Laboratory Safety
Nanomaterials, Schools, Hazard Analysis, Regulations/Standards, Waste Management, Organizations
- Overview
- Chemical Laboratory Safety
- Biological Laboratory Safety
- Nanomaterials in the Laboratory
- Radiation Safety in Laboratories
- K-12 School Laboratory Safety
- Hazard Analysis
- Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
- Regulations and Standards
- Laboratory Waste Management
- Organizations
- Blogs, News, Podcasts, and Videos
- Topic-related Searches of National Library of Medicine Resources
- Selection Guidelines
- Disclaimer
Overview
- Laboratory Quality Management System Training Toolkit
World Health Organization (WHO) - Laboratory Safety Guidance (PDF, 510KB)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) - NCBI Minute: PubChem, a Source of Laboratory Chemical Safety Information (Video, 21 minutes)
National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH) - Safe Science: Promoting a Culture of Safety in Academic Chemical Research (2014)
National Research Council (NRC), National Academies Press (NAP), 2014. - Safety and Health in Laboratories
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
Chemical Laboratory Safety
For information specific to your situation check with your institution’s environmental health & safety department
- Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security: A Guide to Prudent Chemical Management (includes toolkits)
Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (BCST), National Research Council (NRC)of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) - Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security: A Guide to Developing Standard Operating Procedures (2016)
Committee on Chemical Management Toolkit Expansion: Standard Operating Procedures, Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (BCST), The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) - Chemical Safety in the Classroom
American Chemical Society (ACS) - Chemical Safety Manual for Small Businesses, 3rd Edition 2006 (PDF, 1MB)
Committee on Chemical Safety and Division of Small Chemical Businesses, American Chemical Society (ACS) - Creating Safety Cultures in Academic Institutions: A Report of the Safety Culture Task Force of the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety, 2012 (PDF, 1.3 MB)
Committee on Chemical Safety, American Chemical Society (ACS) - Safe Science: Promoting a Culture of Safety in Academic Chemical Research (2014)
Committee on Establishing and Promoting a Culture of Safety in Academic Laboratory Research, Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (BCST), Division on Earth and Life Studies, Board on Human-Systems Integration, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies. Washington, DC - Guide for Chemical Spill Response Planning in Laboratories
CEI/CCS Task Force on Laboratory Waste, American Chemical Society (ACS) - Lessons Learned from Laboratory Accidents
Environment, Health & Safety, University of California, Los Angeles - NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, 2012
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - OSHA Laboratory Safety Chemical Hygiene Plan, 2011 (PDF, 366 KB)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management of Chemical Hazards, 2011
Committee on Prudent Practices in the Laboratory, National Academies Press (NAP) - Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories: 8TH EDITION Best Practices for First- and Second-Year University Students, 8th Edition 2017 (PDF, 5 MB)
A Publication of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Joint Board – Council on Chemical Safety - Security Vulnerability Checklist for Academic and Small Chemical Laboratory Facilities (PDF, 140 KB)
Prepared by the American Chemical Society (ACS), Committee on Chemical Safety, Safe Practices Subcommittee - Tips for users of chemicals in the workplace (PDF, 1.4 MB)
European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
Handling Reactive Chemicals
- Chemical Reactivity Worksheet
Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) - Chemical Reactivity Hazards
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER)
National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Biological Laboratory Safety
For information specific to your situation check with your institution’s environmental health & safety department
- Biosafety and laboratory biosecurity, 2012
World Health Organization (WHO) - Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, 5th Edition, Revised 2009 (PDF, 260 KB)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Guidelines for Safe Work Practices in Human and Animal Medical Diagnostic Laboratories (PDF, 1.4 MB)
MMWR Surveill Summ. 2012 Jan 6;61 Suppl:1-102. Erratum in: MMWR Surveill Summ. 2012 Mar 30;61(12):214 - Laboratory Biosafety Manual - Third Edition, 2004 (PDF, 1.3 MB)
World Health Organization (WHO) - Federal Select Agent Program
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Tuberculosis Laboratory Guidelines
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Nanomaterials in the Laboratory
For information specific to your situation check with your institution’s environmental health & safety department
- Current guidance for safe handling and control of nanomaterials
SAFENANO.org - Nanotechnology Safety Resources
American Chemical Society (ACS) - General Safe Practices for Working with Engineered Nanomaterials in Research Laboratories (PDF, 2.2 MB)
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Nanotoolkit: Working Safely with Engineered Nanomaterials in Academic Research Settings, 2012 (PDF, 1.9 MB)
California Nanosafety Consortium of Higher Education - Risk perception and risk communication with regard to nanomaterials in the workplace, 2012 (PDF, 2.4MB)
European Risk Observatory (ERO), European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA)
Radiation Safety in Laboratories
For information specific to your situation, check with your institution’s radiation safety department
- ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable)
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) - Information for Radiation Workers
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) - Materials Licensees Toolkits Index
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) - Medical, Industrial, & Academic Uses of Nuclear Materials
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) - NRC Regulations, Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations, § 26.155 Laboratory personnel
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) - Nuclear Safety
Energy.gov, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - Occupational Radiation Protection Program (10 CFR 835)
Energy.gov, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - Radiation Protection
Industrial Hygiene / Occupational Safety (IH/OS) Special Interest Group (SIG), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - Radiation Safety Training Materials
Energy.gov, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) - Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM)
