Chemcial Hygiene Plan

Since 1990, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has required "employers engaged in the laboratory use of hazardous chemicals" to write a Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP). Call it a rule-book. The OSHA regulation which requires it also spells out a lot of what has to be included in it.

Purdue University provides a Chemical Hygiene Plan Manual which covers most of the requirements for most laboratory areas. It must be customized for those areas where it does not cover all the requirements. Guidance for how this is to be done is included in the manual. It is essential that this be done by someone who is completely familiar with the work and work area covered, and who has read and understood the CHP Manual and the requirements. Assistance is always available from EHS. Contact PFW EHS.

The administrative unit ("Department," "Center," "Laboratory," "School,"...) to which a laboratory work group belongs is responsible, for all laboratory groups in that unit, for

1. Seeing that this customization gets done, if necessary, and
2. Ensuring that a printed copy of the CHP is present in each group, and
3. Making sure that affected staff are given the required training and information.

The Purdue Chemical Hygiene Plan (2003) is provided in several formats for your convenience.

The CHP covers many or most of the OSHA requirements for most labs, but it must be customized for your work area where it does not. Your chemical hygiene plan must address all chemical safety issues in your work area. Appendix K is provided for attaching workgroup-specific items to your chemical hygiene plan.

Recommended Reading

• Safe Science Tutorial - free, informative, from HHMI
• Glove Guide - helpful resource from Berkeley 

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