Q&A Haz Com

Q & A ON OSHA's HAZARD COMMUNICATION STANDARD

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF OSHA'S HAZARD COMMUNICATION/RIGHT-TO-
KNOW STANDARD?

The purpose of these laws is to ensure that each of you is able to identify chemical and other hazards and know what to do to protect yourself from them.

HOW DOES OSHA DEFINE A HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL?

OSHA defines a hazardous chemical as a substance for which there is statistically significant evidence, based on at least one scientific study, showing that acute or chronic harm may result from exposure to that chemical. Basically, this broad definition applies to most chemicals used in the workplace.

WHERE IS OUR WRITTEN HAZARD COMMUNICATION PROGRAM LOCATED?

*	EHRS Department:	Griffith Hall, room #300
		Central Stockroom, Griffith Building, Room B1
*	EHRS Web Page

WHAT DO I DO IF THERE IS A CHEMICAL SPILL IN MY DEPARTMENT?

Anticipate spills by having the appropriate safety equipment on hand. Be Prepared!

If it is a small spill, your Supervisor is responsible for cleaning up the spill or making sure that it is cleaned up properly. Confine or dike the spill to keep the area involved smaller and to protect floor drains. (Whenever unsure how to handle a spill, contact the Environmental Health and Radiation Safety (EHRS) Department at X8925, X8843or X3141.)

Use an absorbent material that will neutralize the spill, whenever possible.

If the spilled chemical is flammable, extinguish all nearby flames and sources of ignition (such as brush type motors).

Protect floor drains or other means for environmental release. Absorbents and spill socks may be placed around drains, as needed.

Always wear the proper personal protective equipment when cleaning up spills! For example, rubber gloves, goggles, booties and a lab coat.

Decontaminate the area with soap and water after cleanup. Place all spill clean-up materials and residue in yellow hazardous waste bags or an appropriate container. You may use a dustpan and brush to scoop the spill residue into the container. Seal bags securely with strong tape and label the bag with the chemical name(s) and as "spill debris." Bring the bag to the central stockroom for disposal. Make sure someone is there to accept it.

If the spill is large, flammable, toxic or a threat to personnel, students or the public, notify the EHRS Department (X8925, X8843 or X3141) or USP Public Safety (X7000) immediately.

	Be prepared to report:
	The name of the chemical spilled.
	The amount of the chemical spilled.
	Location of the spill.
	If it is still leaking and/or is it contained.
	Any noticeable properties.
	Protect floor drains or other means for environmental release. Absorbents and spill socks may be placed around drains, as needed.
	If the spilled chemical is flammable, extinguish all nearby sources of ignition.

	Evacuate the area, warn others to leave and stay out of the area. Avoid touching the spill, walking in it, or breathing it, whether it has an odor or not. (Secure area, post a warning sign, if it is safe to do so.)
	Remain on the scene, but at a safe distance, to receive and direct EHRS or USP Public Safety personnel when they arrive. You are needed to relay, and possibly receive important information.

See the Chemical Spill section of the Safety Manual for more information.

WHAT DO I DO IF I EXHIBIT ANY SIGNS OR FEEL ANY SYMPTOMS WHILE WORKING WITH A CHEMICAL?

Overexposure to hazardous materials can:

-    make you feel dizzy
-    make you sick to your stomach
-    make your eyes, nose and throat irritated
-    give you skin rashes
-    make you feel nervous or sluggish

When an injury or exposure occurs:

If it is an emergency:

Call 911 and call USP Public Safety (X7000). If USP Public Safety transports the employee/student to the hospital, someone in addition to the Public Safety Officer must accompany the injured employee/student inside. (co-worker, instructor, etc.)

* Do not move a seriously injured person unless they are in further danger.

* Do what is necessary to prevent further injury or illness. (i.e., flush skin or eyes with copious amounts of water, leave area and get fresh air.)

* If the incident involves an exposure to a chemical, bring the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) or the chemical container to the hospital.

* Employees must notify their supervisor immediately of an incident.

* Notify the EHRS Department. (X8925)

* A Supervisor's Accident Investigation Report must be completed as soon as possible after an employment related injury or illness. Faculty member in charge of the laboratory must also complete a Laboratory Incident Report. (If applicable)

* Students must notify their supervisor or instructor of all illnesses or injuries occurring at the University including those related to exposures to hazardous substances. Notify USP Public Safety immediately (X7000) to document the incident. (In the case of an injury or illness in a Residence Hall, students must notify their resident assistant, resident director, or residence life coordinator.)

