Laboratory emergency procedures establish what employees should do when an unexpected event threatens their safety, health, the environment, laboratory operations, or the facility. Laboratory emergencies can involve chemical spills, fires, explosions, hazardous gas releases, employee exposures, equipment failures, power outages, biological releases, cryogenic incidents, medical emergencies, or other events requiring immediate action.
Laboratories present unique emergency-planning challenges because relatively small quantities of hazardous materials can create significant consequences when they are toxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive, pressurized, or capable of displacing oxygen.
Employees should know what to do before an emergency occurs. Emergency procedures should be established, communicated, practiced as appropriate, and coordinated with the facility’s overall emergency plan.
For laboratories covered by OSHA’s Laboratory Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1450, employees must be trained in measures they can take to protect themselves from hazardous chemicals, including applicable emergency procedures and PPE. OSHA’s nonmandatory Appendix A also recommends that the Chemical Hygiene Plan address emergency procedures for accidents and spills.
Prepare Before an Emergency Occurs
Emergency response is most effective when employees do not have to determine what to do for the first time while an incident is occurring.
Before beginning laboratory work, employees should know:
- How to report an emergency.
- Emergency telephone numbers.
- Alarm signals.
- Primary and alternate evacuation routes.
- Assembly locations.
- Location of emergency exits.
- Location of fire alarms.
- Location of fire extinguishers.
- Location of emergency eyewashes.
- Location of safety showers.
- Location of spill-control equipment.
- Emergency shutdown procedures.
- Who to contact for chemical spills and releases.
- How to obtain medical assistance.
- Which emergencies employees may handle.
- Which emergencies require evacuation and specialized responders.
OSHA’s laboratory guidance recommends posting emergency telephone numbers prominently and ensuring personnel know the location of safety equipment, the nearest fire alarm and telephone, and whom to notify during an emergency.
Recognizing a Laboratory Emergency
Not every abnormal event is necessarily an emergency, but employees should be able to recognize conditions that require immediate action.
OSHA’s Laboratory Standard defines an emergency as an occurrence such as equipment failure, container rupture, or failure of control equipment that results in an uncontrolled release of a hazardous chemical into the workplace.
Examples of laboratory emergencies may include:
- Uncontrolled chemical spills.
- Significant toxic chemical releases.
- Fires.
- Explosions.
- Reactive-chemical incidents.
- Hazardous gas leaks.
- Oxygen-deficiency alarms.
- Ventilation failures involving hazardous materials.
- Broken containers involving particularly hazardous substances.
- Serious chemical splashes.
- Cryogenic releases.
- Compressed gas system failures.
- Electrical emergencies.
- Serious injuries or illnesses.
- Biological exposures or releases.
- Radiation emergencies where applicable.
The laboratory’s procedures should establish how employees distinguish a condition they are trained and equipped to handle from one requiring evacuation and emergency assistance.
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The First Priorities During a Laboratory Emergency
Although the appropriate response depends on the incident, the general priorities are:
Protect People → Warn Others → Report the Emergency → Evacuate or Isolate the Area When Necessary → Obtain Emergency Assistance → Control the Hazard Only When Trained, Equipped, and Authorized
Protecting life takes priority over protecting:
- Experiments.
- Samples.
- Equipment.
- Research data.
- Chemicals.
- Property.
Employees should never expose themselves to a serious hazard simply to save laboratory materials.
Reporting a Laboratory Emergency
Employees should know how to summon emergency assistance without delay.
Depending on the facility, this may involve:
- Calling 911.
- Calling facility security.
- Contacting an internal emergency number.
- Activating a fire alarm.
- Contacting Environmental Health and Safety.
- Notifying the laboratory supervisor or Chemical Hygiene Officer.
When reporting an emergency, provide as much useful information as possible, including:
Location
Type of emergency
Chemical or material involved, if known
Whether anyone is injured or exposed
Whether fire, smoke, gas, or vapor is present
Whether evacuation has begun
Do not delay an emergency notification while attempting to gather information that is not immediately available.
Emergency Contact Information
Emergency contact information should be readily accessible.
