Chemical Policy

The use of chemicals in labs is governed by the University Hazard Communication Standard. The purpose of this policy is to communicate requirements and methods of compliance. It effects all employees and members of the Center.

Definitions:

Definitions (Click To Expand):
  1. Members: Purdue students with an active project on ours Project Management System.
  2. Employees: Any employed student/staff of the Bechtel Center that works in a lab.
  3. SDS: Safety Data Sheet provided by the manufacturer of a chemical product.
  4. DTI (Designated Trained Individual): An employee designated to manage the documentary and training aspect of Hazard Communication Standard.
  5. Chemical Name: Refers to the name of the chemical as per the SDS.
  6. Signal Word: Single word to provide a general degree of hazard of a chemical. The 3 words used in the Center are Danger, Warning and NonHaz.
  7. GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals): A standard set of pictograms to depict various hazards presented by a chemical.
  8. ISO 7010: An international standard set of pictograms for use with hazards and safety signs.
  9. Hazard Statement: On a SDS this a set of standardized statements conveying the hazards of chemical. On a label this is a simplification of the SDS hazard statements.
  10. Controls: A set of actions taken to manage a hazard. These can take the form of Elimination, Substitution, Engineering Controls, Administrative Controls, PPE; these are in the order decreasing effectiveness.
  11. Chemical: This phrase is used for all chemicals that are not excluded from OSHA Hazard Communication Standards in 29 CFR 1910.1200(b)(6).
  12. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration): A federal agency under the US Department of Labour.
  13. Primary Container: The container in which the manufacturer ships the chemical.
  14. Secondary Container: Any container other than the primary container that stores the chemical and is not used up immediately.
  15. HWP (Hazardous Waste Pickup): Purdue Environmental Health and Safety department provides hazardous waste management services available to all members and employees.
  16. Right to Know: Information you are entitled to as part of our policy.

Right to Know:

  1. You have the right to demand SDS for any chemical you interact with. We provide SDS for all current chemicals and archives of past chemicals. Here -> Chemicals
  2. You have the right to demand our current inventory of chemicals. We provide an excel with more informational fields than required by EHS. Here -> Central Chemical Inventory.xlsx
  3. Employees have the right to have access to PPE for any chemical they are required to handle as part of their employment. Contact DTI if you are unable to get PPE.
  4. You have the right to know who the DTI is for your area and how Hazard Communication is implemented. Please access our DTI Training record to see the current DTI for your area. Here -> Documents

Rules:

  1. All chemicals being introduced into the center need to be approved by a DTI before they are introduced. Reference forms and tracker section for more detail.
  2. All chemicals that need to be disposed of are processed through the DTI for HWP. Reference forms and tracker section for more detail.
  3. All chemicals are accompanied by a Center issued tag, both in primary and secondary containers. Reference forms and tracker section for more detail.
  4. All chemicals are stored in compliance with the SDS. Reference the training section for more details.
  5. All chemicals are used with controls based on an assessment of the SDS. Reference the training section for more details.
  6. All members and employees handling chemicals are certified under the Center Chemical Training. Reference the training section for more details.
  7. Do not use any chemical that requires respirators and/or hazmat suits as a control for safe handling.

Forms and Tracker:

  1. Form for all chemical requests is linked here and available through this QR Code:
    QR Code to Chem Form
  2. You can track the status of your request here.

Training:

