Laboratory Safety Training Columbia University

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Laboratory Safety TrainingColumbia University

• Nanotechnology Center Personnel
• Ilona Linins, Senior Safety Officer, Office of
  Environmental Health and Radiation Safety (EHRS)

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Part I Overview of Regulations

• OSHA 29CFR1920.1450
• FDNY RCNY Chapter 10
• EPA Regulations
• Columbia University Policy for Safe Use of
  Chemicals in Laboratories

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OSHA 29CFR1920.1450

• The Federal Occupational Safety Health
  Administration (OSHA) promulgated the OSHA
  Laboratory Standard of 1990 to address the
  occupational hazards of research laboratory
  workers (graduate students, PostDocs, professors
  too!), a segment of the workforce previously
  overlooked by OSHA.

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OSHA 29CFR1920.1450 OSHA Laboratory Standard

• Employee Exposure Determination
• If there is any reason to believe that lab
  personnel will be exposed to hazardous chemicals
  during the course of their work, then CU must
  monitor exposure

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OSHA Laboratory Standard

• Employee Information and Training
• Initial training occurs before or soon after
  appointment to CU

• STAT Training
• Training for Individual Research Groups
• Web-based Training (e.g. Rascal, EHRS website)
• EHRS Newsletters and Safety Bulletins
• Etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

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OSHA Laboratory Standard

• Medical Consultations and Examinations
• All employees who work with hazardous chemicals
  must be given the opportunity to receive medical
  attention, including any medically-necessary
  follow-up exams, provided by CU without cost or
  loss of pay to the employee

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OSHA Laboratory StandardHazard Identification
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OSHA Laboratory StandardHazard Identification

• Labels on all chemical containers must be intact
  and accurate as to their contents
• This is also a Federal Environmental Protection
  Agency (EPA) requirement
• and a New York City Fire Department (FDNY)
  requirement
• and a Columbia University requirement
• P.S. unknown hazardous waste is appallingly
  expensive to dispose of

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OSHA Laboratory StandardRespirator Use

• Respirator use is not recommended!
• Considered the absolute last line of defense
  against exposure
• Modify work practices or experimental procedures
  instead

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New York City Fire Department (FDNY) RCNY10

• Regulations for the storage and use of chemicals,
  acids and gases in college, university, hospital,
  research and commercial laboratories.

• Primarily concerned with fire prevention
• Regulations will be different from those of other
  cities/states
• Line of reasoning behind regulations may not be
  apparent

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Some frequently encountered FDNY laboratory
violations

• Laboratories are inspected annually by FDNY
  personnel before the lab permit can be reissued

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Excessive Flammable Storage
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Excessive Flammable Storage

• Flammable limit based on lab type, which in turn
  is based on fire rating of lab
• 4 Lab types I, II, III, IV
• Flammable limits of 30, 25, 20, 15 gallons,
  respectively
• To some departments and research groups, these
  are very low limits and are easily exceeded

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Excessive Flammable Storage

• Any flammable material stored/used in a lab is
  counted toward the flammable inventory of the
  room. This includes
• Flammable materials stored inside a flammable
  storage cabinet
• Flammable materials stored in a flammable
  storage- or explosion proof refrigerator
• Flammable solvents in closed-system solvent
  purification systems
• Flammable hazardous waste

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Improper Acid Storage

• Flammables and acids must be segregated
• Oxidizing acids must be stored separate from all
  other chemicals, including other acids

• Must be stored to prevent contact with bare
  metal/wood
• Must be stored on a plastic liner/tray to
  minimize potential contamination/spills

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Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
  Hazardous Waste Regulations
• See online Hazardous Waste training for more
  information

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EPA InspectionMarch and July 2001

• Colleges and universities, although always
  subject to the same environmental regulations as
  industry, had never been inspected by EPA
• Every lab, every chemical storage room in every
  department, was inspected
• EPA focus RCRA compliance

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What were EPAs findings?