OSHA’s Appendix A recommends prominently posting emergency telephone numbers for emergency personnel and facilities, supervisors, and laboratory workers, along with location signs for eyewashes, safety showers, first-aid equipment, and exits.
Emergency information may include:
- 911 or local emergency services.
- Facility security.
- Chemical Hygiene Officer.
- Environmental Health and Safety.
- Laboratory supervisor.
- Poison-control resources.
- Facilities or maintenance.
- Radiation Safety Officer, where applicable.
- Biosafety personnel, where applicable.
The exact contacts should reflect the laboratory and facility.
Laboratory Evacuation Procedures
Employees should evacuate when directed by an alarm, emergency personnel, established procedure, or when conditions make remaining in the area unsafe.
When evacuating:
- Stop work if it can be done immediately and safely.
- Shut down hazardous operations only when procedures specifically require it and doing so will not delay evacuation.
- Warn nearby employees.
- Close doors when appropriate.
- Use designated evacuation routes.
- Do not use elevators unless the emergency plan specifically permits their use.
- Proceed to the designated assembly location.
- Remain available for accountability.
- Do not reenter until authorized.
OSHA’s Appendix A recommends training laboratory personnel on when evacuation is appropriate, alternate evacuation routes, emergency shutdown procedures, emergency communications, and laboratory-specific emergency protocols.
Emergency Shutdown Procedures
Some laboratory operations may create additional hazards if simply abandoned during an evacuation.
Where appropriate, written procedures should identify equipment or processes that may require rapid shutdown.
Examples could include:
- Open flames.
- Gas supplies.
- Heating equipment.
- Reactive processes.
- High-pressure systems.
- Certain electrical equipment.
- Vacuum systems.
- Specialized research equipment.
However:
Employees should not delay evacuation or place themselves in danger to shut down equipment.
Emergency shutdown procedures should be predetermined rather than improvised during the incident.
Chemical Spill Response
Chemical spills are among the most common laboratory emergencies.
The appropriate response depends on:
- Chemical involved.
- Quantity released.
- Toxicity.
- Volatility.
- Flammability.
- Reactivity.
- Location.
- Ventilation.
- Potential routes of exposure.
- Whether anyone has been contaminated.
- Whether employees have appropriate training and equipment.
OSHA’s Appendix A recommends that workers contact the appropriate Chemical Hygiene or EHS resource for instructions before cleaning up a chemical spill and follow SDS and label instructions while using appropriate PPE.
Incidental Spill or Emergency Release?
This distinction is important.
A small spill of a familiar chemical that trained laboratory personnel can safely manage using available equipment may be very different from a release involving:
- Highly toxic material.
- Significant airborne contamination.
- Unknown chemicals.
- Fire or explosion potential.
- Highly reactive chemicals.
- Large quantities.
- Oxygen-deficiency hazards.
- Significant injuries.
- Conditions requiring specialized respiratory protection.
Laboratory employees should be trained in the limits of their spill-response responsibilities.
If employees cannot safely control the release with the training, PPE, equipment, and procedures available to them:
Do not attempt the cleanup.
Warn others, isolate the area as appropriate, evacuate, and obtain qualified assistance.
Chemical Spill Kits
Laboratories should have spill-control materials appropriate to the chemicals and quantities present where laboratory personnel are expected to perform incidental spill cleanup.
Depending on the hazards, spill supplies may include:
- Absorbent materials.
- Chemical-resistant gloves.
- Chemical splash goggles.
- Face protection.
- Disposable tools.
- Waste bags or containers.
- Appropriate neutralization materials.
- Mercury-specific equipment where applicable.
- Other chemical-specific materials.
A generic spill kit is not appropriate for every chemical.
For example, some reactive chemicals require specialized response methods and should not be treated with ordinary absorbent material.
OSHA’s laboratory guidance recommends making spill-control kits and other emergency equipment readily available in clearly identified locations.
Chemical Exposure to the Eyes
Chemical exposure to the eyes requires immediate action.
Where corrosive materials could expose an employee’s eyes, OSHA requires suitable facilities for quick flushing to be provided within the work area for immediate emergency use.
If a hazardous chemical enters the eyes:
Immediately use the emergency eyewash.
