Process Safety Management

Today's article will be discussing the Process Safety Management standard issued by OSHA.  There are 14 element to this standard, we will briefly describe each part and what it entails.  So, what is this process safety management standard?  Well, according to the site https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/processsafetymanagement/ , this standard is issued to deal with the hazards associated with chemicals that are highly hazardous.  What are the components?  The 14 components of the standard include process safety information, process hazard analysis, operating procedures, training, contractors, mechanical integrity, hot work, management of change, incident investigation, compliance audits, trade secrets, employee participation, pre-startup safety review, and emergency planning and response.  Lets discuss these steps in a little detail.  All of this information can be found on the site https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3132.html . Process safety information includes having the employee write down all of the hazards associated with the chemicals being used in the process, writing down information about the technology being used in the process and writing down all of the information about the equipment being used in the process.  This is done so that employees understand the hazards because they have had to write them down and know them.  Process hazard analysis is very similar to process safety information.  It is the process of identifying hazards, as well as evaluating and controlling them.  The employer is required to use one or more of many methods listed in this site in order to properly evaluate any of the hazards that are being analyzed.  Operating procedures includes all of the instructions involved in conducting an operation safely in the workplace.  The procedure needs to include the operation phase, operating limits and the health and safety considerations.  Training is pretty self explanatory.  There must be training done by each employee involved in an operating procedure and refresher training must be done every three years or less.  Proper documentation of each employees training record must be kept in order to show that they have received and are keeping up with training.  The contractors part of project safety management, or PSM, is stating that contractors employees are to understand that the PSM requirements and safety procedures apply to them even though they may only be there for a short time or for a specialty job operation.  Mechanical integrity describes how an employer must keep the equipment up to date and inspected regularly to make sure it works properly.  If there are any malfunctions, use on that machinery is prohibited until the problem has been fixed, then further use may continue.  A hot work permit is required to be kept on file until the hot work is completed. What is hot work?  Well according to the site https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/safety_haz/welding/hotwork.html , hot work is when ignitable sources are next to flammable materials.  These include cutting and welding.  This permit is to describe the fire protection and prevention have been implemented before any hot work is done, the date that the hot work is being done on as well as the location  the hot work is being done at.  Management of change discusses the procedures that have been written in order to managing changes made to any procedure.  This can include chemicals or technology changes.  Incident investigation is the process that must occur no later than 48 hours of an incident in order to find the chain reaction of events that happened in order for an incident to occur in the workplace.  A list of personnel and task required in this investigation can be found on the site above.  Compliance audits states that the last two audits must be kept on file, and also that they are being done at least once every three years to make sure that everything checks out okay.  Everything in the audit must be documented.  Trade secrets states that an employer must make all information available in order to comply with the PSM.  Employee participation is done when the employer makes sure that the employees and representatives are being told the information needed to know that is in the PSM.  Pre-startup safety review is when the employer needs to conduct a safety review on a process due to a change in the system, whether that be new procedure or the introduction of a new chemical as well as introducing a new facility into the operation.  Lastly, emergency planning and response discusses that the entire employee population at a plant must be aware of the emergency action plan in case of an emergency.  This includes the disposal of hazardous chemicals.  I hope this article has been helpful in providing information about what the PSM is and what it entails.

