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/
No comments:
Post a Comment