Laboratory Safety Plans Laboratory Safety Plans

"Laboratory Safety Plans" for individual laboratories are required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulation, "Occupational Exposures to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories," commonly referred to as the OSHA Laboratory Standard. This standard requires a written plan that sets forth procedures, equipment, personal protective equipment and work practices capable of protecting employees from health hazards presented by the chemicals used in the laboratory. At UNC-CH the complete lab safety plan consists of two components:

  1. The Laboratory Safety Manual, which covers general safety procedures for University laboratories,
  2. And a "Laboratory Safety Plan" prepared by the Principal Investigator to address hazards and precautions specific to a given laboratory.
The "Laboratory Safety Plan"
  • identifies the hazards in the laboratory,
  • describes specific handling procedures and precautions for special hazards,
  • and outlines emergency safety procedures in the event of a fire or chemical spill.
The "Laboratory Safety Manual" and "Laboratory Safety Plan" must be available to all employees in the laboratory; the contents of these documents must be discussed with each employee when he or she begins working in a laboratory and annually thereafter. Each lab is required to maintain documentation of this review (here).

The "Laboratory Safety Plan" is divided into sections, each of which deal with a particular aspect of laboratory safety, including hazardous materials, radioactive materials, x-ray equipment, lases, biological hazards, recombinant DNA, and the use of hazardous materials in animals.

Instructions for the preparation of "Laboratory Safety Plans" are found in Chapter 2 of the "Laboratory Safety Manual".

Laboratory Safety Plan


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