3-50 Laboratory Safety Policy

• Effective date of this revision: April 15, 2018
• Contact for more information: Office of Laboratory and Field Safety (OLFS)
                                                         Contact: Jennifer Walton
                                                         Email: ehler1ja@cmich.edu
                                                         Phone: (989) 774-4189
  
  

BACKGROUND 

This policy establishes the minimum requirements for all University laboratories and lab workers. Individual departments or units may exceed requirements, as they deem necessary. It applies to workers regardless of their title and employment status.

PURPOSE 

CMU is committed to providing safe and healthy lab environments. The purpose of this policy is to prevent laboratory injuries and illnesses and to ensure compliance with MIOSHA Part 431 – Hazardous Work in Laboratories. 

DEFINITIONS 

Chemical Hygiene Plan: The written program for CMU (MIOSHA Part 431 requirement) which sets forth procedures, equipment, personal protective equipment, and work practices that are capable of protecting lab workers from the health hazards presented by the hazardous chemicals used in laboratories. 

Lab Worker: For purposes of this policy, a worker is an individual who works with hazardous materials in a laboratory. A lab worker may be faculty, staff, graduate student, postdoctoral scholar, undergraduate student researcher, volunteer, or visitor/visiting scholar. Lab worker excludes individuals who only passively participate in tours, lectures, conferences, etc. and enrolled students in a teaching laboratory.

Laboratory: For the purpose of this policy, a laboratory is an area where hazardous materials are used or stored and where ALL the following criteria are met (per MIOSHA Part 431):

1. Chemical operations are carried out on a laboratory scale, i.e. the containers used in the operation are of a size that can be easily and safely manipulated by one person;
2. Multiple chemical procedures or chemicals are used; 
3. The procedures involved are not part of a production process nor simulate a production process; and 
4. Protective laboratory practices and equipment are available and in common use to minimize the potential for employee exposure to hazardous chemicals. 

NOTE: CMU still considers academic spaces without chemical inventories to be laboratories if they have biohazards, radiation hazards, or laser hazards, and the safety training, lab registration, and correction of lab deficiencies requirements still apply. 

Safety Training Form: The form to be completed by the supervisor or their designee to document lab specific safety training and to document the training requirements for each lab worker.

Student: An individual enrolled in an academic class. 

Supervisor: An employee with authority to hire personnel, evaluate performance, direct work assignments, apply progressive discipline, and direct resources to correct identified safety issues. The supervisor in a laboratory may be a principal investigator, instructor, or staff member.

POLICY

Lab workers must comply with CMU policy, the CMU chemical hygiene plan, and MIOSHA Part 431 – Hazardous Work in Laboratories Standard. 

The Vice President for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies oversees compliance with this policy.

Directors/Deans/Department Chairs are responsible for communicating, promoting, and enforcing the policy in areas under their control.

The Lab Safety Committee is responsible for promoting a safe working environment in all research and teaching laboratories on campus. 

Supervisors are responsible for complying with the policy and ensuring their staff comply with this policy. Supervisors are responsible for completing the safety training forms or reviewing and approving the form if completed by others. They are also responsible for ensuring their staff complete the required training. 

Lab workers are responsible for completing the required training for areas in which they work or enter. They are responsible for informing others in the area of these requirements and reporting unsafe conditions to the supervisor. 

Office of Laboratory and Field Safety (OLFS) is responsible for providing interpretation and clarification regarding this policy. OLFS will also provide consultation and tools to assist supervisors in completing the safety training form and meeting other requirements. 

Failure to comply with the policy may result in the loss of privilege to work in a laboratory at CMU. 

PROCEDURE 

Safety Training

Before lab workers are granted unescorted access to laboratory areas, they shall successfully complete Lab Safety Training as offered/managed by OLFS. The Lab Safety Training requirement does not apply to students enrolled in laboratory courses, unless the student is considered a lab worker as defined above. However, the teaching laboratory instructor, teaching assistant, and/or classroom laboratory manager is still responsible for conveying the necessary information for students to work safely. Lab Safety Refresher Training is required annually.

Safety Training Form

Supervisors shall provide a safety orientation specific to their lab and operation to new lab workers. The safety training form located in the CMU chemical hygiene plan shall be completed before the worker is granted access to or assigned work activities in the lab. The form documents the safety orientation and the training requirements for lab workers and shall be returned to OLFS for record keeping.

Chemical Hygiene Plan

Lab workers shall review the CMU chemical hygiene plan within 30 days of beginning work in a lab.

Lab Registration

Supervisors shall register labs by completing and submitting the lab door sign template located in the CMU chemical hygiene plan to OLFS. Registration information shall be reviewed and updated annually. The registration information is required for emergency contact information and lab door sign information to reflect hazards in the laboratory and assist with after-hours emergencies. 

Chemical Inventory

Supervisors shall submit lab chemical inventories to OLFS annually per the instructions in the CMU chemical hygiene plan. 

Lab Deficiencies

Supervisors shall correct safety deficiencies identified during inspections or incident outcomes within 30 days. Time extensions may be given for corrective actions that cannot reasonably be completed in 30 days.

Central Michigan University reserves the right to make exceptions to, modify or eliminate this policy and or its content. This document supersedes all previous policies, procedures or guidelines relative to this subject.