One of the major provisions of the Laboratory Standard and the OSHA Injury and Illness Prevention Program is a requirement for employee information and training. The employer must convey information to the employee regarding occupational hazards identified in the workplace. In general, training is required for:
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All new employees and employees given new job assignments involving exposure situations for which training has not previously been received
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Whenever the employer is made aware of a new or previously unrecognized hazard for which training has not previously been received
UC LABORATORY SAFETY TRAINING POLICY
UC policy entitled UC Laboratory Safety Training Policy to reinforce and support OSHA requirements and increase safety. Lab supervisors have the primary responsibilities for implementing the policy provisions, which include:
- Ensure all “lab workers” complete an EH&S “Fundamentals of Laboratory Safety” training in order to be given access to their labs. Class enrollment directions (live, or online version) and class descriptions are in Sec. II. The training covers most of the issues specifically mandated in the Lab Standard (see box below).
- However, the fundamentals course does not address lab-specific training issues and it is incumbent on the lab supervisor to do so. This is done via a Training Needs Assessment (PDF) (.doc) to be performed for each lab worker as mandated in the UC policy. Copy of the TNA form and instructions begin on pg. II-21.
SAFETY TRAINING REQUIRED BY THE LABORATORY SAFETY STANDARD
(* = topic covered/documented in the EH&S Fundamentals of Laboratory Safety class as required per UC policy)
*Employee rights and responsibilities under the Laboratory Standard and the Injury & Illness Prevention Program
*Contents of the generic portions (Sec. II) of the UCSB Chemical Hygiene Plan
*Concept of Permissible Exposure Limits for OSHA-regulated substances. Access to PELs noted in Sec. II.
*Hazardous materials labeling, storage, and signage requirements
*Relevance and access to SDSs and other informational references and resources pertinent to the lab
*Spill response, waste disposal and emergency procedures
- Contents of the lab-specific Chemical Hygiene Plan, including any SOPs [Lab supervisor responsibility]
- The physical and health hazards of hazmat including signs and symptoms of overexposure, including Particularly Hazardous Substances - Sec. III.C.3. As appropriate, training can address entire classes of materials rather than individual substances. [Major classes of chemical hazards are covered by EH&S*, but not lab-specific hazards]
- Appropriate use of control measures including engineering controls, personal protective equipment, and work practices. [Generic control measures covered by EH&S*. Lab-specific control measures should be addressed in the lab’s SOPs.]
