Allocate a Portion of the Departmental Budget to Safety
The establishment of a separate accounting line for safety and health related purchases is essential. This allows you to clearly track monies expended for this purpose.
7 Safety Training Guidelines
Examine your current safety training model using the OSHA voluntary training guidelines.
3 Important Safety Questions
To help answer these questions we suggest first taking a hard look at your facility’s safety record.
Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor Decon Safety
How could an employee become exposed to hydrogen peroxide using HPV systems? What can you do to prevent this from happening?
Measuring Excessive Room Noise
How do we evaluate room noise and what criteria should we be aiming below when designing facilities or making corrections?
Pros and Cons of Fume Hood Designs
With average chemical fume hoods exhausting around 750 to 1000 cubic feet per minute of conditioned air, you can see how hoods put a large load on a laboratory’s HVAC system and thus impact the operational costs.
Training and Safeguards with Using Hydrogen Peroxide Vapor
Vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) or hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV) is gaining popularity and we are seeing rapid expansion of its use for everything from biological safety cabinets to animal rooms.
Worker Protection with PPE
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is our last line of defense because it means the hazard has actually made it to us—and without the PPE, injury may very likely occur.
What to Look for When Selecting a Health and Safety Consultant
Before choosing a consultant, you must first define the problem or project and its scope as thoroughly as possible.
Construction Safety
An important part of construction safety is the development of a Public Hazard Control Plan. The Hazard Control Plan, to be effective, must be communicated to all the contractors and subcontractors working on the site.
Four Phases of Emergency Management
Emergency managers have long emphasized adopting an “all-hazards” approach to emergency planning and recovery.
On the Job Eye Protection
When do I need to wear eye protection? The simple answer – anytime there is a risk of something getting into the eyes.
Respirator Basics
A respirator will work only if it is used correctly. Thus, the key elements for respiratory protection are fit-testing and training of each worker in the use, maintenance, and care of the respirator.
Recognizing Latex Allergy
In most laboratory and animal care settings, use of the latex examination glove has become the norm. But for some workers, wearing the disposable latex gloves may produce allergic reactions.
Don't Tape that Power Cord
A taped-up extension or power cord to a piece of equipment is an easy OSHA citation and would make the inspector’s day.
Proper Fume Hood Operation
We have a circumstance that we constantly face here in my laboratory, that is the blockage of the back bottom slot by reagent bottles and overloading of the hood. Is there an OSHA standard that addresses this situation?
Working Safely with Ethylene Oxide
If ethylene oxide is used in your facility, potential exposures should be evaluated.
Safety and Ergonomics in Moving Heavy Loads: The Right Caster for the Job
Identifying the applications and conditions where casters will be used can increase efficiency and safety.
Hazards and Precautions when Using Formaldehyde
Simply put, formaldehyde is one of the nastiest chemicals around. Formaldehyde is listed by EPA, NIOSH, OSHA and others as a suspect human carcinogen. Long-term exposure may increase risk of upper respiratory tract cancers including those of the nasal cavity and sinuses.
A Checkup for Your Chemical Hygiene Plan
The OSHA Hazard Communication Program (HCP) and the OSHA Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) are cornerstones for chemical safety and health in the workplace.
Shocking! Electrical Hazard Safety
Keep an eye out for electrical hazards. Frequently found problems include improper use of extension cords, exposed wiring, missing grounding plugs, open electrical panels, and over-loaded circuits. Less obvious hazards are present on cage changing tables, biosafety cabinets, and wet vacuum systems.
Can you hear me now? Noise Exposure and OSHA Limits
Many areas within animal care facilities are inherently noisy. OSHA limits employee noise exposure to 90 decibels (dB) averaged over an eight-hour work shift measured on the A-scale and slow response with a standard sound level meter.
Doing an Ergonomic Hazard Evaluation
When looking at operations from an ergonomic perspective one should consider the following questions.
Conducting a Job Hazard Analysis
JHA is like occupational detective work. You must solve the mystery of what can go wrong, how could it happen, what would be the result if it did, how likely is it to occur and how can we prevent it from happening.
What is Lockout/Tagout?
The premise is simple and straightforward- for example, say a tunnel washer needs servicing. Before the maintenance employee can begin work, he must make sure the equipment cannot be turned on.