- Begin flushing without delay.
- Hold the eyelids open as appropriate.
- Remove contact lenses if they can be removed easily without interrupting flushing.
- Continue flushing according to the chemical’s SDS and established emergency procedure.
- Obtain medical evaluation as appropriate.
Do not delay flushing while searching for:
- A supervisor.
- The SDS.
- A first-aid kit.
- Contact-lens supplies.
- Medical personnel.
Flushing comes first.
Using an Emergency Eyewash
Employees who may need an eyewash should know its location before an emergency.
The path to the eyewash should:
- Be unobstructed.
- Be readily accessible.
- Not require searching for keys or moving stored materials.
Employees should understand how to activate the unit.
OSHA requires suitable quick-flushing facilities where employees’ eyes or bodies may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials. OSHA’s Appendix A additionally recommends an adequate number and placement of eyewash units and routine inspection of emergency equipment.
Chemical Exposure to the Body
A significant chemical splash onto the body may require immediate use of an emergency safety shower.
Where the body may be exposed to injurious corrosive materials, OSHA requires suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing within the work area for immediate emergency use.
If a hazardous chemical contacts the body:
- Immediately move to the safety shower when appropriate.
- Begin flushing.
- Remove contaminated clothing and shoes when necessary to stop continued exposure.
- Follow SDS and facility emergency procedures.
- Obtain appropriate medical attention.
Modesty should never delay emergency decontamination.
Seconds can matter during significant corrosive exposure.
Safety Showers
Safety showers should remain:
- Clearly identified.
- Unobstructed.
- Accessible.
- Functional.
- Included in the facility’s inspection and testing program.
Do not store:
- Boxes.
- Laboratory carts.
- Waste containers.
- Equipment.
- Chemical containers.
beneath or immediately around a safety shower where they could interfere with emergency use.
OSHA’s Appendix A recommends adequate placement of safety showers and routine inspections of emergency equipment.
Contaminated Clothing
Chemical-soaked clothing can hold hazardous material against the skin.
When significant contamination occurs, contaminated clothing may need to be removed immediately while flushing.
The response should reflect the chemical involved.
Contaminated clothing should not be taken home or returned to normal use until it has been appropriately:
- Decontaminated.
- Laundered.
- Disposed of.
Emergency procedures should address how contaminated personal belongings and PPE are managed after an exposure.
Inhalation Exposure
If an employee may have inhaled a hazardous chemical:
- Move away from the source.
- Move to fresh air when it can be done safely.
- Notify appropriate personnel.
- Obtain medical assistance as appropriate.
Do not enter a contaminated atmosphere to rescue another person unless trained and equipped for the conditions.
Some toxic or oxygen-deficient atmospheres can incapacitate an unprotected rescuer very quickly.
Hazardous Gas Release
A compressed-gas leak can create:
- Toxic exposure.
- Fire.
- Explosion.
- Oxygen deficiency.
- Oxygen enrichment.
- Corrosive exposure.
- Pressure hazards.
If a significant hazardous gas release occurs:
Warn others.
Evacuate when required.
Do not enter an alarmed or potentially hazardous atmosphere.
Contact emergency personnel.
Employees should not attempt to close a cylinder valve if doing so requires entering a dangerous atmosphere.
For additional information, see Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety.
Oxygen-Deficiency Alarms
Nitrogen, argon, helium, carbon dioxide, and other gases can displace breathable oxygen.
Cryogenic releases can create the same hazard.
If an oxygen-deficiency alarm activates:
- Stop work as appropriate.
- Leave the affected area.
- Warn others.
- Prevent unauthorized entry.
- Follow established emergency procedures.
Do not enter merely to determine why the alarm is sounding.
The alarm may be the only warning of an atmosphere that cannot support life.
For additional information, see Cryogenic Safety.
Laboratory Fire
If a laboratory fire occurs:
- Alert others.
- Activate the building alarm or emergency-notification system as required.
- Call emergency services.
- Evacuate according to the emergency plan.
- Close doors when appropriate.
- Report hazardous chemicals, compressed gases, or other unusual hazards to responders.
