School Laboratory

Chemical Hygiene & Safety Plan

Presented by the
Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Los Angeles Unified School District
 Chemical Hygiene and Safety Plan
(CHSP)

• To comply with Title 8, California Code of Regulations

(CCR), Section 5191
• To protect employees who work in laboratories from
health hazards associated with hazardous chemicals
 Definitions

• PEL: Permissible Exposure Limit. The highest concentration of a

chemical that an individual can be exposed to, averaged over the
duration of an 8-hour work shift.

• TLV: Threshold Limit Value. The highest concentration of a

chemical that an individual can be exposed to at any time during
his/her work shift.

• LD50: A measure of toxicity involving the use of laboratory animals

to determine the dose of a given chemical at which death will occur
in half of the test population.

• PPE: Personal Protective Equipment. Examples include respirators

and air purifying cartridges, gloves, chemical splash goggles,
boots/shoe covers, and Tyvek coveralls.
Chemical Hygiene & Safety Plan Organization Chart

Principal/
Head teacher

Office of
Head of Subject
Environmental
Panel/ Ketua
Health and Safety/
Panitia
Bomba

Science Teacher
 Responsibilities

Principal
• Ensure implementation of the Chemical Hygiene & Safety Plan in school
laboratories
• Assign Chemical Safety Coordinator to train affected staff on CHSP
requirements

Head of Subject Panel

• Provide training to affected staff on CHSP and Hazard Communication
requirements
• Perform health and safety inspections monthly
• Conduct chemical inventory annually
• Maintain Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• Attend three training meetings per fiscal year
• Arrange for removal of outdated chemicals
• Maintain documents such as training sign-in sheets, chemical inventory,
CSC activity checklist and monthly inspection checklist
 Responsibilities

Science Teachers
• Plan and conduct each laboratory operation/activity in accordance
with the District’s CHSP
• Maintain an annual inventory of laboratory chemicals and their
MSDS
• Provide regular chemical hygiene, safety and housekeeping
inspections
• Observe proper chemical hygiene and safety work practices
• Instruct students in safe work practices and procedures

Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS)

• Work with school principals, CSCs, and teachers to help implement
school chemical hygiene & safety plans
• Provide training to CSCs
• Provide technical assistance to schools and employees on the
CHSP
 Routes of Entry

There are three main routes by which chemical substances

can enter the body:
• Inhalation by breathing dusts, fumes, mists or vapors
• Ingestion by eating or drinking with contaminated hands
or in a contaminated laboratory
• Absorption through the skin or eye by contact with liquid,
dusts, fumes, mists or vapors.
 Requirements

• Develop and implement CHSP in school laboratories

• Inform and train affected employees in:
º Hazard recognition and classification
º Standard operating procedures
º Minimization and control of hazards by engineering
and administrative controls
º Proper labeling and disposal of hazardous materials
and wastes
º Recordkeeping requirements of chemical inventories
Hazard Recognition and Classification

• Physical Safety Hazards

• Chemical Health Hazards
• Chemical Classes and Their Effects
 Physical Safety Hazards

• Compressed gas – High pressure gas or mixture of gases in the container

• Combustible liquid – Flash point above 100º F but below 200º F
• Explosive – A chemical that causes a sudden release of pressure,
gas and heat
• Flammable liquid – Flash point below 100º F
• Flammable solid – Liable to cause fire through friction, absorption of
moisture, or spontaneous change
• Oxidizer – A chemical that initiates or promotes combustion in
other materials
• Reactive – A chemical that will vigorously polymerize, decompose,
condense, or will become self-reactive under conditions
of shock, pressure or temperature
• Water-reactive – A chemical that reacts with water to release a gas that is
either flammable or presents a health hazard
 Chemical Health Hazards

• Carcinogen – A chemical that is capable of causing cancer

• Corrosive – A chemical that causes visible destruction of living
tissue by chemical action at the site of contact
• Toxic – A substance with the potential of having the effect of a
poison or something harmful to the body
• Irritant – A chemical that causes a reversible inflammatory
effect on living tissue, skin or eyes by chemical action
at the site of contact
• Sensitizer – A chemical that causes an allergic reaction in normal
tissue after repeated exposure to the chemical
 Chemical Classes and Their Effects

• Acids – Corrosive to skin and mucous membranes

• Alcohols – Blindness and central nervous system (CNS)
depressants
• Aldehydes and ketones – Irritate and have narcotic effects
• Aliphatic – Central nervous system depressants and
asphyxiants. Some are neurotoxins
• Alkalies – Severe tissue burns and bronchial spasms
• Asphyxiants – Reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood
or displaces atmospheric oxygen
• Compounds of sulfur, – Corrosive to the skin and destructive to respiratory
phosphorus, nitrogen tissues
• Halogens – Corrosive and highly irritating to tissues
• Metal fumes/vapors - Systemic poisoning
 Standard Operating Procedures

• General safe work practices

º Familiarize with the potential hazards of various chemical substances
º Avoid unnecessary exposure to chemicals by any route
º Wash areas of exposed skin before leaving the laboratory
º Do not eat, drink, smoke , gum chew, or apply of cosmetics in laboratory
º Do not keep food and drink in the laboratory
º Do not use laboratory glassware or utensils for food or beverages
º Do not allow practical jokes
º Confine long hair and loose clothing
º Avoid wearing open-toed shoes
º Wear protective clothing and goggles
º Do not work alone in the laboratory
º Never leave an experiment unattended
º Do not use mouth suction for piping or starting a siphon
• Work safely with laboratory equipment and chemicals
• Store chemicals properly
• Warning signs and labels
 Hazard Controls

• Minimize all chemical exposures

• Engineering controls
º General laboratory ventilation
º Fume hoods
• Personal protective equipment
º Use appropriate PPE such as aprons, laboratory coats, laboratory
aprons, gloves, goggles, face shields
• Administrative controls
º Use only those chemicals in quantities whose chemical
concentrations can be controlled by the existing ventilation system
º Order should not exceed what is expected to be used in one year
 Handling of Chemicals

• Labeling
1. Identity of contents.
2. Date chemical was acquired
3. Disposal date (for unstable chemicals).
4. Responsible person.
5. Hazardous characteristics.
6. Other pertinent safety information.

• Storage
1. MSDS sheets must be available for all chemicals.
2. All chemicals must be properly labeled and inventoried.
3. Do not store chemicals on top of lab benches, out in open, or above eye label.
4. Storage in hoods is not recommended.
5. Keep incompatible chemicals separated.
6. Flammables stored in flammable storage cabinet.
7. All cabinets containing chemicals must be labeled.
 Disposal
All hazardous waste containers must be properly labeled with the name and address of
the school, composition and physical state of the waste, and accumulation date.

Fill-out this form and fax to OEHS at (213) 241-6816

 Spills

• Clean-up minor spills of diluted chemicals, nonvolatile or

toxic using procedures listed on the MSDS
• Wear appropriate protective apparel such as gloves and
aprons
• Evacuate the area if a volatile, flammable, toxic and/or
concentrated material is spilled.
• Notify OEHS at (213) 241-3199 immediately.
 Chemical Inventory Records

• An inventory of all chemicals stored in each school

building shall be conducted annually and chemical
usage determined.
• Inventory information shall include the chemical name,
quantity, hazard information, and storage location.
• Inventory and chemical order records are to be
maintained by the Chemical Safety Coordinator, Site
Administrator, or Science Chairperson, with a copy sent
to OEHS.
“ A commitment to purchase a
chemical is a commitment to
handle and store the chemical
safely and to dispose of the
chemical in an environmentally
acceptable fashion.”
 Chemical Safety
what’s the big deal?