Chemical Hygiene Plans

University of Arizona Chemical Hygiene Plan

The University of Arizona University Chemical Hygiene Plan defines the University's Chemical Safety Program, which was created to protect laboratory workers from health hazards associated with hazardous chemicals in the laboratory and to keep exposures below the exposure limits specified by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the National Institute of Occupational and Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Specifically, it satisfies the requirements of (OSHA) standards 29 CFR 1910.1450 (Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories) and 29 CFR 1910.1200 (Hazard Communication Standard).

Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan

Principal Investigators (PIs) and academic laboratory instructors are considered employers under the OSHA regulations and must register their laboratories with the Research Laboratory & Safety Services Laboratory Chemical Safety Program.

  • Program registration includes the creation of a Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan (LCHP) that must be updated annually, or upon significant changes to the chemical hazards or control methods in the laboratory. 
  • A LCHP addresses the hazards and controls associated with the hazardous chemicals used or stored in a PI/instructor’s laboratory and helps laboratory workers understand potential hazards in their work, as well as what control measures are available to protect them
  • Once the LCHP is approved by the RLSS, the PI/instructor becomes an Approval Holder(AH).
  • Approval Holders are responsible for the creation, review, and annual update of the LCHP.
  • Research Laboratory & Safety Services publishes the UCHP and each laboratory’s LCHP in the User Dashboard.
  • Every worker must read both plans and affirm that they understand the information contained in the documents.

Research Laboratory & Safety Services provides a Laboratory Chemical Hygiene Plan Template for use in creating your plan.

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