7.0 Definitions 

Definitions -- 

 

Action level means a concentration designated in 29 CFR part 1910 for a specific substance, calculated as an eight (8)-hour time-weighted average, which initiates certain required activities such as exposure monitoring and medical surveillance. 

 

Assistant Secretary means the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Department of Labor, or designee. 

 

Carcinogen (see select carcinogen). 

 

Chemical Hygiene Officer means an employee who is designated by the employer, and who is qualified by training or experience, to provide technical guidance in the development and implementation of the provisions of the Chemical Hygiene Plan. This definition is not intended to place limitations on the position description or job classification that the designated individual shall hold within the employer's organizational structure. 

 

Chemical Hygiene Plan means a written program developed and implemented by the employer which sets forth procedures, equipment, personal protective equipment and work practices that (i) are capable of protecting employees from the health hazards presented by hazardous chemicals used in that particular workplace and (ii) meets the requirements of paragraph (e) of this section. 

 

Combustible liquid means any liquid having a flashpoint at or above 100 deg. F (37.8 deg. C), but below 200 deg. F (93.3 deg. C), except any mixture having components with flashpoints of 200 deg. F (93.3 deg. C), or higher, the total volume of which make up 99 percent or more of the total volume of the mixture. 

 

Compressed gas means: 

 

(i) A gas or mixture of gases having, in a container, an absolute pressure exceeding 40 psi at 70 deg. F (21.1 deg. C); or 

 

(ii) A gas or mixture of gases having, in a container, an absolute pressure exceeding 104 psi at 130 deg. F (54.4 deg C) regardless of the pressure at 70 deg. F (21.1 deg. C); or 

 

(iii) A liquid having a vapor pressure exceeding 40 psi at 100 deg. F (37.8 C) as determined by ASTM D-323-72. 

 

Designated area means an area which may be used for work with "select carcinogens," reproductive toxins or substances which have a high degree of acute toxicity. A designated area may be the entire laboratory, an area of a laboratory or a device such as a laboratory hood. 

 

Emergency means any occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers or failure of control equipment which results in an uncontrolled release of a hazardous chemical into the workplace. 

 

Employee means an individual employed in a laboratory workplace who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals in the course of his or her assignments. 

 

Explosive means a chemical that causes a sudden, almost instantaneous release of pressure, gas, and heat when subjected to sudden shock, pressure, or high temperature. 

 

Flammable means a chemical that falls into one of the following categories: 

 

(i) Aerosol, flammable means an aerosol that, when tested by the method described in 16 CFR 1500.45, yields a flame protection exceeding 18 inches at full valve opening, or a flashback (a flame extending back to the valve) at any degree of valve opening; 

 

(ii) Gas, flammable means: 

 

(A) A gas that, at ambient temperature and pressure, forms a flammable mixture with air at a concentration of 13 percent by volume or less; or 

 

(B) A gas that, at ambient temperature and pressure, forms a range of flammable mixtures with air wider than 12 percent by volume, regardless of the lower limit. 

 

(iii) Liquid, flammable means any liquid having a flashpoint below 100 deg F (37.8 deg. C), except any mixture having components with flashpoints of 100 deg. C) or higher, the total of which make up 99 percent or more of the total volume of the mixture. 

 

(iv) Solid, flammable means a solid, other than a blasting agent or explosive as defined in § 1910.109(a), that is liable to cause fire through friction, absorption of moisture, spontaneous chemical change, or retained heat from manufacturing or processing, or which can be ignited readily and when ignited burns so vigorously and persistently as to create a serious hazard. A chemical shall be considered to be a flammable solid if, when tested by the method described in 16 CFR 1500.44, it ignites and burns with a self-sustained flame at a rate greater than one-tenth of an inch per second along its major axis. 