OSHA’s Appendix A recommends immediate evacuation when the facility fire alarm sounds and identifies fire extinguishers, alarms, and related equipment as important laboratory emergency resources.
Should an Employee Use a Fire Extinguisher?
Employees should use portable fire extinguishers only when permitted by the employer’s emergency plan and when they have received appropriate training.
A person should not attempt to fight a fire when:
- The fire is spreading.
- Smoke or toxic gases are significant.
- The correct extinguisher is unavailable.
- Hazardous chemicals or cylinders are involved beyond the person’s training.
- A safe escape route cannot be maintained.
- The employee is not trained or authorized.
The priority is safe evacuation—not saving laboratory equipment.
OSHA’s Appendix A recommends ensuring appropriate personnel know the location of fire extinguishers and are trained in their use.
Clothing on Fire
If a person’s clothing catches fire, immediate action is required.
The appropriate response may include:
- Using a safety shower.
- Stop, drop, and roll where appropriate.
- Using other available emergency equipment according to facility procedures.
- Calling emergency medical assistance.
Employees should know beforehand how their laboratory expects them to respond.
Burn injuries should receive appropriate medical evaluation.
Reactive Chemical Emergency
Reactive chemicals may create unusual emergency conditions involving:
- Fire.
- Explosion.
- Pressure buildup.
- Toxic gases.
- Violent polymerization.
- Heat generation.
- Reaction with water or air.
Employees should not apply water, neutralizers, absorbents, or other materials to a reactive-chemical release unless the procedure specifically identifies them as appropriate.
Chemical-specific emergency procedures are particularly important for:
- Pyrophoric materials.
- Water-reactive chemicals.
- Peroxide-forming chemicals.
- Explosive or shock-sensitive materials.
- Strong oxidizers.
- Highly reactive reducing agents.
When uncertain, evacuate and obtain qualified assistance rather than improvising.
Biological Exposure or Release
Laboratories handling biological materials should have procedures appropriate to the organisms, materials, and containment level involved.
Potential incidents may include:
- Needlesticks.
- Sharps injuries.
- Splashes to mucous membranes.
- Aerosol releases.
- Centrifuge incidents.
- Biological spills.
- Contaminated broken glass.
Response may require:
- Immediate washing or flushing.
- Medical evaluation.
- Exposure reporting.
- Area isolation.
- Decontamination.
- Biosafety notification.
Biological emergency procedures should be coordinated with the laboratory’s Biological Safety and Bloodborne Pathogens programs where applicable.
Cryogenic Emergency
Cryogenic emergencies can involve:
- Extreme-cold exposure.
- Oxygen displacement.
- Pressure failure.
- Large liquid releases.
- Damaged Dewars.
- Ventilation failure.
A substantial liquid nitrogen or inert-cryogen release may create an atmosphere that is unsafe to enter even when the cryogen itself is not toxic.
Employees should evacuate and follow established procedures when oxygen deficiency may exist.
For additional information, see Cryogenic Safety.
Electrical Emergency
Laboratories often contain electrical equipment near chemicals, water, conductive surfaces, and specialized equipment.
During an electrical emergency:
- Do not touch a person who remains in contact with energized equipment.
- Disconnect power only when it can be done safely.
- Call emergency assistance.
- Do not use inappropriate extinguishing agents on energized equipment.
- Keep unqualified personnel away from exposed electrical hazards.
Electrical repairs should be performed only by qualified personnel.
Equipment Failure
Equipment failure can itself become a laboratory emergency.
Examples include:
- Fume hood failure.
- Ventilation failure.
- Centrifuge failure.
- Autoclave malfunction.
- Vacuum-system failure.
- Pressure-system failure.
- Refrigeration failure.
- Gas-system failure.
- Loss of cooling.
- Alarm-system failure.
If the equipment is providing an essential safety control, hazardous work should be stopped until protection is restored.
OSHA’s Laboratory Standard requires the Chemical Hygiene Plan to include measures ensuring fume hoods and other protective equipment function properly.
Fume Hood Failure
If a chemical fume hood fails while hazardous chemicals are being used:
- Stop the hazardous operation if it can be done safely.
