OSHA Lab Regulations

OSHA lab regulations protect employees who work with potentially hazardous chemicals.

Laboratory workers often use hazardous chemicals on the job. OSHA lab regulations protect lab workers from injuries and illnesses related to the use of these chemicals by limiting employee exposures to the chemicals and creating emergency procedures for workers in dangerous environments. OSHA generally holds employers responsible for creating safe laboratory workplaces, and employers face citations and penalties when they do not follow OSHA regulations.

Chemical Hygiene Plan

OSHA requires employers to create a written chemical hygiene plan if their employees work with hazardous chemicals. The plan should protect employees who work with hazardous chemicals and keep their exposure levels below the amounts that OSHA regulation 29 CFR part 1910, subpart Z specifies as acceptable.

Training

OSHA requires employers to provide employees with enough training to know how to stay safe when using potentially hazardous chemicals at work.

Employee Information

OSHA lab regulations require employers to tell employees where a copy of the chemical hygiene plan is, exposure limits for hazardous chemicals, where any materials regarding the safe handling and storage of the laboratory chemicals are and health symptoms that the laboratory chemicals can cause.

Medical Help

Employers must provide medical examinations to employees who work with hazardous materials if they develop any physical symptoms that are normally associated with the chemicals in the lab, if an event in the lab may have exposed employees to hazardous chemicals or if the employer notices exposure levels above the permissible amounts when monitoring chemical exposure levels.

Protective Equipment

OSHA requires employers to determine whether or not employees should use personal protective equipment at the workplace. If employees encounter enough risk in the lab to need protective equipment, employers must tell employees about the hazards and risks and explain to them how to use appropriate protective equipment.

Emergency Washing Facilities

OSHA requires emergency eyewash and shower facilities for employees who work with corrosive materials.

References

• Osha.gov: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories
• Osha.gov: Authority for 1910 Subpart Z
• Osha.gov: General Requirements
• Osha.gov: Medical Services and First Aid