard/Chemical Hygiene Plan Guide Chemical Inventory Form Incompatible Chemical List Lab Hoods Lab Door Labels Compressed Gas Cylinders Ethyl Ether

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Howard Hughes Medical Institute The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has put together an online course on lab safety available to all. If you decide to review it, please send training documentation to OEHS. OEHS also has videos from HHMI on various lab related topics. Call OEHS if you would like to borrow one. (Online Lab Safety Course)

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Prudent Practices in the Laboratory National Research Council This is an excellent, highly recommended reference of laboratory safety information- now available online at

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories Less is Better: Laboratory Chemical Management for Waste Reduction Publications from the American Chemical Society - Available online at

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Chemical Health & Safety Journal Publication of the American Chemical Society - Division of Chemical Health & Safety (See Division’s website: )

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has produced this useful guide on chemicals and their hazards: Available online at

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories This is an especially useful source of lab safety information for microbiological and biomedical laboratories: U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services Centers for Disease Control & Prevention National Institutes of Health (Available online - See the Biological Safety link of OEHS website)

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Hawley’s Condensed Chemical Dictionary The Merck Index Chemical Abstracts These are additional sources of chemical safety information.

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Household Products Database This extensive database is a consumer’s guide providing easy to understand information on the potential health effects of more than 4,000 common household products The National Library of Medicine Available online at householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Essential Practices for Managing Chemical Reactive Hazards This is a useful resource on reactive hazards: Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) Available online at

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Emergency Response Guidebook This is a useful resource for first responders during the initial phase of a dangerous goods/hazardous materials incident: Guidebook developed by Transport Canada, the US Dept of Transportation, and the Secretariat of Transport & Communications of Mexico for use by fire fighters, police, and other emergency service personnel

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Regulatory Websites These sites contain safety information and references to regulations. Some, like OSHA, even provide online training on various topics. – Occupational Safety and Health Administration websitewww.osha.gov – Environmental Protection Agency websitewww.epa.gov – bioterrorism site of Centers for Disease Controlwww.bt.cdc.gov - Centers for Disease Control/ NIOSH websitewww.cdc.gov/niosh – Department of Transportation websitewww.dot.gov

Tulane University - Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Summary There are many sources where one can find information about chemicals or products they may encounter Material Safety Data Sheets are not the only source available to learn about a chemical’s hazards Many regulatory agencies provide websites where one can learn about regulations – some even provide online training at their websites

Tulane University Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) Pam Fatland, Chemical Safety Manager (504) If unable to proceed to quiz, type the link below into your browser Proceed to Quiz