- Close chemical containers where possible.
- Lower or close the sash as appropriate.
- Move away from the hood.
- Warn others if exposure may be occurring.
- Report the ventilation failure.
Do not continue work that depends on the hood for exposure control until the hood’s performance has been restored.
For additional information, see Chemical Fume Hood Safety.
Power Failure
A laboratory power failure can affect:
- Ventilation.
- Fume hoods.
- Refrigeration.
- Freezers.
- Gas detection.
- Vacuum pumps.
- Heating.
- Cooling.
- Alarms.
- Research equipment.
- Emergency systems.
Laboratories should identify equipment or processes that could become hazardous during a power outage and establish contingency procedures.
OSHA’s Appendix A specifically recommends training laboratory personnel in safe practices for power outages and other short- and long-term emergencies.
Medical Emergencies
For a serious injury or medical emergency:
- Call emergency medical services.
- Provide the exact laboratory location.
- Provide first aid only within the responder’s training.
- Protect yourself from chemical, biological, electrical, or atmospheric hazards.
- Provide information about chemicals or materials involved.
- Keep access routes clear for responders.
If chemical exposure is involved, the SDS or other relevant hazard information should be made available to medical personnel when appropriate.
Medical Consultation After Chemical Exposure
OSHA’s Laboratory Standard contains an important requirement that should be incorporated into laboratory emergency procedures.
Employees must be provided an opportunity for medical attention when:
- They develop signs or symptoms associated with a hazardous chemical to which they may have been exposed.
- Required exposure monitoring indicates certain excessive exposures.
- A spill, leak, explosion, or other occurrence results in the likelihood of a hazardous exposure.
In the latter case, the affected employee must be given an opportunity for medical consultation to determine whether a medical examination is necessary. Required consultations and examinations must be provided without cost to the employee, without loss of pay, and at a reasonable time and place.
This means a laboratory should not assume that an employee is fine simply because obvious symptoms have not yet appeared.
Information for Medical Personnel
When medical consultation or examination is required under the Laboratory Standard, the employer must provide the physician with specified information, including the identity of the hazardous chemical, a description of the conditions under which exposure occurred, and signs or symptoms experienced by the employee where applicable.
Maintaining readily accessible:
- SDSs.
- Chemical inventories.
- Incident information.
- Exposure information.
can therefore be valuable during an emergency.
Emergency Eyewash and Safety Shower Inspections
Emergency equipment should not merely be installed and forgotten.
The laboratory should establish procedures for inspecting and testing emergency equipment according to applicable requirements, equipment specifications, and facility procedures.
OSHA’s Appendix A recommends routine inspections of emergency equipment and specifically identifies eyewashes and safety showers among the emergency equipment laboratories should provide and maintain.
Deficiencies should be corrected promptly.
Keep Emergency Equipment Accessible
Emergency equipment should never be blocked by:
- Boxes.
- Chairs.
- Carts.
- Waste containers.
- Laboratory equipment.
- Stored chemicals.
- Temporary experiments.
Access routes should remain clear.
Emergency equipment should also be clearly identified so an employee can locate it rapidly during a stressful situation.
Emergency PPE
Emergency response may require PPE beyond that normally used for routine laboratory work.
However, laboratory employees should not assume that ordinary laboratory PPE makes them qualified emergency responders.
A lab coat, nitrile gloves, and goggles may be adequate for some incidental laboratory spills but wholly inadequate for:
- Toxic gas releases.
- Large corrosive spills.
- Unknown chemicals.
- Oxygen-deficient atmospheres.
- Significant fires.
- Highly reactive materials.
Emergency procedures should clearly define the limits of employee response.
Laboratory Emergency Drills
Emergency procedures are more useful when employees have practiced them.
OSHA’s Appendix A recommends periodic drills to assist with emergency-plan training and evaluation. It specifically recommends practicing building evacuation, alternate routes, shelter-in-place procedures, and locating and activating emergency equipment.
Drills may include:
- Building evacuation.
- Laboratory evacuation.
- Alternate evacuation routes.
- Spill scenarios.
- Emergency communications.
- Shelter in place.