• Incompletely labeled chemical containers. Use
  full chemical names only, never abbreviations.
  For synthesized compounds, use IUPAC names and
  structural formulas
• Uncapped hazardous waste containers. This
  constitutes a violation of the Clean Air Act. Do
  not attempt to reduce the volume of hazardous
  waste or reagent by evaporation in a fume hood
  please!
• Chemical reagents decomposing into hazardous
  waste. Please dispose of obviously-decomposing
  chemical reagents before the label falls off or
  the chemical violently reacts

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Part II Hazard Recognition

• Chemical Hazards corrosives/irritants, poisons
• Hazard Assessment for Chemicals
• Physical Hazards compressed gases, laser hazards

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Corrosive Materials

• Chemical substances that, by direct chemical
  action, are injurious to living tissues or
  corrosive to metal surfaces
• The degree of hazard associated with a corrosive
  material is greatly dependent upon its physical
  state (solid, liquid, gas)
• Minor corrosive injury irritation

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Corrosive Liquids

• Most common cause of corrosive injury
• Corrosive liquids will destroy any living tissue
  but the most frequently injured organs are the
  skin and eyes. Corrosive vapors can also escape
  from some solutions (check out the interior of
  any acid cabinet). Fuming acids are particularly
  hazardous

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Corrosive LiquidsBases

• Concentrated alkalies are more damaging to
  tissues than most strong inorganic acids
• Alkaline solutions gelatinize and saponify
  tissues, producing deeply penetrating, painful
  burns
• Even weak alkaline solutions can dissolve skin
  fats and weaken the epidermis, making the skin
  more permeable to other agents
• Initial contact may not be painful poor warning
  property!

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Corrosive LiquidsAcids

• Chemical action of acids is different from that
  of bases. Acids burn largely due to thermal
  action with moisture in tissues. When acids come
  into contact with skin, the acid reacts to form a
  (very slightly) protective barrier, whereas bases
  dissolve proteins.

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Corrosive Liquidsorganic solvents

• A corrosive liquid need not have a very high or
  low pH to be capable of causing corrosive injury.
  Many organic solvents can cause severe
  irritation of skin and mucus membranes by
  defatting tissues, which paves the way for
  secondary infections.

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Corrosive Liquidshydrofluoric acid

• HF and gaseous hydrogen fluoride merit special
  discussion. These are easily the most hazardous
  corrosive materials encountered in the laboratory
• HF is extremely dangerous not only because it is
  an acid but because the fluoride ion is capable
  of traveling through layers of tissue on its way
  to the bone, producing severe, slow healing burns
• Always store/use HF solutions and hydrogen
  fluoride gas in a chemical fume hood never on
  the lab bench!

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Corrosive Gases

• Most seriously hazardous of all corrosive
  materials! Readily absorbed into the body by
  dissolution in tissue moisture (e.g. in skin
  and/or respiratory tract and/or eyes).
• Severity of the corrosive effect and the region o
  the respiratory tract affected by exposure is
  greatly dependent upon the aqueous solubility of
  the chemical (see table on next slide).
• Always use/store corrosive gases in a chemical
  fume hood never ever on the bench!

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Corrosive Gases
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Compressed Gas Cylinders
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Compressed Gas Cylinders

• Store/use upright and secured
• Cylinder must be hydrostatically tested every 10
  years (by the manufacturer)
• Transport cylinders in cylinder carts with
  protective cap and restraining chain in place
• Do not use unknown cylinders!
• Open cylinder only after the correct regulator is
  in place
• Test for leaks with soap solution (e.g. Snoop)

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Compressed Gas Cylinders

• Do not force/modify any cylinder valve
• Use O2 regulators for O2 only
• Do not empty any cylinder to atmosphere
• Clearly label empty cylinders as such
• Store full cylinders separately from empty

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Flammable Gas Storage/Use
Cylinder must be connected to equipment requiring
its use ONE equally-sized cylinder in
reserve Flammable gases and oxidizing gases
situated at least 25ft apart Flammable Gas sign
posted on door
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Hazard Assessment

• What is the probability of exposure?

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Hazard Assessment Chemical Reactivity
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Hazard Assessment Warning Properties

• Easily detectable warning properties less
  hazardous
• Intensely irritating
• Strong odor
• Low odor threshold
• Color

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Hazard Assessment Quantitylarge quantities
large hazard
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Hazard Assessment How is the chemical used?
Large, open reaction vessel No engineering
controls Heated gt 1 atm or ltltlt 1 atm
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Part III Hazard Control

• Chemical Hazard Information
• Engineering Controls
• Personal Protective Equipment

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Chemical Hazard Information

• Chemical labels National Fire Prevention
  Association (NFPA) Fire Rating
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• Hazard Information on the Internet

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Material Safety Data Sheets

• Chemical Identification
• Ingredients (products containing hazardous
  chemicals)
• Physical Data
• Chemical Reactivity Data/chemical
  incompatibilities

• Health Hazard Data (occupational exposure limits,
  routes of entry, health effects)
• Spill/leak procedures
• Disposal procedures
• Miscellaneous info

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Chemical Hazard Information on the Internet

• Vermont Safety Information Resources, Inc.
  (Vermont SIRI) http//haz1.siri.org
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
  (ATSDR) Chemical Fact Sheets (ToxFAQs)
  www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html
• NIOSH/OSHA/DOE Health Guidelines for Hazardous
  Chemicals www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/healthguidelines/
  index.html

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Chemical Hazard Information on the Internet
(contd.)