 

Flashpoint means the minimum temperature at which a liquid gives off a vapor in sufficient concentration to ignite when tested as follows: 

 

(i) Tagliabue Closed Tester (See American National Standard Method of Test for Flash Point by Tag Closed Tester, Z11.24 - 1979 (ASTM D 56-79)) - for liquids with a viscosity of less than 45 Saybolt Universal Seconds (SUS) at 100 deg. F (37.8 deg. C), that do not contain suspended solids and do not have a tendency to form a surface film under test; or 

 

(ii) Pensky-Martens Closed Tester (See American National Standard Method of Test for Flashpoint by Pensky-Martens Closed Tester, Z11.7 - 1979 (ASTM D 93-79)) - for liquids with a viscosity equal to or greater than 45 SUS at 100 deg. F (37.8 deg. C ), or that contain suspended solids, or that have a tendency to form a surface film under test; or 

 

(iii) Setaflash Closed Tester (see American National Standard Method of test for Flash Point by Setaflash Closed Tester (ASTM D 3278-78)). 

 

Organic peroxides, which undergo autoaccelerating thermal decomposition, are excluded from any of the flashpoint determination methods specified above. 

 

Hazardous chemical means a chemical for which there is statistically significant evidence based on at least one study conducted in accordance with established scientific principles that acute or chronic health effects may occur in exposed employees. The term "health hazard" includes chemicals which are carcinogens, toxic or highly toxic agents, reproductive toxins, irritants, corrosives, sensitizers, hepatotoxins, nephrotoxins, neurotoxins, agents which act on the hematopoietic systems, and agents which damage the lungs, skin, eyes, or mucous membranes. 

 

Appendices A and B of the Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) provide further guidance in defining the scope of health hazards and determining whether or not a chemical is to be considered hazardous for purposes of this standard. 

 

Laboratory means a facility where the "laboratory use of hazardous chemicals" occurs. It is a workplace where relatively small quantities of hazardous chemicals are used on a non-production basis. 

 

Laboratory scale means work with substances in which the containers used for reactions, transfers, and other handling of substances are designed to be easily and safety manipulated by one person. "Laboratory scale" excludes those workplaces whose function is to produce commercial quantities of materials. 

 

Laboratory-type hood means a device located in a laboratory, enclosure on five sides with a movable sash or fixed partial enclosed on the remaining side; constructed and maintained to draw air from the laboratory and to prevent or minimize the escape of air contaminants into the laboratory; and allows chemical manipulations to be conducted in the enclosure without insertion of any portion of the employee's body other than hands and arms. 

 

Walk-in hoods with adjustable sashes meet the above definition provided that the sashes are adjusted during use so that the airflow and the exhaust of air contaminants are not compromised and employees do not work inside the enclosure during the release of airborne hazardous chemicals. 

 

Laboratory use of hazardous chemicals means handling or use of such chemicals in which all of the following conditions are met: 

 

(i) Chemical manipulations are carried out on a "laboratory scale;" 

 

(ii) Multiple chemical procedures or chemicals are used; 

 

(iii) The procedures involved are not part of a production process, nor in any way simulate a production process; and 

 

(iv) "Protective laboratory practices and equipment" are available and in common use to minimize the potential for employee exposure to hazardous chemicals. 

 

Medical consultation means a consultation which takes place between an employee and a licensed physician for the purpose of determining what medical examinations or procedures, if any, are appropriate in cases where a significant exposure to a hazardous chemical may have taken place. 

 

Organic peroxide means an organic compound that contains the bivalent -O-O- structure and which may be considered to be a structural derivative of hydrogen peroxide where one or both of the hydrogen atoms has been replaced by an organic radical. 

 

Oxidizer means a chemical other than a blasting agent or explosive as defined in § 1910.109(a), that initiates or promotes combustion in other materials, thereby causing fire either of itself or through the release of oxygen or other gases. 

 

Physical hazard means a chemical for which there is scientifically valid evidence tat it is a combustible liquid, a compressed gas, explosive, flammable, an organic peroxide, an oxidizer pyrophoric, unstable (reactive) or water-reactive. 

 

Protective laboratory practices and equipment means those laboratory procedures, practices and equipment accepted by laboratory health and safety experts as effective, or that the employer can show to be effective, in minimizing the potential for employee exposure to hazardous chemicals. 

