Training Requirements
The OSHA Lab Standard requires that individuals who will be working with chemicals in the laboratory be provided with sufficient training to enable them to conduct their work safely. Training must be provided prior to the time when individuals begin their duties involving chemicals and whenever there is a significant change in the types or quantities of chemicals used. Departments and, ultimately, principal investigators, lab managers or lab supervisors are responsible for ensuring that all individuals working in their laboratories have been adequately trained.
University Environmental Health and Safety (IUEHS) provides Laboratory Safety and Chemical Hygiene training to the university community. Contact your campus representative for training information. This comprehensive training is designed to cover the topics required by the OSHA Lab Standard and more.
This training, however, is not intended to be the sole means of training laboratory workers but must be supplemented by additional safety instruction from the principal investigator (lab manager or laboratory supervisor) on the potential hazards associated with an individual’s specific duties. This individualized training should also include a review of the laboratory’s safety features and equipment (Appendix A, Form LCS-2 can assist in this process).
Required Training Content
The general training topics required by the Lab Standard are the:
- Content of the Lab Standard.
- Location and availability of the Laboratory Safety and Chemical Hygiene Plan (i.e., Chemical Hygiene Plan).
- Permissible exposure limits (PELs) for OSHA regulated substances (see 1910.1000, Appendix A) or recommended limits for other materials that have no OSHA limits.
- Signs and symptoms associated with chemical exposure.
- Location and availability of known reference material on the hazards, safe handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals. This includes, but is not limited to, Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
- Methods to detect the presence or release of chemicals.
- Physical and health hazards of chemicals.
- Measures that laboratory workers can take to protect themselves from chemical hazards, including control measures, personal protective equipment, SOPs, and emergency procedures
Training Resources
Additional training resources and the guidelines are also available. For information on other safety training resources available from IUEHS (such as specialized training sessions, videotapes, safety guides, chemical references, and Safety Data Sheets (SDS), individuals should contact IUEHS for their respective campus for assistance.
Training Documentation
Departments and principal investigators are responsible for documenting the safety training provided to individuals working within their laboratories. For each individual, a record should be maintained not only for formal training sessions attended such as the Laboratory Safety and Chemical Hygiene training, but also for informal safety instruction or training provided in the laboratory (Appendix A, Form LCS-3 may be used for this purpose).
University Environmental Health and Safety (IUEHS) maintains training records of everyone that attends the required introductory Laboratory Safety and Chemical Hygiene training provided by IUEHS. Contact the IUEHS representative for your respective campus for records assistance.