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Chemical Safety

Chemical Safety

As of January 18, 2017, the FDA has banned powdered surgeon’s gloves, powdered examination gloves, and absorbable powder for lubricating a surgeon’s gloves. Manufacturers of powered gloves have been sending notices to customers to advise them of the ban and request that any banned products currently available in the workplace be disposed of.
Everyone knows that the holiday season is a busy time of year, with many people rushing to avoid being late for holiday events, finish their shopping, or hurry home to enjoy their families. Now is a good time to remind everyone to take time to follow the established EHS practices at your facility and not take any short cuts to finish early or simply on time.
If a hazardous chemical was spilled in your lab right now, would the researchers know if they could clean it up themselves or not? Rather than wondering what the thresholds are for cleaning up a spill in house when there is a puddle on the floor, consider developing a spill response chart for the main hazardous chemicals present in your lab.
After you have spent time and energy revamping your waste handling procedures and retraining lab workers, consider establishing a constant reminder to preserve your hard work. A waste handling flow chart can be created with pictures to clearly demonstrate how particular waste streams should be disposed of.
When was the last time that you walked into the lab with the intent of looking at waste containers to see how lab workers are disposing of the waste being generated? If you cannot remember, I would suggest taking the time to tour all the labs and evaluate the waste disposal practices being followed.