LAB SAFETY
Particulate Safety
MISSOURI S&T PARTICULATE HAZARD CONTROL PROTOCOL
Table of Contents
Particulate Control Procedures
The Particulate Hazard Control Program was established to document the detailed procedures used for the management of harmful or potentially harmful particulates in Missouri S&T Facilities. This program applies to all areas where hazardous materials are stored and used.
Note that the cleaning procedures do not apply to public areas of Missouri S&T facilities which are maintained by Missouri S&T Custodial Services.
Potentially Harmful Material - Materials containing constituents capable of causing adverse health effects in humans at some exposure level.
Particulate – Dusts, mists and fumes.
High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filter - A filter capable of filtering out mono dispersive particles of 0.3 microns or greater diameter from a body of air at 99.97 percent efficiency or greater.
Occupied Space – Areas of the facility typically occupied by facility personnel.
Inaccessible Space - Areas of the facility not typically occupied by personnel. Inaccessible spaces include but are not limited to the following: ceiling plenums, storage closets, mechanical spaces, as well as room areas above 8 feet.
Operator – The personnel having control of operations in the laboratory or work areas.
Environmental Health & Safety Responsibilities
- The Operator is responsible for knowing the hazardous characteristics of the materials they are working with.
- The Operator is responsible for establishing engineering controls and work practices to control fugitive particulates from operations which utilize potentially harmful materials.
- The Operator is responsible for ensuring that appropriately trained personnel are present during operations which involve potentially harmful materials.
- The Operator is responsible for ensuring that engineering controls are properly maintained and operated.
- The Operator is responsible for ensuring that safe work practices are followed during operations involving potentially harmful materials.
- The Operator is responsible for ensuring that all work surfaces in occupied areas of the facility are cleaned as needed to prevent the accumulation of potentially harmful particulates.
- The Operator is responsible for ensuring that inaccessible portions of the facility are cleaned at least annually.
Environmental Health & Safety Responsibilities
- EHS is responsible for assisting the Building Occupants in the evaluation of operations involving potentially harmful materials, determination of appropriate engineering controls and establishment of safe work practices.
- EHS is responsible for performing routine checks of the facilities where potentially harmful materials are handled.
- EHS is responsible for performing periodic monitoring to ensure that engineering controls and work practices are effective in controlling personnel exposure to potentially harmful particulates.
Particulate Control Procedures
Maintenance Cleaning Procedures
- Engineering controls shall include local exhaust, portable HEPA filtered exhaust, and general building exhaust.
- Engineering systems to control hazardous particulates in the work area shall be designed and maintained to prevent contamination of other areas of the facility or the environment.
- Exhaust points shall be tested as necessary to ensure that potentially harmful materials are not discharged to the environment at levels which would present a hazard to personnel or the environment.
- Processes involving potentially hazardous materials shall be designed to control personnel exposure to levels within acceptable exposure limits.
- In the event that engineering controls are impractical, personal protective equipment shall be used to control personnel exposures within acceptable exposure limits.
- Universal work practices shall be in effect at all times is areas of potentially hazardous materials storage and use.
For their own protection, personnel working in areas where potentially hazardous materials are stored and used need to observe the following precautions:
- NO EATING OR DRINKING
- Wash hands and face upon leaving the room and before eating, drinking or smoking
- Avoid hand to mouth contact while working in the room
- Wear gloves or other protective equipment when handling materials
- Avoid generating airborne dust
- No dry sweeping or dusting, unless performed as part of an approved process
- Do not use compressed air to clean work surfaces, unless performed as part of an approved process
Maintenance Cleaning Procedures
Cleaning equipment and other items: Items which display visible dust are to be removed from the rooms where hazardous materials are stored and used, they must be wet wiped as follows:
1. Use plain water and cloth or paper towels
2. Spray surface to be cleaned with water to moisten and settle the dust
3. Wipe dust from all surfaces of item
4. Collect used towels for disposal by EHS
Cleaning of work area: Personnel shall clean surface of laboratories and other work areas where hazardous materials are stored and used to minimize the accumulation of dust and dirt.
1. Use HEPA filtered vacuum to remove heavy dust and debris
2. Use plain water and cloth or paper towels
3. Spray surface to be cleaned with water to moisten and settle the dust
4. Wipe dust from all surfaces of item
5. Collect used towels for disposal by EHS
Annual Cleaning of Inaccessible Areas: Personnel shall clean surfaces in inaccessible areas of laboratories and other areas where hazardous materials are stored and used on an annual basis to remove accumulated dust and dirt. Surfaces to be cleaned include tops of shelving, hoods, ductwork, piping, etc.
1. Ladders, scaffolding or other equipment may be required to access areas to be cleaned.
2. HEPA vacuum all surfaces to remove most or all visible dust.
3. Wet wash the surfaces as described for Work Area Cleaning above.
- EHS representatives shall inspect areas of hazardous materials storage and use to verify implementation of the procedure.
- The following procedure shall be used to enforce this procedure:
a. A verbal discussion of excursions from policy shall be done as a first step
b. If compliance does not result within three (3) workdays, a verbal warning shall be issued as a second step
c. Written warning shall be issued if corrective measures are not implemented within 14 days of verbal warning
d. If corrective action is not implemented within 14 days of issuance of a written warning, the senior official responsible for laboratory or work area shall be requested to shut down operations pending completion of corrective measures.
Last Revised: May 23, 2008