LABORATORY SAFETY
4.30
Revised 1-13
Facilities Operations
335-9000
Environmental Health and Safety
335-3041
OVERVIEW
This section provides an overview of the operating procedures which Environmental Health and Safety and Facilities Operations have developed for maintenance and construction activities conducted in laboratory facilities.
The purpose of these operating procedures is to:
- Protect maintenance and construction personnel from the chemical, biological, and radiological hazards found in laboratories.
For radiological hazards, contact the Radiation Safety Office; telephone 335-8916; or website at:
- Protect laboratory personnel from the hazards associated with maintenance and construction activities.
- Protect research during construction or maintenance activities (e.g. utility interruptions).
- Promote safer and more efficient maintenance and construction activities in laboratories.
Procedures and Work Permit
Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) provides the detailed procedures and a work permit form in the Laboratory Safety Manual, which is the University's general Chemical Hygiene Plan.
To view the EH&S Laboratory Safety Manual web site, go to:
http://ehs.wsu.edu/labsafety/LabSafetyManual.html
Select Section III: Laboratory Facilities; then
Select Subsection E: Facility Services.The detailed procedures are titled Operating Procedures for Performance of Maintenance/Construction Activities in Laboratory Facilities. See also below.
The work permit form is titled Work Permit for Maintenance/ Construction Activities in Laboratories and is referred to in this section as the Work Permit. See below.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Department Chair/Director
The department chair or director is to ensure that the operating procedures are implemented.
Principal Investigator or Designee
The principal investigator (PI) or her or his designee:
- Trains employees and students on the components of the Work Permit and operating procedures.
- Submits a work request to Facilities Operations when maintenance and/or constructions activities are to be performed by Facilities Operations in a University laboratory.
The PI or designee submits the work request through the myFacilities Event Notification System website or by contacting Facilities Operations; telephone 335-9000. The myFacilities Event Notification System website is accessed at:
NOTE: The requester must use the Internet Explorer browser version 5.0 or higher in order to submit project requests through this website.
- Clears and decontaminates the authorized work zone in the laboratory. See below for definitions.
If an area cannot be decontaminated, the PI or designee is to contact Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) for recommendations and standard operating procedures.
- Completes the Work Permit form. See below.
- Discusses and reviews the Work Permit with Facilities Operations.
- Contacts Facilities Operations if the department resumes research activities in an authorized work zone before the maintenance and/or construction activities are completed.
NOTE: If the department resumes research activities in the authorized work zone before maintenance/construction activities are completed, the PI or designee must clear and decontaminate the area and submit a new Work Permit to Facilities Operations.
Facilities Operations
Facilities Operations:
- Trains employees on the components of the Work Permit and operating procedures.
- Contacts the PI or designee before performing maintenance and/or construction activities in a laboratory.
- Requests, reviews, and discusses the completed Work Permit with the PI or designee.
- Signs the completed Work Permit, if satisfied.
- Completes a CAUTION sign. See below.
- Posts the signed Work Permit and the completed CAUTION sign at the entrance to the laboratory. See below.
- Posts a description of the maintenance and/or construction activity on the Facilities Operations website at:
- Conducts maintenance and construction activities.
- Informs the PI or designee if the maintenance/construction activities will create additional hazards or require additional work and decontamination.
- Consults with the PI or designee to review the completed project to ensure that the work conforms to the PI's specifications. Obtains a signature from the PI indicating that the project is completed as specified.
- Closes out the construction and maintenance activities (e.g., contacts PI or designee, removes signs, maintains files).
Employee or Student
The employee or student:
- Knows and complies with the Operating Procedures for Performance of Maintenance/Construction Activities in Laboratory Facilities.
To view the operating procedures document in the online Laboratory Safety Manual,Section III.E, go to:
http://ehs.wsu.edu/labsafety/LabSafetyManual.html
Select Section III: Laboratory Facilities; then
Select Subsection E: Facility Services.
- Reviews and follows all laboratory signs, Work Permits, and CAUTION signs before entrance into laboratories.
- Contacts the PI or designee or Facilities Operations if questions arise concerning construction and/or maintenance activities conducted in a laboratory.
- Reports unsafe conditions to the PI, designee, faculty member, immediate supervisor, or EH&S.
Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S)
Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S):
- Provides detailed procedures and the Work Permit form in the Laboratory Safety Manual. To view the online Laboratory Safety Manual, go to:
http://ehs.wsu.edu/labsafety/LabSafetyManual.html
Select Section III: Laboratory Facilities; then
Select Subsection E: Facility Services.
- Provides assistance to department chairs, directors, PIs, laboratory supervisors, and Facilities Operations in the implementation of the Operating Procedures for Performance of Maintenance/Construction Activities in Laboratory Facilities.
