Culture of work

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## NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL RECOMMENDATIONS CONCERNING CHEMICAL HYGIENE IN LABORATORIES <!-- image --> ## Appendix A to §1910.1450 - National Research Council Recommendations Concerning Chemical Hygiene in Laboratories (Non-Mandatory) To assist employers in developing an appropriate laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP), the following non-mandatory recommendations were based on the National Research Council's (NRC) 2011 edition of "Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management of Chemical Hazards." This reference, henceforth referred to as "Prudent Practices," is available from the National Academies Press, [redacted street address] NW., Washington DC [redacted postal code] ( www.nap.edu ). "Prudent Practices" is cited because of its wide distribution and acceptance and because of its preparation by recognized authorities in the laboratory community through the sponsorship of the NRC. However, these recommendations do not modify any requirements of the OSHA Laboratory standard. This appendix presents pertinent recommendations from "Prudent Practices," organized into a form convenient for quick reference during operation of a laboratory and during development and application of a CHP. For a detailed explanation and justification for each recommendation, consult "Prudent Practices." "Prudent Practices" deals with both general laboratory safety and many types of chemical hazards, while the Laboratory standard is concerned primarily with chemical health hazards as a result of chemical exposures. The recommendations from "Prudent Practices" have been paraphrased, combined, or otherwise reorganized in order to adapt them for this purpose. However, their sense has not been changed. Section F contains information from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's (CSB) Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Performance and Accountability report and Section F contains recommendations extracted from the CSB's 2011 case study, "Texas Tech University Laboratory Explosion," availabl…

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- correction of unsafe performance, and, if necessary, through a clearly defined and communicated disciplinary system. inspections so that new or previously missed - (3) Periodic inspections. The employer shall conduct periodic in-house safety and health hazards or failures in engineering, work practice, and administrative controls are identified. The in-house inspections will be conducted by individuals who are trained to recognize hazardous conditions, as members of the safety and health committee or a person designated and trained by the employer for the facility's safety and health program. - (4) Safety and health training. - (A) The employer shall develop and institute a safety and health-training program for all employees so they have an understanding of the hazards to which they may be exposed, and the procedures or practices needed to protect them from these hazards. - (B) In addition, supervisors and managers shall be trained in the elements of the employer's safety and health program and in the specific responsibilities assigned to them under the program. - (C) The employer shall ensure that the supervisors and managers understand their responsibilities under the safety and health program and their importance to the safety and health of the workplace. In particular, the training for managers and supervisors shall enable them to: - (i) Recognize potential hazards; (ii) Maintain safety and health protection in the work area; and - (iii) Reinforce employee training on the nature of the potential hazards and required protective measures.

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will be utilized in meeting this goal. - (iii) Provide for visible top management leadership in implementing the program and ensure that all workers at the site, including contract workers, are provided equally high quality safety and health protection, so that all will understand that management's commitment is serious. - (iv) Provide for and encourage employee involvement in the structure and operation of the program and in decisions that affect their safety and health, so that they will commit their insight and energy to achieving the safety and health program's goal and objectives. Involvement shall be accomplished through employee collective bargaining units, where appropriate. - (v) Assign and communicate responsibilities for all aspects of the safety and loss prevention program to managers, supervisors, and employees so that they all know and understand what is expected of them in the implementation of the program. - (vi) Provide a system to hold managers, supervisors, and employees accountable for their responsibilities under the safety (vii) and health program. - (viii) Provide a reliable system for employees to notify management personnel or safety and health committee members of conditions that appear hazardous or of noncompliance with the terms of

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(2) - contain injury or illness to person or damage to property. (xiii) Establish procedures for transmitting and enforcing safe work practices in the workplace through training, positive reinforcement, such as a reward system, public recognition, etc., correction of unsafe performance, and, if necessary, reinforcement of work practices through a clearly defined and communicated disciplinary system. - (C) The program shall be made available to the employees or their collective bargaining agent or both, upon request. Safe work practices. - (A) The employer shall eliminate or control all existing and potential hazards within the workplace in a timely manner, using one or more of the following: - (i) Engineering and work practice controls designed to control employee exposures to safety and health hazards by modifying the source to reduce exposure. - (ii) Administrative controls designed to control employee exposure to safety and health hazards. - (iii) Requirements for the distribution and proper use of personal protective equipment. - (iv) A program of medical examinations or evaluations conducted by a qualified physician or health practitioner when required by a standard. - (B) The employer shall ensure that practices are understood by all employees and are underscored through training, positive reinforcement,

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the safety and health program without fear of reprisal and provide a mechanism to ensure timely and appropriate responses to correct these conditions. - (ix) Provide a mechanism to investigate accidents and "near miss" incidents, so that the root cause and means for preventing a recurrence are identified. For the purposes of this chapter, the term "accident" means any unexpected happening that interrupts the work sequence or process and that may result in injury, illness, or property damage. - (x) Provide a means to review injury and illness trends over time, so that patterns with common causes can be identified and eliminated. - (xi) Establish a mechanism for the employer to conduct ongoing, periodic in-house safety and health inspections so that new or previously missed hazards or failures in controls are identified. Inspections shall be conducted with a frequency necessary to be effective but in no event with less frequency than that established in section [redacted postal code]-3. - (xii) Address the impact of emergency situations and develop written plans and procedures to insure employee safety during emergencies. For the purpose of this standard, the term "emergency situation" means an unforeseen single event or combination of events that calls for immediate action to prevent, control, or