How OSHA Lab Standards differ from other Lab Standards

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This is an agency that sets guidelines and monitors laboratory health and safety standards throughout the United States. There are other regulatory bodies with lab standards that have a commonality with OSHA standards, but also many differences are apparent. OSHA has some well-known regulations regarding procedures involving hazardous chemicals and how to store them. They also require all lab personnel to wear PPE, personal protective equipment. The common use of PPE is to minimize exposure to hazardous chemicals and transmissible infectious agents in the workplace. OSHA also requires MSDS forms, material data safety sheets, to be kept on file in each laboratory.  Many laboratory workers are informed and educated on the OSHA standards upon employment.

States are required to have standards and enforcement programs that are at least as effective as OSHA. It is possible that these alternative standards could be stricter than what OSHA presents in their guidelines. There are 22 states that have an OSHA approved state plan. Although, OSHA approves them they can be slightly different than what is listed under OSHA’s general standards. OSHA covers private sector employees but do not typically cover state and local agencies.

Safety standards and codes are developed by non-government agencies. Although the government does not create the standards, they lawfully require them to be established. Agencies that play a role in regulating these standards include: OSHA, EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Department of Homeland Security. The standards have been developed with strong public support and reflect concerns on worker safety, environment, and human health.

The lab personnel managing and working in labs should recognize that violation of environmental health and safety laws and regulations can pose unnecessary risks to those individuals working in the lab. It is important to understand the relationships between the regulations and standards that mediate laboratory activities. OSHA lab standard is the primary regulation, however lab personnel should understand and be knowledgeable on its relationship to the hazard communication standard.

The general duty clause is a crucial element in OSHA lab standards. The general duty clause entails that employers need to supply the appropriate equipment and have workspaces that are clean for lab personnel can use. Having clean workspaces can help personnel see possible hazards that can cause serious damage.

OHA states within their lab standards manual that students working within the lab need to be monitored. They needed to be monitored because they are not an actually employee’s of the university. Students are there to learn through practical experiences, they help in assisting in lab research. OSHA standards say that even though they are not employees it is still important to keep them safe when working with hazardous chemicals within a lab. Universities need to keep set their own standards to keep their students safe and protected. Universities should also have standards set in place for any individual coming into the lab, including maintenance workers, and EHS representatives or management from the university who collect hazardous waste containers. They should follow the general OSHA standards and the specific standards of the lab.

 https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAfactsheet-laboratory-safety-osha-lab-standard.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK55862/

http://www.wadsworth.org/regulatory/clep/clinical-labs/obtain-permit/on-site-survey/laboratory-standards