Research Laboratory & Safety Services (RLSS) and the Approval Holder (AH) of a hazardous chemical laboratory are responsible for providing all laboratory workers with the information and training necessary to ensure that they are aware of the hazards of chemicals present in their work area, as well as the control measures that are available to protect them from these hazards.
Information
Every laboratory worker has the right to access information about chemical safety, both in general and specific to the University of Arizona laboratory in which they work. Accessible information includes:
- The OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910, particularly the 29 CFR 1910.1450 (Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories) and the 29 CFR 1910.1200 (Hazard Communication Standard)
- The location and availability of the University Chemical Hygiene Plan (UCHP) and University Standard Operating Procedures (USOPs)
- The location and availability of the Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan and Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures (LCHP and LSOPs)
- An inventory of the hazardous chemicals in the laboratory
- Exposure limits for hazardous chemicals in the laboratory (PEL’s for OSHA-regulated substances)
- Signs and symptoms associated with exposures to the hazardous chemicals in the laboratory
- The location and availability of known reference material on the hazards, safe handling, storage and disposal of hazardous chemicals in the laboratory; this includes MSDSs (or SDSs) from the chemical supplier
Laboratory workers have the right to request RLSS historical compliance data (previous inspection results and incidents) within the scope of any approval of which they are an authorized hazardous chemical worker.
Required Training
Personnel must be trained on the following information before they may work in a laboratory using hazardous chemicals:
- The chemical hazards in the laboratory
- Ways to detect the presence or release of hazardous chemicals
- The protective measures one can take to prevent exposure to hazardous chemicals
- The University Chemical Hygiene Plan and Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan
All faculty, staff, students, and volunteers working with hazardous chemicals in a laboratory must be adequately trained as outlined in OSHA 1910.1450, "Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in the Laboratory" and OSHA 1910.1200, "Hazard Communication" standards. In order to achieve compliance with these regulations, all hazardous chemical laboratory workers must complete the following safety training offered by RLSS and their Approval Holder.
General Laboratory Chemical Safety Training
Hazardous chemical laboratory workers must complete the online General Laboratory Chemical Safety Training provided by Research Laboratory & Safety Services (RLSS).
The Laboratory Chemical Safety Program was significantly changed in August 2015; therefore any previous training through D2L does NOT meet the regulatory requirements. The online General Laboratory Safety Training MUST be completed by all laboratory workers, even if they completed the previous D2L website-hosted training.
All training is available thru EDGE Learning
You will be able to access your completion certificate through the RLSS User Dashboard (rlss.arizona.edu/services) and EDGE Learning after you complete the Final Quiz. Please allow up to one hour for the certificate to be processed and available in this screen.
If you are not registered as a laboratory worker under a Hazardous Chemical Approval, but are completing this training as part of a course requirement, you will not have access to your certificate through the RLSS User Dashboard, only thru EDGE Learning.
Laboratory-Specific Training
The General Laboratory Chemical Safety Training is general for all University of Arizona laboratories so in addition to the general training, all laboratory workers must complete Laboratory-Specific Chemical Safety Training provided by their Approval Holder (AH) or Approval Safety Coordinator (ASC). Students in an instructional lab course must also complete laboratory-specific training given by their instructor or teaching assistant.
The laboratory-specific training must cover:
- the safe storage and use of hazardous chemicals
- required control measures when using hazardous chemicals
- the location of safety equipment in the laboratory, and
- other laboratory-specific guidelines
The Chemical Safety Laboratory Specific Training template can be used for documenting this training. By affirming to having read and understood the Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan, a laboratory worker also affirms to having been provided adequate Laboratory-Specific Chemical Safety Training. This fulfills the documentation requirements of the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. The AH/ASC should maintain documentation of the information covered during the Laboratory-Specific Chemical Safety Training.
If there is a significant change in laboratory procedures or policies involving hazardous chemicals (e.g. adding new chemical hazards, requiring a new glove box for use of certain chemicals, etc.), the AH/ASC must update their Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan and retrain each laboratory worker.
Chemical Hygiene Plan Affirmations
To be compliant with OSHA regulations, all laboratory workers under a Hazardous Chemical Approval must be familiar with the University Chemical Hygiene Plan and the Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan for that Approval, and affirm that they understand the information within. This affirmation may be required annually, or upon significant amendment of their plans.
Using the RLSS User Dashboard, laboratory workers can easily access the University Chemical Hygiene Plan, as well as the Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plans for any Approvals under which the laboratory worker is registered. Workers can read and affirm to these documents through their User Dashboard after logging in with their NetID.
Additional Laboratory Training
All training is available thru EDGE Learning