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Chemical
  Fact Sheets and Chemical Summaries
  www.epa.gov/opptintr/chemfact/index.html
• Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Laboratory
  Chemical Safety Summaries (LCSS)
  www.hhmi.org/science/labsafe/lcss

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Biosafety

• Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Biosafety in
  Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories
  (BMBL), 4th edition www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/biosfty/bm
  bl4toc.htm

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Engineering ControlsChemical Fume Hoods
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Fume Hood Guidelines

• Before starting an experiment, know all the
  physical, chemical, and toxicological properties
  of all the materials with which you will be
  working.

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Fume Hood Guidelines

• Prior to using the hood, verify that the exhaust
  system is operational.

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Fume Hood Guidelines

• Work at least 4 - 6 inside hood.
• Lower the sash to the lowest practicable position.

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Fume Hood Guidelines

• Keep hood surfaces clear and baffles unobstructed
  to allow proper airflow.

• Airflow in a fume hood is easily disrupted do
  not use the fume hood for storage!

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Fume Hood Guidelines

• When using large pieces of equipment, elevate the
  base gt2 to allow proper airflow.

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Fume Hood Guidelines

• Use the sash as a shield.

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Personal Protective Equipment
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Eye Protection

• When working with chemicals, when working near
  someone working with chemicals, when working
  around chemicals, but not directly with chemicals
  themselves, Please! always wear some form of
  eye protection!

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Types of Eye Protection
Regular safety glasses provide sub-maximum
protection, and can allow splashes and chemical
vapors to reach eyes.
Prescription safety glasses have corrective
lenses, but provide only the same degree of
protection as regular safety glasses.
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Types of Eye Protection
Goggles provide the most protection, forming a
seal against the face.
Laser goggles have wavelength-specific lenses and
opaque non-lens components.
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Hand Protection

• Glove materials (PVA nitrile, butyl, PVC) show
  different degrees of resistance to chemicals
• Heavier gloves greater chemical resistance, but
  less dexterity
• Thin exam gloves (esp. latex) provide almost NO
  chemical resistance
• See MSDS for proper glove selection

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Labcoats

• Labcoats provide extremely limited but critical
  protection from chemical splashes
• Useful when working with small (i.e., research
  sized) quantities of hazardous chemicals
• Heavily contaminated, well-worn labcoats must
  either disposed of or laundered, before they
  become sources of exposure themselves

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Part IV Emergency Procedures

• Spills/releases of hazardous materials
• Medical Emergencies
• Power Failure

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Spills/Releases of Hazardous Materials

• Do not attempt a hazardous spill yourself you
  could be exposing yourself to great danger!
• Lab personnel usually never have the proper
  personal protective equipment to tackle a spill
  (e.g. respirators).
• EHRS personnel clean up all spills of hazardous
  materials.

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What should lab personnel do in the event of a
spill?

• If the spill occurs outside of a fume hood (i.e.,
  chemical vapors/fumes are uncontained), all lab
  personnel must leave the room.
• Call EHRS at x4-8749, or Security at x99 (after
  regular working hours only.
• Give the exact name of the chemical spilled, the
  amount, and the exact location of the spill
  (building/room/location within room).

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What should lab personnel do in the event of a
spill? (contd.)

• If a chemical has splashed on you, or on another
  lab member, immediately wash it off with copious
  amounts of water, for at least 15 minutes.
• Call for medical attention only after washing.

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Chemical splash in the eyes!

• Flood eyes with copious amounts of water at
  eyewash for at least 15 minutes, then seek
  medical attention.

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Medical Emergencies

• For minor injuries go to Health Services on the
  3rd floor of John Jay Hall (114th st. Amsterdam
  Ave., southeast corner of campus).
• For more serious medical emergencies
  (unconsciousness, chest pain, breathing stops,
  deep cuts requiring stitches, etc.) call Security
  at x99. Do NOT call 911!

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Power Failure

• Fume hood failure call x4-4899 (Area D) or call
  EHRS, x4-8749.
• General power failure close fume hoods, keep
  refrigerators/cold rooms closed, stop working!