Fire Safety in Labs

Today's article will be all about fire safety in lab.  Obviously, laboratories are very dangerous places of work with a lot of hazards, but when you think about fires in a lab, there are so many more dangers involved due to the plethora of chemicals and substances in the lab that can have potential of causing more reactions and explosions when they come into contact with extremely high temperatures.  So, what kind of fire safety is there in a lab?  Well, according to the site http://www.labmanager.com/lab-health-and-safety/2009/08/laboratory-fire-safety#.VxlaPzjmqP8 , a lot of things can be done in the first place to prevent a fire from even happening.  Some of these things include planning out every step of the procedure correctly, store chemicals properly, wear proper PPE, minimize the materials used in the experiment, and not working alone.  Of course, the major components to fire safety are all known, that is the PPE, fire extinguishers, and alarms, but there are a few more areas of concern to touch base on.  One of these areas is the egress of the lab, that is the way out of the lab.  It should be a clear pathway, unblocked, and lead outside to ground level.  Another thing to think about when talking about fire safety in labs is the storage of chemicals.  This is very important if there is a fire because if the chemicals are properly stored in the appropriate containers, then there may not be the extra hazards of the fire reaching those chemicals.  Another thing to think about is that when there is a fire, you want the above sprinkler system to activate to help put out the fire.  However, the sprinklers will do no good if they are being blocked by stacked boxes or equipment, so make sure that your sprinkler heads are clear of any blockages that may be in the way.  When discussing fire extinguishers, you want to make sure you have the correct one or multiple extinguishers for different fires.  You want to make sure you know the PASS technique, which stands for pull, aim, squeeze and sweep.  That's how you use a fire extinguisher.  Not every fire extinguisher works for every fire.  There are different types of extinguishers.  According to the site http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com/ , classes A, B, C, and D would all be useful in the laboratory.  Class A fire extinguishers are used for fires that are from your ordinary combustibles.  These include papers, cardboard and wood.  Class B extinguishers are used for combustible liquids, like gasoline or grease/oil.  Class C extinguishers are used for any sort of electrical fire.  Class D extinguishers are for fires most common in a laboratory most likely.  These are fires that from combustible metals, like potassium or magnesium.  It is important to know what type of fire extinguishers you have for different fires because they will not work on other types than what they are specified for.  Also, some more tips on fire safety can be found on the site http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/fire/lab.shtml .  Some of the tips include not covering up light bulbs or light fixtures with papers or cloth, not overloading an outlet, and also to be weary of the location of fire safety equipment in your location.  I hope this article was helpful in providing some information about fire safety.

Emergency Response

Today's article will be all about emergency response within the laboratory if there is an accident.  One source I will be using is information from a packet that I received in class.  However, lets look at a different source to start out with.  According to the site http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK55874/ , there are four main stages to an emergency response plan.  These four stages are the mitigation phase, preparedness phase, response phase and recovery phase.  So, what are each of these?  The mitigation phase is all about making sure something does not happen, or if something.  This includes the proper labeling and storage of materials and chemicals in the lab to make sure they are not being stored dangerously.  The preparedness phase is all about being ready if there is an accident that occurs.  This can include a lot of things, like making sure that there are personnel on site that can help assist in an emergency, and also making sure that there are first aid and spill kits available.  The next phases, response, is all about the efficiency of the staff and outside personnel in case of an emergency.  This may be the accessibility of the equipment on site, as well as the knowledge about the substances involved in order to have a better understanding of how to tackle the situation at hand.  The last step described by this site is the recovery phase.  This is the stage where the quality of the lab can be reviewed to see if there are any areas if improvement in the lab while the lab is being cleaned and washed of the previous accident.  If anything can be done better to prevent something from happening again, this is the phase where that is done.  According to the site http://www.baylor.edu/ehs/index.php?id=97767 ,  the emergency response plan should be located near the entrance/ exit of the lab, or by the lab telephone because also on the emergency plan is a list of emergency contacts.  This up to date plan should also have written down procedures for a variety of different incidents that can happen in the lab and explain what to do.  If there is an spill or accident, try and contain it ONLY if the properties of the chemical have been identified and you are familiar with the hazardous properties of the chemical.  If there is a need for evacuation because of an emergency, there needs to be some way that all employees are contacted.  This could be some sort of alarm or intercom message.  There should also be a procedure for routes to take in case of an evacuation which the employees should already be aware of.  Whoever is the emergency contact, if there is a spill, with the assistance of the waste disposal company will determine the status and category in which the waste will be under in order to determine how it will be disposed of.  I hope this article was helpful in providing some information to you about the emergency response in labs.  It may seem self explanatory, but when there is an accident or emergency it is important for everything to be mapped out, and the plan with the information made available to all employees so that any confusion can be cleared immediately and action can be taken. 

