Chemical Hygiene Plan - Queensborough Community College ...

• Always remove personal protective equipment, such as gloves and lab coats, before
leaving the lab.
• Do not attempt to scale up experiments until after you have run the experiment according
to published protocols and you are thoroughly familiar with the potential hazards. When
scaling up an experiment, change only one variable at a time. For example, don’t change
the heat source, the volumes, and the glassware all at once. It is also advisable to let one
of your other lab group members to check your setup prior to each run.
In addition to required health and safety training as per the OSHA Lab Standard, other sources of
information on chemical and physical hazards include:
• This Laboratory Safety Manual
• Known reference materials
• Training videos
• Other department’s safety manuals
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs)
• Websites
• EHS Training Programs
• Container labels
• Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures
• Laboratory signage and postings
• Publications such as the American Chemical Society’s Safety in Academic
Chemistry Laboratories
Any chemical shipment received should be accompanied by an MSDS (unless one has been
shipped with a previous order). If you do not receive an MSDS with your shipment, check the
chemical manufacturers website first (or call the manufacturer directly) or contact your EHSO to
request assistance in obtaining the MSDS.
It is the responsibility of P.I.s and laboratory supervisors to ensure that staff and
students working in laboratories under their supervision have obtained required
health and safety training and have access to MSDSs (and other sources of
information) for all hazardous chemicals used in laboratories under their
supervision.
5.2 Routes of Chemical Entry
The potential health effects that may result from exposure to chemicals depends on a number of
factors. These factors include the properties of the specific chemical (including toxicity), the
dose and concentration of the chemical, the route of exposure, the duration of exposure,
individual susceptibility, and any other effects resulting from mixtures with other chemicals.
In order to understand how chemical hazards can affect you, it is important to first understand
how chemicals can get into your body and cause damage. The four main routes of entry are
inhalation, ingestion, injection, and absorption through the skin and eyes.
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