* An employee may follow-up with an occupational medicine specialist at University of Pennsylvania's Occupational Medicine Department. These Physicians specialize in hazardous substance exposures.

See Accident Reporting in the Safety Manual for more information.

WHAT DO I DO IF I GET SPLASHED OR COME IN CONTACT WITH A CHEMICAL OR HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE?

Check the MSDS for what to do in an emergency before you work with the chemical. However, as a general rule of thumb, flush contaminated area with copious amounts of water for at least 15 minutes. For eye splashes, use eyewash to flush with water for at least 15 minutes. Then follow the procedure of the preceding question. [Flush eyewash once a week for a minimum of 3 minutes to prevent the build-up of amoeba and bacteria. This will prevent eye infections, which can lead to blindness, during its use in an emergency.]

See the Chemical Contamination section of the Safety Manual for more information.

See the Skin and Body Contamination section of the Radiation Safety Manual for more information.

WHAT DO I DO IF I HAVE TO ENTER A LABORATORY?

Always read the hazard signs on the door before entering to let you know what may be stored in the laboratory or what is being used in the laboratory. Whenever entering a laboratory:

* Wear eye protection when entering the laboratory. This is to protect yourself from work that you may be doing and to protect yourself from what laboratory personnel and students are doing.

A case history:

Here at USP, an undergraduate student prepared a glassware cleaning solution and was allowing it to cool in the hood. Three hours later, all of a sudden, it exploded. The explosion shot acid and glass all over the floor, the walls, and the hood. Unfortunately, the hood sash (door) was not lowered while she was allowing the solution to cool. Even if it looks like no work is going on in a laboratory, you still want to protect yourself.

* Wear gloves and change them frequently. No glove is impermeable indefinitely. It is just a matter of time until a substance or chemical works its way through a glove. So take them off immediately if you think they are contaminated. Then wash your hands. Never touch your eyes, nose, mouth, phones, equipment or radios with potentially contaminated gloves.

* Before cleaning or doing maintenance work, check with laboratory personnel first. If there a specific hazard that you should be aware of?

* Do not handle, move, or remove containers, bottles, bags, or equipment without checking with laboratory personnel. Laboratory personnel should be contacted in advance to move these materials.

* If doing work near a fume hood, make sure that the hood sash is closed, all chemicals are capped or closed, and no experiments are gong on. If performing maintenance work in a hood, make sure that laboratory personnel have the hood cleared and cleaned out and that you wear proper personal protective equipment.

* If there is a spill on the floor, do not clean it up without checking with laboratory personnel or the EHRS Department first.

- It may look like water - but, it could be a chemical, radioactive or biohazardous material.

A case history:

A custodial employee (at another institution) saw a puddle of what looked like water next to a refrigerator. The employee mopped up the liquid and continued cleaning the rest of the building. The refrigerator had a radioactive label on it, and the water was a radioactive liquid that spilled. Well, now the radioactive material was spread throughout the entire building and the building had to be completely closed down and cleaned up.

	*	Never remove trash bags that are yellow or red. Never remove trash bags that have any hazard warnings on it.

	*	In the event of any laboratory accident or hazardous substance exposure, contact the laboratory supervisor, safety officer, or security. Laboratory personnel and the Public Safety Officer's contact numbers are posted on the laboratory doors. USP Public Safety's emergency contact number is X7000.

WHAT IS AN MSDS, AND WHERE ARE THEY LOCATED?

An MSDS is a material safety data sheet. There must be an MSDS for every chemical in your department and they must be available to all employees. An MSDS will provide useful information about the chemical.

These are located in your department and in the central stockroom (Griffith Hall, Rm. #B-10).

Click on MSDS Links to find an MSDS not available in your department.

PEL'S AND TLV'S ARE OFTEN FOUND ON AN MSDS. WHAT ARE THEY?

Pel’s are permissible exposure limits. These are the regulatory quantities that nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed to day after day, without adverse effect. Because of wide variation in individual susceptibility, a small percentage of workers may experience discomfort from some substances at concentrations at or below the PEL. PEL's are enforceable by law. (OSHA)

TLV’s are threshold limit values. Their definition is the same as above, however, they are recommended limits by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). TLV's are reviewed with some regularity and, therefore, may be more up-to-date that PEL's.