Spill Prevention and Control

Today's article will be about the prevention of spills occurring as well as how to control them.  We were given a packet to reference from so that will be my min source of information for this article.  So, as you can guess spill prevention is pretty self explanatory.  However, to make sure that it does not occur, there are a lot of areas tat must be checked and kept up with to make sure that an accident does not happen.  For example, the containers where hazardous waste and substances are being stored must be properly sealed, and in compliance to hold the materials within.  You don't want to have a corrosive substance in the wrong container because it will eventually make its way through the container due to its chemical properties.  Then you have a mess and hazard situation on your hands and if there are other chemicals and hazardous materials around, you may be in an area with a high health and safety hazard.  Every container should be CLOSED, and there should be the appropriate signage to indicate what is in the container.  Something like "FLAMMABLE" or "HAZARDOUS" or "HAZARDOUS WASTE" signs would be appropriate.  The site http://www.labmanager.com/lab-health-and-safety/2010/07/preventing-chemical-spills?fw1pk=2#.Vxk4pDjmqP8 has a few tips as well on how to prevent some spills that happen frequently.  A few examples are to place chemicals in the hood to reduce the risk of knocking them over, and also to use absorbent liners at the workbench where the chemicals are being used.  Another important thing to know is that chemicals that are being stored in quantities more than 55 gallons should be stored in a secondary container, but this can be used for any sort of chemical or substance that has a high chance of getting spilled or leaked into the environment.  In order to make sure that containers are holding chemicals and substances properly, the containers need to be easily accessible by personnel who are going to be inspecting them.  It is also good to know that you should not fill drums of chemicals to the very top.  There should be at least four inches of space from the top of the container to the top of the chemical in the container.  This will prevent and drips or spills if it is to be transported for any reason.  According to the site https://www.wright.edu/facilities-management-and-services/environmental-health-and-safety/article/preventing-chemical-spills-in-the-lab , it can also be helpful to conduct a lab as low to the ground as possible, that way if any lab equipment is dropped it may be low enough where it does not crack and leak, creating a potential hazard.  Also, this site says that simply knowing and having a good understanding of the chemicals you are working with can be very important because if there is a spill, knowing how to properly dispose and clean it up quickly can prevent the spill from becoming a very dangerous situation.  Employees need to be trained for handling hazardous substances as well, and this includes emergency response procedures as well as the spill prevention component of these chemicals.  The equipment needed in order to clean up a spill should be easily accessible and employees should know where it is located at all times.  These kits should be equipped with the necessary tools needed to clean up the respective chemicals; you don't want a spill kit on site that has equipment needed to clean up a different chemical.  I hope this article was helpful in providing some information about spill prevention and control. 

Disposing of Chemical Waste and Unwanted Chemicals

Todays article will be all about the disposing of chemical waste and/or unwanted chemicals.  First off lets define exactly what chemical waste is before we get into detail.  According to the site http://gogreenplus.org/nuts-and-bolts-guide/planet-nuts-and-bolts-guide/waste-reduction-responsible-disposal/disposing-of-hazardous-waste/ , hazardous waste is any waste that poses a threat to the health of humans or the environment.  This waste can be a lot of different things, and come in a lot of forms.  This waste can be solid liquid or gas and also it can be in the form of a sludge.  Some people, after being in a lab or not, may not be aware that chemicals that are not used in an experiment or for production still need to be disposed of correctly.  Even though a chemical is not used, it still can cause serious health affects to humans and the environment.  So, what steps should you take of disposing chemicals?  Well, according to the site http://smallbusiness.chron.com/dispose-industrial-chemicals-40938.html , the first thing you should do is check the EPA hazardous waste list.  The EPA has a list of hazardous wastes that need to be disposed properly, and they also regulate hazardous waste under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.  According to the site https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators , the EPA regulate hazardous waste based on quantity of  business in one calendar month, not how large the company is.  The next thing you should do is classify what type of hazardous waste your waste is considered.  There are three different categories in which the EPA classifies waste disposal.  The category of waste determines how it will be disposed.  These three ways of waste disposal, from the site http://smallbusiness.chron.com/dispose-industrial-chemicals-40938.html , are incineration, land disposal and underground injection.  Lets talk about each of these a little bit.  Incineration is an acceptable way of disposing of hazardous waste as long as the incinerator is up to code with the Clean Air Act.  This means that your incinerator can not release any toxins from the incinerating process into the atmosphere.  Disposing of hazardous waste on land may seem unsafe and counter productive to this article.  Doesn't it seem hazardous?  Well, disposing of hazardous waste in landfills is acceptable, if it goes through technological treatments before hand to make it safe to be placed in these landfills.  Lastly, you can store waste in an underground injection well.  This, along with putting the hazardous waste in a landfill, may seem very unsafe.  Why is it okay to put this hazardous waste underground where it can contaminate things?  Well, this is acceptable to dispose underground because it is highly regulated.  The Safe Water Drinking Act has many regulations when looking at waste disposal and companies who dispose of this waste need to make sure they are in compliance with them in order to inject their hazardous waste deep into the Earth.  Also, the Underground Injection Control Program has heavy regulations on this process, to make sure that people disposing of these hazardous materials are doing it properly and following protocol.  I hope this article was helpful in providing some useful information to you about disposing of hazardous and unwanted chemicals. 