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), Office of Planning and Emergency Operations, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in cooperation with National Library of Medicine (NLM), Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS) - Safety and Health Topics (includes ionizing and non-ionizing radiation)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
K-12 School Laboratory Safety
- After the Rainbow, 2013
High School Chemistry Safety U.S. Chemical Safety Board - Key Lessons for Preventing Incidents from Flammable Chemicals in Educational Demonstrations (October 2014)(PDF, 500 KB)
U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) - Managing Chemical Wastes in the High School Lab
American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) - Rehab the Lab: Creating Safer School Labs
Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, Washington - Reducing Risks to Students and Educators from Hazardous Chemicals in a Secondary School Chemical Inventory (PDF, 65 KB)
Joint Board-Council Committee on Chemical Safety, American Chemical Society (ACS) - Reducing chemical accidents involving pesticides, mercury, cleaning products, and science labs in schools (PDF, 700 KB)
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Safety Checklist Program for Schools, October 2003
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Safe Lab: School Chemistry Laboratory Safety Guide (PDF, 1.20 MB)
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Safety in the Science Classroom: Safety Issue Papers by National Science Teachers Association’s Safety Advisory Board
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) - School Chemical List
Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, Washington - School Laboratory Safety Courses
Flinn Scientific, Inc., Batavia, IL - Schools: Classroom and Laboratory Resources
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Hazard Analysis
- Hazard Assessment in Research Laboratories
Committee on Chemical Safety, American Chemical Society (ACS) - Identifying and Evaluating Hazards in Research Laboratories (PDF, 18 MB)
Guidelines developed by the Hazards Identification and Evaluation Task Force of the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Chemical Safety - Job Hazard Analysis, Revised, 2002 (PDF, 500 KB)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - OSHA Hazard Recognition and Solutions
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
- Hazard Communication Standard: Safety Data Sheets
OSHA Brief, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) - Where to find MSDS and SDS on the Internet
Interactive Learning Paradigms Incorporated - Household Products Database
National Library of Medicine (NLM), Division of Specialized Information Services (SIS)
Regulations and Standards
- 6 CFR Part 27 Appendix to Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards; Final Rule, 2007 (PDF, 4.4 MB)
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - A Guide to the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) (PDF, 775 KB)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - Appendix A TO §1910.1200—Health Hazard Criteria (Mandatory)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - Chemical Reactivity Hazards - Standards
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - The Globally Harmonized System for Hazard Communication
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - Good Laboratory Practices Standards Compliance Monitoring Program
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - Harmonized Terminology Database
Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) - Hazard Communications
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - National Research Council (NRC) Recommendations Concerning Chemical Hygiene in Laboratories (Non-Mandatory)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - NFPA 45: Standard on Fire Protection for Laboratories Using Chemicals – Fee
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) - Occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - Occupational Safety and Health Administration Standards
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) - State Occupational Safety and Health Plans
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
Laboratory Waste Management
For information specific to your situation check with your institution’s environmental health & safety department
- Biohazard Waste Disposal
Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey - Less is Better: Guide to Minimizing Waste in Laboratories (2002) (PDF, 150KB)
Task Force on Laboratory Environment, Health, & Safety, American Chemical Society (ACS) - Chemical Waste Disposal
Stanford University, Stanford, California
Organizations
- Biosafety Links
American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) - Clinical and Laboratory Safety Institute (CLSI)
- Division of Chemical Health & Safety
American Chemical Society (ACS) - Lab Safety Workspace
New Hampshire IDeA Network of Biological Research Excellence (NH-INBRE), BioRAFT, and Dartmouth College Environmental Health & Safety, Hanover, New Hampshire - Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI)
- SAFENANO.org
- Sigma-Aldrich Safety Center
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Laboratory Safety
Blogs, News, Podcasts, and Videos
Blogs
- Labsafety
The Lab Safety Institute (LSI) - The Safety Zone
Chemical and Engineering News, American Chemical Society (ACS)
Videos
- Strengthening a Culture of Laboratory Safety: Public Health Grand Rounds, December 15, 2015
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - After the Rainbow, 2013
High School Chemistry Safety, U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) - Cell Phone Use in the Research Lab
Environmental Health & Safety, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York - Experimenting with Danger, 2011
Chemical Safety Board (CSB) case study examining laboratory accidents at Texas Tech University, UCLA and Dartmouth - Lab Safety Videos from the Cornell University Department of Environmental Health and Safety
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York - Northwestern University Office of Research Safety Training Videos (videos on various aspects of laboratory safety)
Office for Research Safety, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois - Laboratory Safety Videos
University of California, San Diego - Outfit for Safety
Chemistry and Biology, University of California San Diego
Topic-related Searches of National Library of Medicine Resources
PubMed - Biomedical journal literature
TOXLINE - Special journal literature, technical reports and archival collections
Haz-Map - Information on hazardous chemicals and occupational diseases
- Handle infected laboratory rats or mice
- Handle laboratory animals
- Laboratory Solvents
- Medical & Clinical Laboratory Technicians
- Medical & Clinical Laboratory Technologists
- Work in a medical or research laboratory handling the pathogen
NLM Catalog - Access to information about books and other materials in NLM's catalog
Selection Guidelines
Disclaimer
- Reference to an external Internet resource on this site does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) of the services or views described in that resource.
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Last Reviewed: August 30, 2019