
Laboratory Safety
WSU Health Sciences Spokane’s Laboratory Safety Program strives to develop a culture of safety that will minimize the risk of injury or illness to laboratory workers by assisting principal investigators and laboratory managers with the development of a comprehensive, specific safety program.
Topics related to laboratory safety include:
- Biological agents
- Bloodborne pathogens
- Hazardous chemicals
- Ionizing radiation
- Musculoskeletal stresses
WSU’s Laboratory Safety Program strives to develop a culture of safety that will minimize the risk of injury or illness to laboratory workers by assisting principal investigators and laboratory managers with the development of a comprehensive, specific safety program.
Required Training Content
The OSHA Laboratory standard requires that individuals who will be working with chemicals in the laboratory be provided with sufficient training to enable them to conduct their work safely. Training must be provided prior to the time when individuals begin their duties involving chemicals and whenever there is a significant change in the types or quantities of chemicals used. Departments and, ultimately, principal investigators, lab managers or lab supervisors are responsible for ensuring that all individuals working in their laboratories have been adequately trained.
The general training topics required by the Laboratory standard are:
- Laboratory safety, including the content of the OSHA Laboratory Standard.
- Hazard communication training
- Location and availability of the Laboratory Safety and Chemical Hygiene Plan (i.e., Chemical Hygiene Plan).
- How to read a safety data sheet (SDS), including the location and availability of known reference material on the hazards, safe handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals.
- Measures that laboratory workers can take to protect themselves from chemical hazards, including control measures, personal protective equipment, standard operating procedures, and emergency procedures.
WAC 296-823-100 requires that employees who may be exposed to blood or other potentially infectious materials that may contain bloodborne pathogens complete bloodborne pathogen training. Examples of bloodborne pathogens are the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus.
Resources
- Laboratory safety manual – WSU
- Laboratory safety manual summary – WSU Health Sciences (PDF)
- Respiratory safety plan – WSU
- Respiratory protection program – WSU Health Sciences (PDF)
- Radiation safety
- Laser safety (PDF)
- Safety data sheets
- Glove selection chart (PDF)
- Safe work practices for preventing sharps injuries (PDF)
- WSU Office of Research Assurances
Training
- Laboratory safety training (PDF)
- Laboratory compliance education program
- Chemical hygiene officer responsibilities (PDF)
- Waste disposal (PDF)
- Chemical waste collection (PDF)
- Radiation safety training
- Standard operating procedures for equipment operation, cleaning, and waste disposal:
- SOP.001 Cleaning research service center equipment (PDF)
- SOP.002 Thermo scientific -80 freezer (PDF)
- SOP.003 Chemical fume hoods (PDF)
- SOP.004 Operation of Millrock freeze dryer (PDF) UPDATED Sept. 2022
- SOP.005 Operation of TRIVAC E2 vacuum pump (PDF) UPDATED Sept. 2022
- SOP.006 Operation of the consolidated autoclave (PDF) UPDATED Apr. 2021
- SOP.007 Operation of the swinging bucket centrifuge (PDF) UPDATED Sept. 2022
- SOP.008 Operation of the fixed angle centrifuge (PDF) UPDATED Sept. 2022
- SOP.009 Cleaning high-touch laboratory surfaces (PDF) UPDATED Sept. 2022
- SOP.010 Disposal of laboratory glass waste (PDF) UPDATED Sept. 2022
- SOP.011 Disposal of autoclavable waste (PDF)
- SOP.012 Disposal of biohazardous waste (PDF) UPDATED Sept. 2022
- SOP.013 Disposal of pathological waste (PDF) UPDATED Aug. 2022
- SOP.014 Disposal of solid chemical waste (PDF)
- SOP.015 Shipping dry ice packages (PDF) UPDATED Aug. 2022
- SOP.016 Emergency shower/eyewash inspections (PDF) UPDATED Jul. 2021
- SOP.017 Freezer Alarm Notification (PDF) UPDATED Aug. 2022
- SOP.018 Operation of the Tuttnauer Autoclave (PDF)
Forms
- Chemical hygiene plan – WSU Health Sciences Spokane (Word doc) UPDATED Nov. 2021
- Laboratory inspection checklist (PDF) UPDATED Dec. 2021
- General protective risk assessment (PDF)
- Laboratory personnel protective risk assessment (PDF)
- OSHA respirator questionnaire (PDF)
Newsletters
Contacts
Environmental Health & Safety
Jason Sampson
509-335-9564
sampsonj@wsu.edu
– Respiratory program administrator
Laboratory Services
509-358-7621
spok.labservices@wsu.edu
Office of Research
Will Clegern
Interim Director, Research Laboratories
509-368-6750
will.clegern@wsu.edu
Ze Liu
Scientific Assistant
509-368-7633
ze.liu@wsu.edu
Olga Shiva
Scientific Assistant
509-358-7873
olga.shiva@wsu.edu