Components of Chemical Hygiene Plan

Todays article will be all about the chemical hygiene plan and it's components.  Before we go into detail of the components that make up a chemical hygiene plan, lets first discuss what it is.  According to the site https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10106 , a chemical hygiene plan is a program that is written by the employer that protect employees from hazardous chemicals in specific areas of work.  Specifics mentioned in this plan are PPE, or personal protective equipment, and procedures about certain practices in order to keep these employees safe.  We were given a sample chemical hygiene plan in class to reference from as well.  The components of this sample plan, to be a little bit more specific than what we just mentioned, are first an introduction of what this exact chemical hygiene plan is describing and where it is being executed at.  The next step is to write down, in detail, all of the standard operating procedures that are going to be done.  This is important because this is where you can see where there is a possibility for hazards to arise.  This may be confusing to some people, so lets define what an SOP is.  According to the site https://www.bizmanualz.com/save-time-writing-procedures/what-are-policies-and-procedures-sop.html , an SOP, or standard operating procedure is a written step procedure that fully describes all of a plants practices.  This has everything from procedures to safety information as well as where things are located in the lab.  The next section is stating that the company make's every effort to make sure that it's employees exposure to substances are regulated the best possible and that sampling is done if any levels are found to be over the PEL, or permissible exposure limit.  The next component is describing that all employees have fulfilled the proper training necessary to be familiar with such substances and equipment being used, as well as stating that information incase of an exposure is available to them to look at.  The medical program component basically states that all employees of the plant who work with hazardous substances have the ability to receive medical attention whenever medical personnel think it is necessary to do any sort of testing, for example if there is someone exposed to a substance and the sample shows the concentration above the PEL, or whenever there is an sort of leak or spill.  In our sample, there is a section for special procedures.  This components is where practices that require approval are listed, and say who approved them.  Hazard identification is the next component to the CHP.  This component describes how a company understands that the material safety data sheets, or MSDS are properly filled out and made available to the employees so that they can see the information posted on them if necessary.  This contains all sorts of information about the chemicals they are using which is very important to be made easily accessible.  The last component of the CHP is to record everything for each employee, medical records, testing, or written statements from them.  I hope this article was helpful in providing information about the CHP and its components.

Cryogenics and Compressed Gases

When talking about occupational health and safety, you may hear of the term cryogenics used.  A lot of people may not be aware of what cryogenics means, however and it is very important to understand what this term means when dealing with the safety of employees and everyone around them.  According to the site http://www.scienceclarified.com/Co-Di/Cryogenics.html , cryogenics can be defined simply as the studying and production of temperatures that are very low.  Now, how low is low when discussing this temperature range?  Well, this range, also known as a cryogenic range, is when permanent gases begin to turn from a gaseous state to a liquefied state.  And no need to be confused with the term "permanent gas".  This simply means elements that are normally identified in a gaseous state.  Some examples include nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and helium.  Now that you know what cryogenics is, you are probably wondering what these temperatures actually are.  The same sight describes this temperature range to be from about -148 degrees Fahrenheit all the way down to absolute zero.  You can make a good guess about what absolute zero is, according to the site https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/absolute_zero.htm , absolute zero is the lowest temperature possible for anything to be, with heat energy being non-existent within the object.  When dealing with compressed gases, understanding what cryogenics is and how it can be applied to the storage of compressed gases is crucial in keeping people safe.  What are some of the hazards that can be associated with cryogenics and compressed gases?  Well, according to the site https://www.physics.utoronto.ca/physics-at-uoft/services/health-and-safety/cryogenic_safety.html , we can discuss three very good examples of hazards that occur concerning cryogenics and compressed gases.  The first one we will discuss is the fact that the environment is extremely cold.  This dramatic change of temperature can cause frost bite, if not other injuries that can be equivalent to a third degree burn.  So being aware of this and avoiding contact with the gas is very important.  Also, the containers that the gases are being stored in may become weak and easily breakable because of the extremely cold temperature.  Another thing to be aware of when storing these materials under such conditions is that the extremely cold environment may cause parts of the container to shrink, like caps or nozzles which would then be susceptible to leaking.  Another hazard when dealing with cryogenics and compressed gases is asphyxiation.  This is basically when there is a gas or other agents that cause impairment to normal breathing and can lead to losing consciousness or even death.  Lastly a third risk of cryogenics and compressed gases is dealing with pressure of the containers that the gases are being stored in.  Under these conditions, the proper pressure needs to be attained or else the pressure of the container will eventually cause an explosion which can lead to serious injury as well as cause a chain reaction from the explosion.  I hope this blog was helpful in providing some information to you about dealing with cryogenics and compressed gases and will help you be more aware of the possible hazards that can be easily looked over when dealing with these conditions.