- Accountability.
- Emergency equipment location.
Lessons learned during drills should be used to improve procedures.
Emergency Equipment
Depending on laboratory hazards, emergency equipment may include:
- Eyewash stations.
- Safety showers.
- Fire extinguishers.
- Fire alarms.
- Spill kits.
- First-aid supplies.
- Emergency phones.
- Gas detectors.
- Oxygen monitors.
- Emergency shutoffs.
- AEDs.
- Specialized chemical-response equipment.
OSHA’s Appendix A recommends that appropriate safety and emergency equipment be readily available, well marked, and highly visible.
The equipment selected should reflect the actual hazards of the laboratory.
Working Alone and Emergencies
Laboratory emergency planning should consider employees who work alone.
Questions should include:
Would anyone know an employee had been injured?
Could the employee summon assistance?
Does the work involve materials capable of rapidly incapacitating the employee?
Could an oxygen-deficiency or toxic-gas condition develop?
Does the operation require another person for safe emergency response?
Certain high-hazard laboratory procedures may not be appropriate for working alone.
Visitors and Contractors
Visitors, contractors, maintenance personnel, and other non-laboratory employees may not understand laboratory alarms or hazards.
Laboratories should establish procedures for:
- Visitor accountability.
- Emergency evacuation.
- Restricted areas.
- Contractor notification.
- Hazard communication.
- Emergency contacts.
OSHA’s Appendix A recommends that laboratory personnel ensure visitors follow laboratory rules and that responsibility for laboratory visitors is established.
Incident Reporting
Laboratory emergencies, exposures, injuries, spills, fires, near misses, and significant equipment failures should be reported according to established procedures.
Reporting allows the organization to determine:
- What happened.
- Why it happened.
- Whether an exposure occurred.
- Whether medical evaluation is necessary.
- Whether equipment should be removed from service.
- Whether procedures need revision.
- Whether other laboratories may have the same hazard.
The objective should be to correct the underlying problem—not merely document that an incident occurred.
Incident Investigation and Root Cause Analysis
Significant laboratory incidents should be investigated to identify both immediate causes and underlying root causes.
For example, an investigation should not stop with:
“Employee spilled the chemical.”
It should ask:
Why did the spill occur?
Was the container appropriate?
Was the employee trained?
Was the procedure adequate?
Was the work area overcrowded?
Was suitable equipment available?
Had the hazard been identified previously?
Corrective actions should address the conditions that allowed the incident to occur.
Corrective Actions
Emergency investigations should result in corrective actions when deficiencies are identified.
Corrective actions may include:
- Repairing equipment.
- Revising procedures.
- Improving ventilation.
- Changing chemical storage.
- Replacing inappropriate PPE.
- Providing additional training.
- Improving emergency equipment.
- Modifying laboratory layout.
- Reducing chemical quantities.
- Installing alarms or monitoring.
- Improving inspection procedures.
Corrective actions should be assigned, tracked, and verified as completed.
Laboratory Emergency Training
Employees should receive emergency training appropriate to their laboratory responsibilities and hazards.
Training should address:
- How to report an emergency.
- Alarm recognition.
- Evacuation procedures.
- Assembly locations.
- Emergency exits.
- Emergency shutdown procedures.
- Chemical spills.
- Chemical exposures.
- Eyewash use.
- Safety shower use.
- Fire response.
- Fire extinguisher use when applicable.
- Gas releases.
- Oxygen-deficiency alarms.
- Medical emergencies.
- Emergency equipment.
- Employee response limitations.
- Reentry procedures.
OSHA requires covered laboratory employees to be trained on protective measures including the employer’s specific work practices, emergency procedures, and PPE.
Common Laboratory Emergency Preparedness Mistakes
Common problems include:
- Employees not knowing the emergency number.
- Blocked eyewashes or safety showers.
- Employees not knowing how to activate emergency equipment.
- Outdated emergency contact information.
- No clear distinction between incidental spills and emergency releases.
- Employees attempting to clean up spills beyond their training.
- Employees entering oxygen-deficient areas to investigate alarms.
- Attempting an unprotected rescue.
- Inappropriate spill-kit materials.
