A Laboratory Safety Manual establishes policies, procedures, responsibilities, and safe work practices for protecting employees from hazards encountered in laboratory environments. Depending on the laboratory, these hazards may include hazardous chemicals, biological materials, compressed gases, electrical equipment, machinery, radiation, lasers, cryogenic materials, fire hazards, and other potentially dangerous substances or processes.
An effective Laboratory Safety Manual does more than provide general safety rules. It helps define how hazards will be identified and controlled, establishes employee and management responsibilities, provides procedures for routine and emergency operations, and identifies the training, personal protective equipment (PPE), inspections, documentation, and other safeguards necessary for laboratory work.
The contents of a laboratory safety manual should be appropriate for the specific operations, chemicals, equipment, processes, and hazards of the laboratory. A small quality-control laboratory may require substantially different procedures than a research, medical, pharmaceutical, environmental, industrial, or educational laboratory.
What Is a Laboratory Safety Manual?
A Laboratory Safety Manual, sometimes called a Lab Safety Manual, is a written collection of safety policies and procedures designed specifically for laboratory operations.
The manual provides employees, supervisors, laboratory managers, and other affected personnel with a consistent reference for safely performing laboratory work.
Depending on the facility and its hazards, a laboratory safety manual may address:
- Chemical safety and chemical hygiene
- Hazard identification and risk assessment
- Hazard Communication and Safety Data Sheets (SDSs)
- Laboratory PPE
- Chemical storage and compatibility
- Fume hoods and laboratory ventilation
- Compressed gas cylinders
- Cryogenic materials
- Biological hazards and bloodborne pathogens
- Electrical safety
- Laboratory equipment
- Fire prevention and emergency response
- Chemical spills and releases
- Hazardous waste
- Exposure response
- Laboratory inspections
- Employee training
- Incident and near-miss reporting
- Recordkeeping
The manual should be readily available to affected employees and kept current as laboratory operations, equipment, chemicals, hazards, and regulatory requirements change.
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Does OSHA Require a Laboratory Safety Manual?
OSHA does not universally require every laboratory to maintain a document specifically titled a “Laboratory Safety Manual.”
However, laboratories may be subject to numerous OSHA standards that require written programs, procedures, employee training, hazard controls, exposure assessments, and other documentation.
One of the most important is OSHA’s Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1450, commonly known as the Laboratory Standard. Covered employers must develop and carry out a written Chemical Hygiene Plan capable of protecting employees from health hazards associated with hazardous chemicals in the laboratory and keeping exposures below applicable limits.
Other OSHA requirements may apply depending on the laboratory’s activities and hazards.
For this reason, a comprehensive Laboratory Safety Manual can provide a practical framework for organizing the safety programs, procedures, and practices that apply to laboratory operations.
Laboratory Safety Manual and Chemical Hygiene Plan
The terms Laboratory Safety Manual and Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) are sometimes used together, but they do not necessarily mean the same thing.
A Laboratory Safety Manual can address the overall range of safety hazards encountered in a laboratory. A Chemical Hygiene Plan specifically addresses employee protection from hazardous chemicals under OSHA’s Laboratory Standard when that standard applies.
A Chemical Hygiene Plan must include specific elements required by OSHA, including standard operating procedures relevant to safety and health, criteria for implementing control measures, requirements for proper functioning of fume hoods and other protective equipment, employee information and training provisions, circumstances requiring prior approval, medical consultation and examination provisions, designation of responsible personnel, and provisions for particularly hazardous substances.
Depending on how the laboratory’s safety system is organized, the Chemical Hygiene Plan may be:
Incorporated into the Laboratory Safety Manual, or
Maintained as a separate written program referenced by the Laboratory Safety Manual.
Either approach can provide an organized safety system, provided all applicable requirements are properly addressed.
What Should a Laboratory Safety Manual Include?
There is no single Laboratory Safety Manual that is appropriate for every laboratory.
The manual should reflect the facility’s actual operations and hazards. A laboratory that uses corrosive chemicals, compressed gases, and flammable solvents will need different procedures than a laboratory handling infectious materials or operating lasers.
A comprehensive Lab Safety Manual may contain the following major sections.
Laboratory Safety Responsibilities
The manual should clearly establish responsibilities for laboratory safety.
Depending on the organization, responsibilities may be assigned to laboratory management, a Chemical Hygiene Officer, safety personnel, supervisors or principal investigators, laboratory employees, and other affected personnel.
Employees should understand both their individual responsibilities and who has authority to address unsafe conditions.
Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment
Laboratory hazards should be identified before work begins.
The assessment should consider the chemicals, equipment, procedures, energy sources, environmental conditions, and potential exposures associated with the work.
The laboratory should then determine appropriate controls using engineering controls, administrative or work-practice controls, and PPE as appropriate.
A Job Safety Analysis (JSA), Job Hazard Analysis (JHA), Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), or other documented risk-assessment method may be appropriate for higher-hazard laboratory activities.
Chemical Safety and Chemical Hygiene
Chemical safety is a major component of many Laboratory Safety Manuals.
Procedures may address chemical procurement, labeling, storage, handling, transfer, use, exposure controls, disposal, and emergency response.
Employees should understand the hazards of the chemicals they use and have access to applicable Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) and other hazard information.
Where OSHA’s Laboratory Standard applies, these procedures should be coordinated with the facility’s Chemical Hygiene Plan.
Laboratory Personal Protective Equipment
Required laboratory PPE should be based on the hazards employees may encounter.
Depending on the work, PPE may include:
Safety glasses or chemical splash goggles; face shields; laboratory coats or protective clothing; chemical-resistant gloves; heat- or cold-resistant gloves; respiratory protection; hearing protection; and appropriate protective footwear.
PPE selection should consider the particular chemical, physical, biological, thermal, electrical, or other hazard involved rather than relying on one standard set of PPE for every laboratory task.
Fume Hoods and Laboratory Ventilation
Laboratory ventilation is an important method of controlling airborne exposure to hazardous chemicals.
A chemical fume hood can help capture and exhaust hazardous gases, vapors, fumes, or aerosols generated during laboratory operations. Employees using fume hoods should understand proper operating practices and the limitations of the equipment.
The Laboratory Safety Manual should address appropriate use, inspections or performance verification, sash position, equipment placement, airflow indicators or alarms, and actions to take if a fume hood is not functioning properly.
A fume hood should not be treated as a general-purpose storage cabinet when stored materials interfere with airflow or safe operation.
Chemical Storage and Compatibility
Laboratory chemicals should be stored according to their hazards and compatibility—not simply alphabetically.
Incompatible materials may react violently if mixed or if containers leak.
Depending on the chemicals present, separate or specialized storage may be necessary for:
Flammable liquids • Corrosives • Oxidizers • Water-reactive materials • Pyrophoric materials • Toxic substances • Compressed gases • Particularly hazardous substances
Containers should be properly labeled, kept closed when not in use, and periodically inspected for deterioration, leakage, corrosion, crystallization, or other indications of unsafe conditions.
Compressed Gases and Cryogenic Materials
Compressed gas cylinders present hazards from high pressure, cylinder movement, fire, toxicity, oxygen displacement, and the properties of the gases they contain.
Laboratory procedures should address cylinder securing, valve protection, regulators, transportation, storage, segregation, leak response, and appropriate handling.
Cryogenic liquids can create additional hazards, including severe cold burns, embrittlement of materials, pressure buildup, and oxygen displacement.
Where cryogens are used, the laboratory should evaluate ventilation and oxygen-deficiency hazards as appropriate.
Laboratory Equipment Safety
Laboratory employees may work with equipment capable of creating electrical, mechanical, pressure, thermal, vacuum, radiation, or other hazards.
Examples include:
Centrifuges • Autoclaves • Hot plates • Ovens • Furnaces • Vacuum systems • Glassware • Refrigerators and freezers • Pumps • Mixers • Heating equipment • Analytical instruments
Employees should be trained to operate applicable equipment safely and should follow manufacturer instructions and established procedures.
Damaged, malfunctioning, or unsafe equipment should be removed from service or otherwise controlled until it can be repaired or replaced.
Biological and Bloodborne Hazards
Laboratories that handle blood, other potentially infectious materials, microorganisms, biological specimens, or other biological agents may require additional controls.
Applicable procedures may include exposure control, containment, PPE, sharps safety, decontamination, disinfection, waste handling, exposure response, and employee training.
Where occupational exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials is reasonably anticipated, OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, may apply.
Not every laboratory has biological hazards, so this section should be tailored to the facility’s operations.
Laboratory Fire and Explosion Prevention
Many laboratories contain flammable liquids, compressed gases, oxidizers, heat-producing equipment, electrical ignition sources, and chemical reactions capable of creating fire or explosion hazards.
Laboratory fire prevention procedures may address:
Flammable-liquid storage and handling • Ignition-source control • Hot work • Gas cylinders • Electrical equipment • Emergency shutdowns • Fire extinguishers • Alarm procedures • Evacuation
Employees should understand when evacuation is required and should not attempt to fight a fire unless they have been appropriately trained and conditions allow them to do so safely.