Bloodborne Pathogens

In todays article we will be discussing blood borne pathogens.  You have probably heard this term used before, but may be unaware of what it actually means.  So what is a blood borne pathogen?  Well, according to the site https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/ , a blood borne pathogen is a microorganism, that are infectious in human blood and can cause diseases.  Some of the blood borne pathogens you may have heard of before include HIV and Hepatitis B and C.  Obviously, if these pathogens can cause diseases, people need to be very careful when dealing with them.  OSHA actually has a blood borne pathogen standard for handling these pathogens.  According to the site https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/bloodborne_quickref.html , the OSHA blood borne pathogen standard can be found in 29CFR 1910.1030.  One area that this standard covers are the safeguards that are available to workers to keep them safe against blood borne pathogens.  There are many things that this standard covers.  Some of these areas include precautions, engineering controls, personal protective equipment, or PPE, the specific ways you are suppose to store and handle these pathogens in a lab setting, what you need to do if there is a possible exposure, as well as control plans for exposure so that it does not occur.  These areas are all equally as important because not only do they help yourself understand, but with that comes the responsibility of keeping everyone around you safe as well.  You might say to yourself, how are these pathogens spread?  Well, according to the site http://www.wpi.edu/offices/safety/bloodborne.html , blood borne pathogens are mainly spread through either sexual transmission or by an IV, however any contact with the infected blood, or body fluids, can lead to disease or infections so you want to be extra careful.  What can you do to protect yourself from these blood borne pathogens?  Well, also on this website are ways of protecting yourself from blood borne pathogens.  One very important way mentioned in this web site is the housekeeping of the pathogens.  This refers to how well you decontaminate objects and surfaces that come into contact with them, as well as the disposal of such objects.  Also, another way that you can protect yourself is by simply wearing the personal protective equipment provided to keep you safe from these infectious pathogens.  It seems so negligible to some people and they don't think wearing personal protective equipment matters, but it is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do in order to protect yourself not only from blood borne pathogens, but many hazards that can arise in the workplace.  Having the right mindset and understanding the risks involved when dealing with these pathogens is the first step in keeping yourself and others around you safe.  Wearing proper gloves and gowns as well as proper eye protection and masking is vital when working with or around these pathogens.  I hope this blog was helpful in providing some information to you about what a blood borne pathogen is and what you can do to protect yourself from being infected. 

