Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) | Environmental Health & Safety

A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) describes how to handle a hazardous chemical safely, including the amount and concentration to be used, how to obtain or create a working solution, special handling procedures, engineering controls, personal protective equipment, waste collection and disposal, and decontamination.

A written SOP is required when the general safe use guidelines outlined in the Chemical Hygiene Plan are not sufficient to protect employees from chemical hazards or if a chemical is classified by OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), or the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) as a particularly hazardous substance (PHS) or restricted chemical.

Although SOPs are required due to OSHA regulations, they are also a tool to keep laboratory workers safe while working with hazardous chemicals. SOPs should be reviewed before work with a hazardous chemical commences and updated when a procedure changes.

Standard Operating Procedure templates for various hazard classes and specific chemicals have been created by Environmental Health & Safety (EHS). A general chemical SOP template is also available for use when a specific SOP template is not found.

If you have submitted an SOP to EHS, the SOP can be accessed in our inventory and updated when a laboratory's procedure has changed, or a new laboratory member has been trained on the use of the chemical.

SOPs may be kept electronically or on paper, as long as they are accessible to all lab members. Laboratory employees are expected to be familiar with and to follow laboratory specific SOPs relevant to their laboratory work.

Chemicals requiring an SOP are selected using the GHS Criteria for Particularly Hazardous and High-Risk Chemicals guidelines. The use of certain particularly hazardous substances requires the prior approval of EHS before purchase. Below are the chemicals needing prior approval (Appendix A of the CHP):