  1. EHS provides a detailed training video here.
  2. Methods to Detect Hazard: There are various ways you can detect potentially hazardous material. Here are a few examples:
    • Visual: Liquids on work-surfaces and floors. If you see a liquid spill, spray or splatter, do not assume it is not hazardous. You can also see fumes in right lighting conditions and concentrations.
    • Odor: If you experience a chemical smell, this could mean there are hazardous vapors in the air.
  3. Protective Measures:
    • Eye Protection: If a chemical presents eye hazards; based on severity you may need to use safety glasses or safety googles. The center uses Z87+ rated safety glasses of impact protection.
      • Safety Glasses
        Safety Glasses
      • Z87+ Rating
        Z87+ Rating
      • Safety Googles
        Safety Googles
    • Face Protection: If a chemical presents swallow and/or skin hazards; based on severity you may need to use face shields. Face shields do not substitute eye impact PPE requirements. In most cases you need to wear safety glasses under face shield for impact protection.
      • Face Shield
        Face Shield
      • Face Shield Warning
        Face shields require safety glasses to be impact rated.
    • Respiratory Protection: If a chemical presents inhalation and/or swallow hazards; based on severity you may need to use mask, general ventilation, local ventilation, paint booth and/or fume hood. We do no support respirator use. Respirators may only be worn as a personal choice and not as a necessary measure for protection.
      • Mask
        Mask
      • Local Ventilation
        Snorkel
      • Paint Booth
        Paint Booth
      • Fume Hood
        Fume Hood
      • Respirator
        Respirator
    • Skin Protection: If a chemical present contact hazards; based on severity you may need to use gloves, gloves of specific material, apron and/or lab coats. We do not support hazmat suit use. Hazmat suits may be worn as a personal choice and not as necessary measure for protection.
      • Single Use Nitrile Gloves
        Nitrile Gloves
      • Multi Use Butyl Gloves
        Butyl Gloves
      • Apron
      • Lab Coat
  4. Chemical Usage: Before using any chemical, you should read the SDS and asses the potential hazards and associated controls. Prior to acquiring a chemical, conduct the SDS evaluation. Here are few factors to consider:
    • Length of Use: Prolonged usage may present different PPE requirements.
    • Location of Use: Some locations have better ventilation than others.
    • Amount of Use: Larger quantities and bigger surface areas will change the amount of exposure and potential for splash/spill.
    • Storage: Different chemicals may have different storage requirements.
    • Spill: Spills can happen, and you should know how you will handle a spill if it does happen.
    • Disposal: Chemicals need to go through HWP for disposal. To do that you need to keep track of the chemical quantities. You also need to know where you will store spent chemical for disposal.
  5. Spill Control: Different chemicals require different types of spill control. Here is what to do for some common types:
    • Greases/Oil/Solvents on Work Surface: Use red rags and dispose in rag containers.
      Red Rag
      Red Rag Bin
    • Oil/Solvents on Floor: Use granulated sorbent and dispose spent sorbent using HWP.
      Sorbent
  6. Labeling System: The center uses a standardized label for containers to simply communication of hazards and recommended controls. It is important to understand that the recommended controls are based on a predicted use case of the chemical, novel use cases need to consider if the controls are appropriate. Here is a breakdown of various fields of the label:
    • Label:
      Chemical Label that has GHS, ISO 7010, Name, Signal Word, Hazard Statement and PPE Instruction.
    • Name: The name used to identify the chemical. The name in tag should match the name in the SDS so you are easily able to locate the SDS.
    • Signal Word: Can be Danger, Warning or NonHaz. Danger indicating high severity of hazard, warning indicating low severity of hazard and NonHaz indicating no hazards according to the GHS standards. NonHaz doesn’t imply no hazards at all, it only means there is no associated GHS symbol.
    • GHS Pictogram:
      • Health Hazard: Carcinogen, Mutagenicity, Reproductive Toxicity, Respiratory Sensitizer, Target Organ Toxicity, Aspiration Toxicity
        GHS Organ Specific Toxic Pictogram
      • Flame: Flammable, Pyrophoric, Self-Heating, Emits Flammable Gasses, Self-Reactive, Organic Peroxides
        GHS Flammable Pictogram
      • Exclamation Mark: Irritant (Skin and Eye), Skin Sensitizer, Acute Toxicity (Harmful), Narcotic Effect, Respiratory Tract Irritation, Hazardous to Ozone Layer (Non-Mandatory)
        GHS Mild to Moderate Toxic Pictogram
      • Gas Cylinder: Gases Under Pressure
        GHS Gas Cylinder Pictogram
      • Corrosion: Skin Corrosion/Burn, Eye Damage, Corrosive to Metals
        GHS Skin Corrosive Pictogram
      • Exploding Bomb: Explosive, Self-Reactive, Organic Peroxides
        GHS Explosive Pictogram
      • Flame Over Circle: Oxidizers
        GHS Oxidizer Pictogram
      • Environment (Non-Mandatory): Aquatic Toxicity
        GHS Environmental Damage Pictogram
      • Skull and Crossbones: Acute Toxicity (Fatal or Toxic)
        GHS Acute Toxicity Pictogram
    • ISO 7010 Mandatory Pictograms:
      • M003: Wear Ear Protection
        ISO 7010 M003 – Wear ear protection
      • M004: Wear Eye Protection
        Wear eye protection. Human head (front view) wearing eye protection.
      • M009: Wear Protective Gloves
        Wear protective gloves. Two protective gloves, one shown in front, the other shown behind (outlined).
      • M059: Wear Laboratory Coat
        Wear laboratory coat. Laboratory coat.
      • M011: Wash Your Hands
        ISO 7010 M011 – Wash your hands
      • M013: Wear a Face Shield
        Wear a face shield. Human head (left-hand profile) wearing a face shield.
      • M016: Wear a Mask
        Wear a mask. Human head (left-hand profile) wearing a mask.
      • M026: Use Protective Apron
        Use protective apron. Human figure with an apron.
      • M057: Ensure Continuous Ventilation
        ISO 7010 M057 – Ensure continuous ventilation
    • Hazard Statement: On a label this is a simplification of the SDS hazard statements.
    • PPE Instructions: The necessary controls required to handle a chemical. This based on a predicted use case.
  7. SDS Sections: Describes the various sections of an SDS.
    • Section 1: Name of Chemical and Manufacturer
      Section 1 of SDS with name and manufacturer.
    • Section 2: GHS Symbols, Signal Word, Hazard and Precautionary Statements
      Section 2 of SDS with GHS symbols, signal word and hazard statements.
    • Section 3: Composition of Chemical. The chemicals are sometimes accompanied with CAS numbers and percentage, this can be useful in finding pure form SDSs from Sigma and Fisher in the event the SDS in question is not helpful in assessment
      Section 3 of SDS with CAS number and percentage of composition.
    • Section 4: First Aid Measures
      Section 4 of SDS with First Aid measures.
    • Section 5: Fire Fighting Measures
      Section 5 of SDS stating fire fighting requirements with a possibility of combustion and CO2.
    • Section 6: Spill Measures
      Section 6 of SDS explaining accidental release
    • Section 7: Safe Handling and Storage, should be used to determine appropriate storage
      Section 7 of SDS with flammable storage requirement.
    • Section 8: Exposure Limits and Controls, should be used to determine the appropriate controls
      Section 8 of SDS with 1000ppm limit for components.
      Section 8 of SDS with nitrile glove as control.
    • Section 9: Physical and Chemical Properties, can be used for application specific hazards
      Section 9 of SDS with physical and chemical properties like melting, boiling, flash, odor etc.
    • Section 10: Stability and Reactivity Lists
      Section 10 of SDS with incompatibility list.
    • Section 11: Toxicological Information
      Section 11 of SDS with toxic studies information.
    • Sections 12 – 16: Others