- Provides consultation to the PI or designee and Facilities Operations concerning proper decontamination procedures and standard operating procedures.
- Periodically reviews work areas to ensure compliance with the operating procedures.
- Reviews and modifies the Operating Procedures for Performance of Maintenance/Construction Activities in a Laboratory Facility.
Request for Maintenance/Construction
The PI or designee submits a work request for Facilities Operations to perform maintenance and/or construction in a University laboratory.
The PI or designee submits the work request through the myFacilities Event Notification System website or by contacting Facilities Operations; telephone 335-9000. The myFacilities Event Notification System website is accessed at:
NOTE: The requester must use the Internet Explorer browser version 5.0 or higher in order to submit project requests through this website.
See BPPM 80.56 and Facilities Operations for more information.
Primary Steps
After Facilities Operations receives the work request to perform maintenance and/or construction in a laboratory, the following six primary steps must be completed.
Step 1
Facilities Operations contacts the PI or designee before performing maintenance and/or construction work activities.
Step 2
The PI or designee submits a completed Work Permit to Facilities Operations and prepares the authorized work zone where the maintenance and/or construction activities are to be conducted. See below for the definition of an authorized work zone.
The Work Permit For Maintenance/Construction Activities in Laboratories is a tool used to assist in effective communication between the PI or designee, Facilities Operations, EH&S, and personnel entering the laboratory.
Principal investigators or designees obtain and complete the Work Permit form from the Laboratory Safety Manual Section III.E. To view the online Laboratory Safety Manual, go to:
http://ehs.wsu.edu/labsafety/LabSafetyManual.html
Select Section III: Laboratory Facilities; then
Select Subsection E: Facility Services.
Step 3
Facilities Operations discusses and reviews the completed Work Permit with the PI or designee.
If Facilities Operations' personnel are not satisfied with the safety conditions of the authorized work zone or laboratory, Facilities Operations does not proceed with the work activities. The department may contact EH&S for assistance with improving the safety conditions of the work zone or laboratory.
When Facilities Operations' personnel are satisfied, Facilities Operations signs and posts the Work Permit at the laboratory entrance and prepares for work activity.
The CAUTION sign is a tool used to display pertinent information about the construction and/or maintenance activities being conducted in the laboratory.
Facilities Operations provides and completes the caution sign.
Step 5
Facilities Operation conducts the work activity.
Step 6
Facilities Operation performs closeout of work activity.
Detailed Procedures
Detailed procedures for each of the primary steps described above are included in the Operating Procedures for Performance of Maintenance/ Construction Activities in Laboratory Facilities. EH&S provides this document in the Laboratory Safety Manual Section III.E.
To view the online Laboratory Safety Manual, go to:
http://ehs.wsu.edu/labsafety/LabSafetyManual.html
Select Section III: Laboratory Facilities; then
Select Subsection E: Facility Services.
Assistance
Facilities Operations
For assistance, contact the Facilities Operations representative identified on the work permit or the Facilities Operations dispatcher; telephone 335-9000.
EH&S
For assistance, contact the EH&S representative identified on the work permit or the EH&S office; telephone 335-3041.
The following definitions apply to the operating procedures for maintenance and construction activities in laboratories:
Authorized Personnel
Authorized personnel are defined as employees specifically authorized by the PI or designee whose duties require the personnel to enter a laboratory where maintenance and/or construction activities are being conducted.
An authorized work zone is defined as the area, as identified by the principal investigator, where construction/maintenance activities are conducted (e.g., building, room number, and location). The authorized work zone may be an entire laboratory or a portion of the laboratory.
If a portion of a laboratory is designated as an authorized work zone, areas within the laboratory which are outside of the authorized work zone are off-limits to unauthorized personnel.
Decontamination
Decontamination is defined as the use of physical or chemical means on materials and surfaces to remove, inactivate, or destroy pathogens and/or hazardous chemicals. Decontamination is used to ensure that the materials will not expose employees and students to biological or chemical concentrations above the regulatory requirements. See 2.44, 4.20, 5.10, and EH&S for more information.
Laboratory
Laboratory means:
- A workplace facility where relatively small quantities of hazardous chemicals are used on a non-production basis.
The laboratory activities involve research and quality control activities. The procedures discussed in this section do not apply to "dry" laboratories such as computer labs.
- A workplace facility where potentially biohazardous materials are stored or used.
For the current definition of potentially biohazardous material, see the Biosafety website at:
http://www.bio-safety.wsu.edu/biosafety/potentiallydefinition.asp
See also 2.44, 4.12, 4.20, 5.10, and EH&S for more information.