 

Reproductive toxins means chemicals which affect the reproductive capabilities including chromosomal damage (mutations) and effects on fetuses (teratogenesis). 

 

Select carcinogen means any substance which meets one of the following criteria: 

 

(i) It is regulated by OSHA as a carcinogen; or 

 

(ii) It is listed under the category, "known to be carcinogens," in the Annual Report on Carcinogens published by the National Toxicology Program (NTP)(latest edition); or 

 

(iii) It is listed under Group 1 ("carcinogenic to humans") by the International Agency for research on Cancer Monographs (IARC)(latest editions); or 

 

(iv) It is listed in either Group 2A or 2B by IARC or under the category, "reasonably anticipated to be carcinogens" by NTP, and causes statistically significant tumor incidence in experimental animals in accordance with any of the following criteria: 

 

(A) After inhalation exposure of 6-7 hours per day, 5 days per week, for a significant portion of a lifetime to dosages of less than 10 mg/m(3); 

 

(B) After repeated skin application of less than 300 (mg/kg of body weight) per week; or 

 

(C) After oral dosages of less than 50 mg/kg of body weight per day. 

 

Unstable (reactive) means a chemical which is the pure state, or as produced or transported, will vigorously polymerize, decompose, condense, or will become self-reactive under conditions of shocks, pressure or temperature. 

 

Water-reactive means a chemical that reacts with water to release a gas that is either flammable or presents a health hazard. 

 

Appendix A. Particularly Hazardous Substances (Using examples from Princeton University EHS website) 

Particularly hazardous substances are defined to include select carcinogens, reproductive toxins and substances that have a high degree of acute toxicity (such as cyanides and dimethyl mercury). 

Select carcinogens include any substance that is included on any of the following lists of carcinogens: 

OSHA Carcinogen List 

Annual Report on Carcinogens published by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), including all of the substances listed as "known to be carcinogens" and some substances listed as "reasonably anticipated to be carcinogens" 

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), including all of Group 1 "carcinogen to humans" and some in Group 2A or 2B, "reasonably anticipated to be carcinogens" 

Reproductive toxin includes any chemical that may affect the reproductive capabilities including chromosomal damage (mutations) and effects on fetuses (teratogenesis). 

High acute toxicity includes any chemical that falls within any of the following categories: 

• A chemical with a median lethal dose (LD50) of 50 mg or less per kg of body weight when administered orally to certain test populations

• A chemical with an LD50of 200 mg or less per kg of body weight when administered by continuous contact for 24 hours (or less if death occurs within 24 hours) to certain test populations

• A chemical with a median lethal concentration (LC50) in air of 200 parts per million (ppm) by volume or less of gas or vapor, or 2 mg per liter or less of mist, fume, or dust, when administered to certain test populations by continuous inhalation for one hour, provided such concentration and/or condition are likely to be encountered by humans when the chemical is used in any reasonably foreseeable manner.

A list of the more commonly used particularly hazardous substances is available in the Laboratory Safety Manual, however, this list is not exhaustive. Consult the product SDS or contact EHS for assistance in determining whether a substance is classified as particularly hazardous. 

Before using a particularly hazardous substance, an individual must: 

1. Complete a Particularly Hazardous Substance Use Approval Form. This form is available from Mark D. Musser or can be downloaded.

2. Submit the completed form to their supervisor or Principal Investigator for approval.

3. Submit the approved form to the departmental Chemical Hygiene Officer for his or her approval.

4. Post the area where the substance will be used with a Designated Area sign, available from the departmental Chemical Hygiene Officer or EHS or can be downloaded..

5. Follow the procedures outlined in the approved form and in the Laboratory Safety Manual.

The Particularly Hazardous Substance Use Approval Form provides documentation of the specific standard operating procedure for use of the substance. These procedures include the use of containment devices and personal protective equipment, decontamination procedures and procedures for safe removal of contaminated waste. 

Report the spill and any items used during clean-up to EHS Mark Musser at 920.923.8618

Always use the goggles and gloves provided in the spill kits.