IF I TRANSFER A CHEMICAL TO A SECONDARY CONTAINER (i.e., for dilution) HOW SHOULD I LABEL IT?

You must label the new container with a copy of the manufacturer’s label or at least the chemical name and a hazard warning. Chemical and structural formulas are not acceptable! All chemicals must be labeled properly.
See labeling of secondary containers, under the Hazard Communication Program for more information.

WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF A HAZARD WARNING?

Hazard warning means any words, pictures, symbols or combination thereof appearing on a label or other appropriate form of warning which convey the specific physical or health hazards of the chemicals in the containers. This must include the chemicals target organ effects. Ex.) hepatotoxin (liver effect), neurotoxin (affects nervous system).

HOW DO I FIND OUT ABOUT A CHEMICAL AND IT'S HAZARDS?

Read the label
Read the MSDS
Talk to your supervisor
Call the EHRS Department (X8925)
Call the Manufacturer of the chemical

IF I ATTENDED THE TRAINING CLASS LAST YEAR, DO I HAVE TO HAVE TRAINING AGAIN THIS YEAR?

Training must be done every year. Therefore, you must read and complete a Safety Discussion Guide on the Hazard Communication Standard. However, if an employee attended a New Employee Orientation training class this year, this year's discussion guide may be skipped.

If anyone has any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact the EHRS Department (X8925)

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia • 600 South Forty-third Street • Philadelphia, PA 19104-4495 • phone: 215-596-8800 • email: safety@usip.edu

	If it is an emergency:
	Call 911 and call USP Public Safety (X7000). If USP Public Safety transports the employee/student to the hospital, someone in addition to the Public Safety Officer must accompany the injured employee/student inside. (co-worker, instructor, etc.)
*	Do not move a seriously injured person unless they are in further danger.
*	Do what is necessary to prevent further injury or illness. (i.e., flush skin or eyes with copious amounts of water, leave area and get fresh air.)
*	If the incident involves an exposure to a chemical, bring the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) or the chemical container to the hospital.
*	Employees must notify their supervisor immediately of an incident.
*	Notify the EHRS Department. (X8925)
*	A Supervisor's Accident Investigation Report must be completed as soon as possible after an employment related injury or illness. Faculty member in charge of the laboratory must also complete a Laboratory Incident Report. (If applicable)
*	Students must notify their supervisor or instructor of all illnesses or injuries occurring at the University including those related to exposures to hazardous substances. Notify USP Public Safety immediately (X7000) to document the incident. (In the case of an injury or illness in a Residence Hall, students must notify their resident assistant, resident director, or residence life coordinator.)
*	An employee may follow-up with an occupational medicine specialist at University of Pennsylvania's Occupational Medicine Department. These Physicians specialize in hazardous substance exposures.

	*	Wear eye protection when entering the laboratory. This is to protect yourself from work that you may be doing and to protect yourself from what laboratory personnel and students are doing.

		A case history:
		Here at USP, an undergraduate student prepared a glassware cleaning solution and was allowing it to cool in the hood. Three hours later, all of a sudden, it exploded. The explosion shot acid and glass all over the floor, the walls, and the hood. Unfortunately, the hood sash (door) was not lowered while she was allowing the solution to cool. Even if it looks like no work is going on in a laboratory, you still want to protect yourself.

	*	Wear gloves and change them frequently. No glove is impermeable indefinitely. It is just a matter of time until a substance or chemical works its way through a glove. So take them off immediately if you think they are contaminated. Then wash your hands. Never touch your eyes, nose, mouth, phones, equipment or radios with potentially contaminated gloves.

	*	Before cleaning or doing maintenance work, check with laboratory personnel first. If there a specific hazard that you should be aware of?

	*	Do not handle, move, or remove containers, bottles, bags, or equipment without checking with laboratory personnel. Laboratory personnel should be contacted in advance to move these materials.

	*	If doing work near a fume hood, make sure that the hood sash is closed, all chemicals are capped or closed, and no experiments are gong on. If performing maintenance work in a hood, make sure that laboratory personnel have the hood cleared and cleaned out and that you wear proper personal protective equipment.

	*	If there is a spill on the floor, do not clean it up without checking with laboratory personnel or the EHRS Department first.