Categorizing Hazards

As you may be aware, working in a lab can be very dangerous.  Hazards have the capability of popping up out of nowhere, and this makes the lab a very dangerous place to work.  So, knowing that there is a plethora of hazards that can arise while in the lab, you may think to yourself if there is a way to classify or categorize hazards.  Well, that is what we will be discussing in this blog today.  first of all, what even is a hazard?  Well, according o the site http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hazard , a hazard is an unavoidable danger or risk, even though the hazard may be known and able to be pointed out.  Well, what is a risk defined as?  Not understanding the entire definition may give you a false understanding of what a hazard actually is.  According to the site http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/risk , a risk is the possibility of loss or injury.  So, now that we understand what a hazard can be defined as, how can these hazards be categorized?  Well, according to the site https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/hsprograms/hazard_risk.html , there are six different types of hazards.  These six types include biological hazards, chemical hazards, ergonomic hazards, physical hazards, psychosocial hazards and safety hazards.  Each of these six types or categories of hazards deals with a different thing or things.  Biological hazards refer to those hazards dealing with plants and animals, viruses, bacteria and humans.  So, if you hear of a hazard dealing with Chemical hazards are those hazards that have to do with the properties of the chemical, whether that be the chemical properties of the chemical or the physical properties of the chemical.  An ergonomics hazard can be described when something has repetitive movements or if there is a work station set up incorrectly.  A physical hazard can be those involving different pressures, radiation levels, and possibly even noise.  Hazards in the psychosocial category can be described as those hazards dealing with violence or stress.  The last category is a safety hazard.  Safety hazards are those that can be described or defined as a tripping or slipping hazard, possible malfunctions in any equipment as well as machinery that has not been guarded appropriately.  As you can see from the descriptions listed above, there are many different types of hazards that involve many different areas.  Yes, it is possible to have more than one hazard present in a lab at a time.  For example, if there are a lot of loud machines running, that are not properly guarded, that would be a noise hazard potentially if the noise is loud enough after being measured, as well as a safety hazard because the machinery does not have the correct machine guarding that is required.  It may seem difficult to know what a hazard is.  That is why using these six categories, you will be able to classify the hazards better and easier than before because you will know what types of things make a hazard belong to a certain category.  I hope this blog was helpful in providing information about different types, as well as how to categorize hazards.

OSHA Lab Standard vs. other OSHA Standards

In case you are unaware of what OSHA is, OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  It is a part of the Department of Labor, and according to the site https://www.osha.gov/about.html , OSHA aims to create safe working environments by setting standards to create such conditions.  With this in mind, OSHA is not one simple standard.  In order to keep people safe they need a lot of different codes and standards for anything that could happen in the workplace that could be detrimental to someone's health and safety.  In this blog, we will be discussing how the OSHA Lab Standard compares to the other standards covered by OSHA.  When looking at the lab standard, you'll see that it looks very similar to the other OSHA standards you may have looked at.  There are many sub sections in the lab standard, just like the other standards, that describe what needs to be done in order to keep an environment in  the lab safe depending on what the section is.  What is the most common accident in a lab you think?  Well, according to the site https://www.dartmouth.edu/~chemlab/info/safety/hazards.html , the most common accident in a lab is cutting yourself on glass and the equipment used during lab.  Many accidents come to mind, but most likely you think about hazardous chemicals and how they can be spilled, mixed, stored improperly, and be hazardous to someone's health.  Well, there is a section in the OSHA lab standard that deals specifically about hazardous chemicals in the lab.  In this section, there are a lot of things discussed, like if a liquid is a combustible liquid, what the flashpoint of the chemical is which, according to the Lab Standard, is the temperature at which a liquid gives off a vapor that can ignite in air.  Another thing found in this section is a description of personal protective equipment and how to use it.  Another very important thing mentioned in this part of the standard is where it mentions the reactivity of chemicals and what chemicals do when they are exposed to other chemicals are certain environments.  This section is particularly important because if chemicals are not labeled correctly then you may not be aware what chemical you actually are using, thus you may mix substances that can have a dangerous outcome.  Another section in the Standard describes how to use equipment in the lab and the machines you may be using in lab.  This is very important because using machinery that you are unaware of can be dangerous not only to you but to others around you.  So, compared to other standards of OSHA, the lab standard is basically the same thing.  There are different sections in it that describe how to learn about specific things that you need to know in lab like chemicals, protective equipment and machinery.  I hope this blog was helpful in providing information about what exactly the OSHA Lab Standard is and what its contents are compared to the other OSHA standards, and how they all have sections but the lab section is just lab based and contains information that pertains to lab safety.

