the United States Government

“ Emergency and Personal Protection Training: Every laboratory worker should know the location and proper use of available protective apparel and equipment (154, 169) . Some of the full-time personnel of the laboratory should be trained in the proper use of emergency equipment and procedures (6) . Such training as well as first aid instruction should be available to (154) and encouraged for (176) everyone who might need it.
(c) Receiving and stockroom/storeroom personnel should know about hazards, handling equipment, protective apparel, and relevant regulations (217) . ”

“ Indiscriminate disposal by pouring waste chemicals down the drain (14, 231, 242) or adding them to mixed refuse for landfill burial is unacceptable (14) . Hoods should not be used as a means of disposal for volatile chemicals (40, 200) . Disposal by recycling (233, 243) or chemical decontamination (40, 230) should be used when possible.
E. Basic Rules and Procedures for Working with Chemicals The Chemical Hygiene Plan should require that laboratory workers know and follow its rules and procedures. ”

“ Provide regular, formal chemical hygiene and housekeeping inspections including routine inspections of emergency equipment (21, 171) ; (c) Know the current legal requirements concerning regulated substances (50, 231) ; (d) Determine the required levels of protective apparel and equipment (156, 160, 162) ; and (e) Ensure that facilities and training for use of any material being ordered are adequate (215) . Project director or director of other specific operation, who has primary responsibility for chemical hygiene procedures for that operation (7) . ”

“ Literature and consulting advice concerning chemical hygiene should be readily available to laboratory personnel, who should be encouraged to use these information resources (14) .
11. Waste Disposal Program (a) Aim: To assure that minimal harm to people, other organisms, and the environment will result from the disposal of waste laboratory chemicals (5) . ”

“ If you are a woman of childbearing age, handle these substances only in a hood whose satisfactory performance has been confirmed, using appropriate protective apparel (especially gloves) to prevent skin contact. Review each use of these materials with the research supervisor and review continuing uses annually or whenever a procedural change is made. Store these substances, properly labeled, in an adequately ventilated area in an unbreakable secondary container. Notify supervisors of all incidents of exposure or spills; consult a qualified physician when appropriate. ”

“ Waste disposal: Dispose of contaminated animal tissues and excreta by incineration if the available incinerator can convert the contaminant to non-toxic products (238) ; otherwise, package the waste appropriately for burial in an EPA-approved site (239) .
F. Safety Recommendations The above recommendations from "Prudent Practices" do not include those which are directed primarily toward prevention of physical injury rather than toxic exposure. However, failure of precautions against injury will often have the secondary effect of causing toxic exposures. ”

“ Do not discharge to the sewer concentrated acids or bases (231) ; highly toxic, malodorous, or lachrymatory substances (231) ; or any substances which might interfere with the biological activity of waste water treatment plants, create fire or explosion hazards, cause structural damage or obstruct flow (242) .
(q) Working alone: Avoid working alone in a building; do not work alone in a laboratory if the procedures being conducted are hazardous (28) . ”

“ Basic Rules and Procedures (Recommendations for these are given in section E, below)
2. Chemical Procurement, Distribution, and Storage (a) Procurement. Before a substance is received, information on proper handling, storage, and disposal should be known to those who will be involved (215, 216) . No container should be accepted without an adequate identifying label (216) . Preferably, all substances should be received in a central location (216) .
(b) Stockrooms/storerooms. Toxic substances should be segregated in a well-identified area with local exhaust ventilation (221) . ”

“ There should be an alarm system to alert people in all parts of the facility including isolation areas such as cold rooms (172) .
(c) A spill control policy should be developed and should include consideration of prevention, containment, cleanup, and reporting (175) . ”

“ Clean-up. Promptly clean up spills, using appropriate protective apparel and equipment and proper disposal (24 33) . See pp. 233–237 for specific clean-up recommendations.
(b) Avoidance of "routine" exposure: Develop and encourage safe habits (23) ; avoid unnecessary exposure to chemicals by any route (23) ; Do not smell or taste chemicals (32) . Vent apparatus which may discharge toxic chemicals (vacuum pumps, distillation columns, etc.) into local exhaust devices (199) . Inspect gloves (157) and test glove boxes (208) before use. ”