Chemical Spill and Emergency Procedures
A Laboratory Safety Manual should clearly explain what employees are expected to do when something goes wrong.
Emergency procedures may address:
- Chemical spills and releases
- Fires and explosions
- Employee chemical exposure
- Eye or skin contact
- Inhalation exposure
- Compressed-gas leaks
- Loss of ventilation
- Power failures
- Equipment emergencies
- Medical emergencies
- Evacuation and emergency notification
Employees should know the location and proper use of applicable emergency equipment, including eyewashes, emergency showers, spill-control materials, alarms, fire extinguishers, and emergency shutoffs.
Employees should also understand the difference between a small incidental spill they are trained and equipped to handle and an emergency release requiring evacuation and specialized response.
Hazardous Waste in Laboratories
Laboratory operations can generate chemical and other hazardous wastes requiring proper identification, collection, labeling, storage, and disposal.
Waste containers should be compatible with their contents and managed to prevent spills, incompatible mixing, and uncontrolled exposure.
Applicable EPA, state, local, and facility-specific hazardous-waste requirements should be incorporated into laboratory procedures as appropriate.
Laboratory Safety Training
Employees should receive safety training appropriate to the hazards and responsibilities associated with their laboratory work.
Training may include:
Laboratory safety orientation • Chemical hazards • Chemical Hygiene Plan • Hazard Communication • PPE • Fume hood use • Chemical storage • Compressed gases • Emergency procedures • Spill response • Waste handling • Equipment-specific procedures
Additional training may be necessary for specialized hazards or operations.
Under OSHA’s Laboratory Standard, covered employees must receive information and training at the time of initial assignment to a work area where hazardous chemicals are present and before assignments involving new exposure situations.
Laboratory Inspections
Routine laboratory safety inspections can help identify unsafe conditions before they contribute to an injury, exposure, fire, spill, or other incident.
Inspections may evaluate:
Chemical storage and labeling; PPE; fume hoods; compressed gases; electrical equipment; emergency eyewashes and showers; fire protection; waste accumulation; housekeeping; exits and aisles; equipment condition; and compliance with established laboratory procedures.
Deficiencies should be documented, assigned for correction, and followed through to completion.
Incident, Exposure and Near-Miss Investigation
Laboratory accidents, chemical exposures, spills, equipment failures, and near misses can provide important information about weaknesses in laboratory safety systems.
Significant events should be investigated to determine what happened, identify contributing and root causes, and establish corrective actions.
The objective should be to correct the underlying conditions that allowed the event to occur—not simply assign blame to an employee.
Keeping a Laboratory Safety Manual Current
A Laboratory Safety Manual should not be created and then forgotten.
The manual should be reviewed and updated when appropriate, particularly when:
New chemicals are introduced; laboratory processes change; new equipment is installed; new hazards are identified; regulatory requirements change; an incident or near miss identifies a program deficiency; or inspections reveal that existing procedures are inadequate.
The Chemical Hygiene Plan has its own OSHA review requirement. Under 29 CFR 1910.1450, the employer must review and evaluate the effectiveness of the Chemical Hygiene Plan at least annually and update it as necessary.
Creating a Laboratory Safety Manual for Your Workplace
An effective Laboratory Safety Manual should reflect the laboratory where it will actually be used.
A generic manual may provide a useful starting point, but laboratory hazards can vary significantly based on the chemicals, equipment, processes, employees, facility design, and type of work being performed.
Before developing or customizing a laboratory safety manual, employers should consider questions such as:
What types of laboratory operations are performed?
What hazardous chemicals are used or stored?
Does OSHA’s Laboratory Standard apply?
Is a Chemical Hygiene Plan required?
Are compressed gases or cryogenic materials used?
Are employees exposed to biological hazards or bloodborne pathogens?
Are radioactive materials, radiation-producing equipment, or lasers present?
What types of laboratory equipment are used?
Are fume hoods or other local exhaust systems provided?
What emergency equipment is available?
What types of hazardous waste are generated?
Are there specialized procedures or particularly hazardous substances that require additional controls?
The answers help determine what programs, procedures, and supporting documents should be included in the final Laboratory Safety Manual.
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Whether you need a complete Laboratory Safety Manual, a Chemical Hygiene Plan, or laboratory safety procedures customized for your operations, the manual should address the actual hazards, chemicals, equipment, and work performed at your facility.