OSHA Lab Standard Components

Obviously working in a lab can be very dangerous, that is why it is important to have standards set in laboratories so that the people working in them know what is safe and what is not safe.  OSHA has a standard for laboratory safety to make sure that people are being safe while working.  But what does the OSHA Standard include?  Well, according to the Standard, found in 29 CFR 1910.1450, the main components are Monitoring/PELs, Information and Trainings, Medical Consultation, Hazard Identification, Recordkeeping and Respiratory Protection.  What is a PEL?  A PEL is the permissible exposure limit.  So, the monitoring/PEL section in the standard is all about discussing how you monitor chemicals/fumes and how much exposure someone can have to a substance.  In the Information and Training section contains the Hazard Communication, or HazCom which describes hazards that can happen in the lab when dealing with certain substances.  It is important to look at the HazCom when dealing with a new substance, because if you haven't worked with it before you may be unaware of possible hazardous exposures.  This section also tells information about the signs of possible symptoms if an exposure ever occurs.  This is important when talking about different chemicals because different chemicals may lead to different symptoms. Also, how to use personal protective equipment is described in this section as well as how to recognize hazards in the lab.  Medical consultation occurs whenever there are signs of symptoms, as well as if the monitoring shows that the exposure limit has been exceeded.  This also happens if there is an accident in the lab, such as a spill.  No matter what the accident may be, there will be medical consultation afterwards because of the possibility of an exposure that could be hazardous to the employees health.   Getting medical treatment does not cost the employee anything.  Labels need to be easily read for hazard identification purposes.  This is a very important area of this standard.  If there are chemicals that are not properly labeled in the lab, someone working might think they are using a chemical that is not as toxic as what they are really using, or they might be mixing chemicals together and thinking they are using a different chemical, mix it with another and cause exposures that could be very dangerous to ones health.  Respiratory protection will not cost the employee anything. Recordkeeping is done for many things in the lab and has to be done for every employee.  This includes medical records and records concerning exposures as well.  These medical records are kept for 30 years after an employee works in a lab.  Why you may ask?  Well, if someone was working in a lab years ago and become sick years later after they worked there, the records to what they possibly could have been exposed to will be very helpful with the medical knowledge of the former employee.  Those are the main components of the OSHA Lab Standard.  I hope this blog was helpful in providing information about this topic. 

Ethics

What are ethics?  You may have heard this word used before but may not have fully understood what it meant.  Well, according to the site http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/ethics , ethics are "a system of moral principles".  Basically, ethics are the set of values that differentiate right from wrong when you think about the outcomes of an action.  So, now that we know what ethics are, when are they used?  Well, after class discussion about the article, "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare" by The New York Times, we came up with six different areas of where ethics can be applied.  We decided that one area was ethics in government.  We actually discovered three areas within government that ethics can be applied.  These three areas are federal, state and corporate.  The next three areas where we discussed ethics are personal ethics, community ethics, and professional ethics.  In this blog, I will only be going into detail about one of these areas as it relates to the article we read.  The area of ethics that I will be discussing in this blog is the area of professional ethics.  In the article, the farmer was noticing that his cows were acting strange and were showing signs of being sick.  Some were even dying.  The farmer believed that the DuPont factory waste was the cause of the weird behavior and sickness of his cattle.  The local veterinarians of the town came to check the farmers cattle, however, said that the waste was not causing this sickness to his cattle and even though he had been taking care of cattle his whole life, they said that he was mistreating them and not taking good enough care of them.  Now, these veterinarians were paid off by DuPont.  The company brings in almost all the money that the towns receives.  To keep getting paid, the veterinarians made the choice to lie to the farmer about the health of his cattle in order to cover up the hazardous waste that DuPont was sending out.  The veterinarians also made this decision because if they went against DuPont for any reason, the entire town would ignore them and not speak to them.  The people of the town do that to anyone who goes against DuPont because they rely on it so much.  This act by the veterinarians has a lot to do with professional ethics.  From an ethics standpoint, you have to stop and wonder if the vets did the right thing here, by giving false information about animals when it is their job to take care of them.  They become vets to help and save animals, yet in this case to get more money, they are actually doing the opposite of what their job really is to help DuPont cover up their mess.  The farmer also lost friends he had known forever because they wanted nothing to do with the fight against DuPont.  Nobody would pump his gas, doctors refused to treat him, and he even had to change churches multiple times.  Those are also major examples of how professional ethics was involved in this case.  The doctors would not even discuss anything with him.  Isn't that what doctors are suppose to do?  Talk to people about their health?  This is a great example of how ethics can play a huge role in someone's profession.  In this case, the doctors are refusing to help someone who is seeking help that they need.  Ethics can make people do many things, and I hope this blog provided examples of how ethics can have a huge effect when dealing with someone's profession.  There is a certain standard of ethics when dealing in your profession and this article shows us that even within their professions, people make different decisions about ethics based on the circumstances.