The purpose of the Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) is to provide written guidelines for the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Chemical Hygiene program that are capable of protecting laboratory workers from the health hazards associated with hazardous chemical use in the laboratory. The intent of the program is to minimize risks associated with hazardous chemical use by reduction, elimination (where feasible), and adherence to the standard personal exposure level (PEL) and threshold limit values (TLV) established for safe use.
The plan includes information on each of the following topics:
- Roles and Responsibilities for Laboratory Safety
- Information and Training
- Prudent Experiment Planning
- General Laboratory Safety
- Standard Operating Procedures for Working with Hazardous Substances
- Procedures for Working with Particularly Hazardous Substances
- Emergency Management
- Medical Surveillance and Exposure Determination
Chemical Safety Topics
The proper planning of laboratory experiments is an essential component of laboratory safety. Experiment planning allows for a comprehensive review of the operations and potential hazards associated with a particular experiment or set of experiments.
This section includes the minimum required precautions and standard operating procedures for working with laboratory chemicals in laboratories at Rensselaer. Also included is chemical hazard and risk assessment information, and general procedures for safe chemical management addressing the purchase, use, labeling, storage, disposal and shipping of chemicals.
Some chemicals pose both health and physical hazards that need to be evaluated before use. This section takes an in-depth look into specific chemical hazards associated with flammable, corrosive, and reactive materials as well as particularly hazardous substances.
This section provides a background of Rensselaer's response measures to take in the event that a chemical spill occurs.
Medical Surveillance and Exposure Control
Chemical exposures have the possibility of occurring even when all proper controls are in place. This section provides guidance on what to do following a chemical exposure event at Rensselaer.
