Make your environmental lab--and lab technicians' work practices--the safest possible. * Protect workers from hazardous material they handle on-site * Protect the civilian population from harm in a hazardous materials emergency * Prevent accidents before they happen The purpose of Safe Work Practices for the Environmental Laboratory is twofold: 1. For the person designated as the laboratory's Chemical Hygiene Officer or Safety Officer, this text is a user friendly reference that will provide a format, a template, a guide to compliance with OSHA's Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.145); and 2. for the person who is assigned to work in the environmental laboratory, this user-friendly text provides the information needed not only to perform routine laboratory tasks correctly, but also to perform them safely. The environmental lab is involved with performing analytical testing and sampling protocols relating to air, soil, biosolids, sludges, drinking water, wastewater, groundwater, stormwater, waste characterization, petroleum products, and HRSD/NPDES effluent studies. Many wastewater treatment plants and water works have their own environmental laboratories. These labs primarily perform analysis of process conditions to ensure optimization of the process. However, even these small labs (a few are quite large) perform "environmental sampling" and therefore are environmental labs. The actual genesis of the environmental laboratory can be attributed to the environmental regulations that have been generated by USEPA, AOAC, ASTM, NIOSH, OSHA, and other regulatory and advisory entities. The typical environmental laboratory contains several different types of hazards the lab worker must guard against. This is the case even though modern environmental laboratories have been designed to take maximum advantage of engineering controls that work to "engineer-out" most hazards. The main hazard discussed in this text has to do with hazardous materials--dangerous chemicals and compounds--and the effect they can have on work practices. OSHA is quite specific in regard to protecting the laboratory worker from harm that could result from handling hazardous materials--these specifics are discussed in detail throughout this text. It is important to point out that this text will provide the user with more than just a "safety book." For example, this text provides the user with a sample Chemical Hygiene Plan, it discusses various safe work practices for standard operating procedures normally performed in the environmental laboratory, and it discusses procedures to use for emergency response activities, such as clean-up of chemical spills. The bottom line is that probably the most important benefit to be derived from using this text is the exposure the user receives to the lessons and examples presented throughout the text; these lessons learned and examples provide information on how to make your environmental laboratory and the performance of your individual work practices safer. When you get right down to it, isn't this what a safety text should be all about?

Prudent Practices in the Laboratory-the book that has served for decades as the standard for chemical laboratory safety practice-now features updates and new topics. This revised edition has an expanded chapter on chemical management and delves into new areas, such as nanotechnology, laboratory security, and emergency planning. Developed by experts from academia and industry, with specialties in such areas as chemical sciences, pollution prevention, and laboratory safety, Prudent Practices in the Laboratory provides guidance on planning procedures for the handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals. The book offers prudent practices designed to promote safety and includes practical information on assessing hazards, managing chemicals, disposing of wastes, and more. Prudent Practices in the Laboratory will continue to serve as the leading source of chemical safety guidelines for people working with laboratory chemicals: research chemists, technicians, safety officers, educators, and students.

This volume updates and combines two National Academy Press bestsellers--Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories and Prudent Practices for Disposal of Chemicals from Laboratories--which have served for more than a decade as leading sources of chemical safety guidelines for the laboratory. Developed by experts from academia and industry, with specialties in such areas as chemical sciences, pollution prevention, and laboratory safety, Prudent Practices for Safety in Laboratories provides step-by-step planning procedures for handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals. The volume explores the current culture of laboratory safety and provides an updated guide to federal regulations. Organized around a recommended workflow protocol for experiments, the book offers prudent practices designed to promote safety and it includes practical information on assessing hazards, managing chemicals, disposing of wastes, and more. Prudent Practices for Safety in Laboratories is essential reading for people working with laboratory chemicals: research chemists, technicians, safety officers, chemistry educators, and students.

This book details how to start and maintain a successful safety program in a municipal or industrial water or wastewater plant with special emphasis on the practical implementation. This new edition provides the latest OSHA regulations and recommendations, and each chapter has been updated with new information, including the latest innovations related to all types of successfully proven health and safety protocols. Coverage includes safety programs, recordkeeping, safety training, safety equipment, and safe work practices for wastewater treatment facilities. In addition, much of the text should be relevant to safety and health professionals in almost any industrial setting.

Biosafety in the Laboratory is a concise set of practical guidelines for handling and disposing of biohazardous material. The consensus of top experts in laboratory safety, this volume provides the information needed for immediate improvement of safety practices. It discusses high- and low-risk biological agents (including the highest-risk materials handled in labs today), presents the "seven basic rules of biosafety," addresses special issues such as the shipping of dangerous materials, covers waste disposal in detail, offers a checklist for administering laboratory safetyâ€"and more.

Recent serious and sometimes fatal accidents in chemical research laboratories at United States universities have driven government agencies, professional societies, industries, and universities themselves to examine the culture of safety in research laboratories. These incidents have triggered a broader discussion of how serious incidents can be prevented in the future and how best to train researchers and emergency personnel to respond appropriately when incidents do occur. As the priority placed on safety increases, many institutions have expressed a desire to go beyond simple compliance with regulations to work toward fostering a strong, positive safety culture: affirming a constant commitment to safety throughout their institutions, while integrating safety as an essential element in the daily work of laboratory researchers. Safe Science takes on this challenge. This report examines the culture of safety in research institutions and makes recommendations for university leadership, laboratory researchers, and environmental health and safety professionals to support safety as a core value of their institutions. The report discusses ways to fulfill that commitment through prioritizing funding for safety equipment and training, as well as making safety an ongoing operational priority. A strong, positive safety culture arises not because of a set of rules but because of a constant commitment to safety throughout an organization. Such a culture supports the free exchange of safety information, emphasizes learning and improvement, and assigns greater importance to solving problems than to placing blame. High importance is assigned to safety at all times, not just when it is convenient or does not threaten personal or institutional productivity goals. Safe Science will be a guide to make the changes needed at all levels to protect students, researchers, and staff.