When you walk into the lab space at your institution, do you put on safety glasses and a lab coat? Do you wear closed toe shoes and full leg coverage any time you enter the labs?
Have you asked scientists working in the labs at your institution if they have the need to recap needs rather than telling them that needle recapping is not allowed? It is simple to put a policy in place that says that needle recapping is not permitted, but there are certainly cases where the need to recap a needle cannot be avoided.
In accordance with 29 CFR 1910.151(b). employers are responsible for providing adequate first aid supplies in the workplace. Appendix A to this standard, which discusses the necessary supplies, is non-mandatory but should be complied with.
Have you ever considered implementing a safety moment at your facility? This practice only takes a few minutes out of your week and can have significant impact on the safety culture at your facility.
When submitting applications to MA Department of Public Health Radiation Control Program to request permission to possess and use radioactive material in a research and development laboratory, be sure to reference U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s NUREG-1556, Volume 7.
On June 27th, 2016, the EPA Administrator signed the e-Manifest User Fee Proposed Rule. The Hazardous Waste Electronic Manifest Establishment Act requires the EPA to create an electronic system to track hazardous waste shipments, so the implementation of a national e-manifest system is expected in the spring of 2018.
You have probably heard that The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act was signed into law on June 22, 2016. This law amends the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) and is the first major update to an environmental statue in many years.
When temporary employees are hired at your facility, remember that the host employer and the staffing agency are jointly responsible for ensuring a safe work environment for temporary employees. In these situations, the temporary staffing agency and host employer share responsibility and control over the workers’ job duties.
Be careful not to confuse a flammable permit with a flammable license. These are two very different regulatory processes stipulated in 527 CMR 1.00, Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety Code. When discussing flammable permitting, the terms permit and license should not be used interchangeably.
When conducting risk assessments, job safety analyses, or evaluating the hazards associated with laboratory space, remember to think about the small hazards as well as the high hazards. One ‘small’ hazard that should be addressed is substituting plasticware for glassware whenever possible in order to reduce the risks associated with broken glass.
