Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Components of a Chemical Hygiene Plan



Blog #7- What is a chemical hygiene plan? What are the components that make up a chemical hygiene plan?

A Chemical Hygiene Plan is a written program that is developed and implemented by the employer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) require employers to have detailed workplace regulations that are designed to prevent injuries and protect the health and safety of workers. There are eight required components are essential to the make-up of a chemical hygiene plan. The eight elements include: standard operating procedures, criteria that the employer will use to determine and implement control measures to reduce exposure to hazardous materials, a requirement to ensure that fume hoods and other protective equipment are functioning properly; information must be provided to all lab personnel working with the hazardous materials. Furthermore, the circumstances under which a particular lab operation requires prior approval from the employer or someone designated to give permission, designation of personnel responsible for implementing the CHP, provisions for additional worker protection with hazardous materials, and finally the employer must provide worker training and review and evaluate the effectiveness of the CHP annually.

The first component that is included in the chemical hygiene plan is the standard operating procedures. Standard operating procedures are commonly referred to as (SOPs). A standard operating procedure is a document that contains detailed instructions on how to correctly perform a procedure consistently the same every time by different individuals. The standard operating procedure is important because it is a written document that contains the rules of what individuals within the organization should by doing and upheld to. According to Kevin Robinson a journalist for BioPharm International, standard operating procedures are important to the CHP because “they provide a general framework enabling the efficient implementation and performance of all the functions and activities, and contain step-by-step instructions that technicians and production personnel consult on a daily basis to complete their tasks in a reliable and consistent manner.”

The second component that is crucial to a chemical hygiene plan is criteria that an employer will use to regulate and implement control measures to reduce exposure to hazardous materials. One way that this component is used is through personal protective equipment also known as (PPE). OHSA defines personal protective equipment as “equipment worn to minimize exposure to serious workplace injuries and illnesses. These injuries and illnesses may result from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards.” PPE is essentially the clothing that is required to be worn when in a laboratory working with hazardous materials. Items that are included are safety goggles, lab coats: plastic or cloth, gloves, respirators and possibly earplugs.  Most labs have these PPE items accessible and often require those working in the lab to utilize them. PPE is important to the protection from the many hazards that individuals can be exposed to when working. Personal protection equipment should be assessed routinely through a hazard assessment.  Worker training is required and includes training in areas of the health and physical hazards of chemicals within the work area. Training should also include knowing what it takes to protect themselves from possible hazards, this consists of procedures that the company has implemented to protect their workers from possible hazardous exposures. The training provides employees with the knowledge of what to do in certain situations by educating them on appropriate work practices, emergency procedures and how equipment should be used including personal protective equipment. Employers should always verify that every employee demonstrates an understanding of the training they have received, before they should be allowed to do the work.

https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAfactsheet-laboratory-safety-chemical-hygiene-plan.pdf

http://www.biopharminternational.com/glps-and-importance-standard-operating-procedures?id=&sk=&date=&pageID=2

 https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/personalprotectiveequipment/







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