- Delaying eyewash use while looking for an SDS.
- Failing to remove contaminated clothing.
- Employees fighting fires without appropriate training.
- No alternate evacuation route.
- Failing to account for visitors.
- No plan for hazardous operations during power failures.
- Continuing chemical work after ventilation failure.
- Emergency equipment not routinely inspected.
- Failing to investigate incidents and near misses.
- Corrective actions identified but never completed.
Laboratory Emergency Procedures Checklist
A practical Laboratory Emergency Procedures Checklist can include:
☐ Written laboratory emergency procedures are available.
☐ Emergency contact numbers are current and readily accessible.
☐ Employees know how to report an emergency.
☐ Employees recognize applicable alarms.
☐ Primary and alternate evacuation routes are established.
☐ Assembly locations are identified.
☐ Emergency exits are unobstructed.
☐ Employees understand emergency shutdown procedures.
☐ Fire alarms are readily accessible.
☐ Fire extinguishers are accessible where provided.
☐ Eyewash stations are readily accessible where required.
☐ Safety showers are readily accessible where required.
☐ Eyewashes and safety showers are included in an inspection/testing program.
☐ Emergency equipment locations are clearly identified.
☐ Spill kits are appropriate for laboratory hazards.
☐ Employees understand which spills they may safely clean up.
☐ Procedures address spills requiring evacuation.
☐ Chemical exposure procedures are established.
☐ Employees know how to use an eyewash.
☐ Employees know how to use a safety shower.
☐ Procedures address contaminated clothing.
☐ Hazardous gas releases are addressed.
☐ Oxygen-deficiency alarms are addressed where applicable.
☐ Employees understand not to enter hazardous atmospheres without appropriate protection.
☐ Fire procedures are established.
☐ Employees understand when they may use fire extinguishers.
☐ Cryogenic emergencies are addressed where applicable.
☐ Biological emergencies are addressed where applicable.
☐ Electrical emergencies are addressed.
☐ Power-failure procedures address critical laboratory operations.
☐ Fume hood and ventilation failures are addressed.
☐ Medical emergency procedures are established.
☐ SDS and chemical information can be provided to medical personnel.
☐ Visitors and contractors are considered in emergency planning.
☐ Working-alone risks are considered.
☐ Emergency drills are conducted as appropriate.
☐ Employees receive laboratory emergency training.
☐ Incidents and significant near misses are reported and investigated.
☐ Root causes are evaluated when appropriate.
☐ Corrective actions are tracked through completion.
Building Effective Laboratory Emergency Procedures
A strong laboratory emergency procedures program follows a simple principle:
Plan Before the Emergency
↓
Recognize the Hazard
↓
Protect Yourself and Others
↓
Report the Emergency
↓
Evacuate or Isolate When Necessary
↓
Use Emergency Equipment When Appropriate
↓
Obtain Qualified Assistance
↓
Provide Medical Evaluation When Required
↓
Investigate the Incident
↓
Correct the Underlying Causes
The most important part of an emergency plan is not the document itself.
It is whether employees can answer:
What do I do?
Where do I go?
Who do I call?
What equipment should I use?
What should I not attempt to do?
Those answers should be clear before the alarm sounds.
Laboratory Emergency Procedures and the Chemical Hygiene Plan
For laboratories covered by OSHA’s Laboratory Standard, emergency preparedness should be integrated into the Chemical Hygiene Plan and laboratory-specific SOPs.
OSHA’s Appendix A identifies emergency procedures for accidents and spills as a recommended CHP topic and emphasizes planning for contingencies before laboratory work begins.
The laboratory’s procedures should coordinate:
Chemical Hygiene Plan + Emergency Action Plan + Fire Procedures + Spill Response + Medical Response + Laboratory-Specific Hazards
This avoids having separate documents that provide conflicting instructions during an emergency.
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Use a Laboratory Emergency Procedures Checklist to evaluate emergency contacts, evacuation procedures, eyewashes and safety showers, chemical spills, employee exposures, fires, hazardous gas releases, oxygen-deficiency alarms, emergency equipment, medical response, drills, incident investigation, and employee training.