Office of Security, Safety and Risk Management

Chemical Hygiene Plan

This Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) has been developed at Denison University in order to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Laboratory Standard Rules and Regulations. This laboratory standard is published as an amendment to 29CFR 1910, Subpart Z, and identified as Section 1910.1450. The title of that amendment is "Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories" (see Appendix D). The laboratory standard applies only to certain laboratories. OSHA defines a hazardous chemical as a substance for which there is statistically significant evidence, based on at least one scientific study, showing acute or chronic harm may result from exposure to that chemical. At Denison University, the following have been designated as laboratories for the purpose of applying the laboratory standard:

Department of Art
Department of Biology
Department of Chemistry
Department of Geology and Geography
Department of Physics
Department of Psychology

The purpose of the laboratory standard is to protect laboratory employees from harm due to chemicals while they are working in a laboratory. In addition to academic and administrative employees who spend a significant amount of their time working or teaching in a laboratory, the Laboratory Standard also includes as "laboratory employees" those office, custodial, and maintenance persons who, as part of their duties, regularly spend a significant amount of their working time within a laboratory environment. Students, as laboratory assistants paid by Denison University, are also covered by the Laboratory Standard.

Denison University, in meeting the requirements of the Laboratory Standard, will keep records of employee exposure to hazardous chemicals, provide employees with training and information regarding chemical and physical hazards (see Appendix A), and access to medical consultation and examination (see Appendix B). Training will include information about material safety data sheets (MSDS), chemical labels; permissible exposure limits (PEL) or threshold limit values (TLV). Measurement of the concentration of any chemical will be made for which a PEL or TLV may have been exceeded. Where this Laboratory Standard applies, it supersedes the Hazard Communication Standard, 29CFR 1910.1200 for those laboratories designated above.

For the Denison University CHP, Philip Waite is designated as the Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO). This person acts as the representative of the president of the University who has the ultimate responsibility for chemical safety. The CHO also reports to the Vice President for Finance as that person designated by the President for overseeing any financial implications of the CHP and chemical safety; the CHO also reports to the Provost in regard to academic matters of the CHP.

The CHP will be distributed to all full time employees of the laboratories designated above and copies will be accessible to any other "laboratory employees", student laboratory assistants, or other interested parties. The CHP will be reviewed at least annually and updated as necessary.

Chemical Hygiene Plan Outline