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Chemical Hygiene Plan

What is a Chemical Hygiene Plan?

The purpose of the Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) is to outline laboratory work practices and procedures which are necessary to ensure that members of the university community are protected from health hazards associated with chemicals with which they work. The campus CHP must be used by campus departments. Departmental CHPs can be drafted and adhered to as long as they are as strict or stricter than the campus CHP.

Know the hazards and control the risks.

This page is a field guide, not a replacement. Use the full Chemical Hygiene Plan, applicable SDS, laboratory-specific SOPs, and supervisor direction for complete requirements.

For emergencies

Contact University Police

Emergency medical, fire, or complex spills

Via Cell: 707-826-5555

Via Campus Phone: 911

For emergencies (Once UPD has been contacted)

Contact EH&S

Phone 1: 707-826-3612

Phone 2: 707-826-5711

Phone 3: 707-826-3305

Email: risk-management@humboldt.edu 

Emergency Response

Protect people before property. If you cannot immediately determine that a chemical spill is simple, treat it as complex and call for help.

Chemical Exposure

Decontaminate Immediately

  1. Use the eyewash or emergency shower. Remove contaminated clothing and lab coats to the extent possible.
  2. Flush continuously for 15 minutes. An uninjured, properly protected person with proper PPE should assist when possible.
  3. Call for medical response when treatment is needed. Call 911 from a campus phone, or 707-826-555 to contact University Police. Give the Building-Floor-Room, and state that it is a chemical exposure incident.
  4. Notify the Department Chair & EH&S. Medical care beyond first aid must be reported to EH&S as soon as possible and no later than 8 hours after the incident.

Evacuate and Pull the Alarm

Fire or Smoke

Pull the alarm and evacuate the area. Alert the faculty or supervisor immediately.

You are not required to fight a fire. Attempt only if it is small (about trash-can size), you are trained, it is safe, and you choose to do so.

Any extinguisher use -- however brief -- must be reported to University Police, and then EH&S.

All criteria must be true

Simple Spill

  • Material and hazards are known
  • Low volume and manageable with standard PPE
  • No fume hood is needed
  • Not in a public space
  • Trained, approved personnel can clean it safely

Notify the supervisor, clear nonessential people, work with another person, use the correct spill kit, and label cleanup debris as hazardous waste.

ANY one criteria makes it complex

Complex Spill

  • More than 500 mL
  • Unknown or highly toxic material
  • Standard PPE may be insufficient
  • Public are, drain, or uncontrolled gas leak
  • Any uncertainty about safe cleanup

Do not clean it up. Evacuate the immediate area, call emergency response at 911 or 707-826-5555, notify EH&S, and do not re-enter until EH&S approves.

Ready to Begin Work With Chemicals?

Training, planning, and local knowledge must come before chemical work - not after something changes.

01

Know the material

Review the SDS, hazards, routes of exposure, incompatibilities, and waste path.

02

Use an approved SOP

Hazardous chemical and particularly hazardous substance work requires a lab-specific SOP approved by the PI before experiments begin.

03

Locate emergency gear

Know exits, alarms, first aid, eyewash, shower, extinguisher, and spill kit locations before starting work.

04

Get trained

Complete general and lab-specific training before initial work, a new exposure, or changed conditions.

If working with hazardous chemicals or particularly hazardous substances

Personal Pre-Work Check

  • I understand the procedure and its stop-work conditions.
  • My fume hood or other engineering control is operating and current.
  • I have the required PPE and know its limitations.
  • Containers, waste labels, and secondary containment are ready.
  • I know who is present, whether prior approval is needed, and what to do if conditions change.

Control the Exposure

Use controls in layers. Built-in engineering controls come first, procedures and training support them, and PPE remains as the final barrier.

First Line

Engineering Controls

Contain or remove the hazard at its source.

  • Use a fume hood for hazardous substances
  • Keep work at least 6 inches behind the sash
  • Work with the sash at the lowest practical position
  • Close the sash when not actively working
  • Never use the hood as chemical storage

Work System

Administrative Controls

Reduce risk through planning and disciplined work.

  • Follow approved SOPs
  • Substitute less hazardous materials, when possible
  • Minimize quantities of hazardous materials, in purchasing and activities
  • Get prior approval from EH&S for higher-risk work
  • Do not work alone when the SOP prohibits it

Final Barrier

Personal Protective Equipment

Wear PPE appropriate to the hazard assessment.

  • Full-length pants and closed shoes
  • Lab coat and eye protection
  • Chemically compatible gloves
  • Remove contaminated PPE promptly
  • Never take contaminated items home

Respirators require EH&S pre-approval.

Employees must be enrolled in the Respiratory Protection Program, medically evaluated, trained, and fit tested before required respirator use.

Label, store, dispose

Most preventable chemical incidents begin with a missing label, an incompatible neighbor, or an unmanaged waste container

Every container

Label Clearly

  • Identify the substance and applicable hazard warnings - including water and secondary containers when not actively in transfer or reaction
  • Use legible English labels and GHS symbols; display a room key for any abbreviations
  • Date peroxide formers when received and first opened; follow the document's shelf-life limits.
  • Identify particularly hazardous substances and their storage area by specific hazard.

Separate hazards

Store by Compatibility

  • Prioritize flammability, then isolation/reactivity, corrosivity, and toxicity
  • Keep incompatible materials in separate cabinets or separate secondary containment
  • Do not routinely store chemicals on benches, floors, or in fume hoods
  • Keep toxic and corrosive liquids below eye level; provide compatible secondary containment

Satellite accumulation area

Manage waste at the source

  • Apply the hazardous-waste label when accumulation begins, date when the first materials enters the container, and include a full list of chemical constituents.
  • Keep container closed, compatible, leak-proof, in secondary containment, and less than 80% full. Note that not all chemicals can be stored in plastic bottles due to incompatibility.
  • Limit the satellite accumulation area to 55 gallons hazardous waste or 1 quart of acutely/extremely hazardous waste. Schedule pick-up within 90 days of the generation date of the waste.
  • Never pour chemicals down the drain or place them in the trash.

Anyone with chemical storage

Maintain the Inventory

  • Keep the Risk and Safety Solutions chemical inventory up to date once your inventory goes live on the website.
  • Ensure stored chemicals match the inventory and are assigned to a responsible lab group.
  • Dispose of or transfer materials when personnel leave or move.
  • Request pickup using the Hazardous Waste Pickup Request Form.

Training and Accountability

Everyone working around hazardous chemicals must understand the Chemical Hygiene Plan, stay informed about local hazards, use required controls, and report unsafe conditions.

Laboratory Personnel

  • Complete general and lab-specific safety training
  • Follow SOPs and supervisor instructions
  • Use required engineering controls and PPE
  • Know emergency equipment and exit locations
  • Report unsafe conditions and incidents

PI/Laboratory Supervisor

  • Own day-to-day laboratory safety
  • Develop, approve, and maintain lab-specific SOPs
  • Train personnel before work or changed exposure
  • Maintain inventories and training documentation
  • Plan for emergency response and waste disposal

Document training.

Keep records in the Laboratory Safety Manual of completed trainings, even in-house lab safety meetings. Student training records are retained for 3 years; hazardous-waste training records are retained for 3 years after departure.

Additional Resources

The Chemical Hygiene Program interfaces directly with other EH&S programs. Please see these links for more information.

Biosafety Program Bloodborne Pathogens Program Hazardous Materials Handling & Storage
Laboratory Safety Radiation Safety