Laboratory Health and Safety Manual/Chemical Hygiene Plan

No Job Should Be Considered So Important That It Cannot Be Done Safely. The Laboratory Health and Safety/Chemical Hygiene Plan details safety practices and standards at the University. This plan has been developed by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Department with review and approval from the Institutional Chemical Safety Committee (ICSC) and Vice Chancellor for Research and Engagement Mike Malone. It comprises a set of laboratory health and safety policies to protect employees at UMass Amherst and its outreach Experiment Stations where personnel are working with or will come in contact with hazardous materials in the laboratory environment. The Laboratory Health and Safety Manual/Chemical Hygiene Plan is reviewed annually by the ICSC and updated as necessary.  The plan was last reviewed in May 2023 and no changes were deemed necessary.

The purpose of this plan is to provide a framework for recognizing, evaluating, and controlling hazards associated with laboratory operations. Implementation of this plan depends on the cooperation of department chairpersons, faculty, laboratory staff, students, EH&S staff, and members of ICSC. The responsibility for safety and health must be shared by all and we must work towards meeting the standards set forth in this plan with the common goal of promoting a healthy and safe environment for all employees and students. We recognize that in some situations, proper facilities and equipment are not available for conducting projects. When this is the case, faculty members should consult with EH&S and the ICSC for assistance in evaluating hazards and finding ways to conduct work in a safe and healthy manner. This manual should be used as the basis for preparation of specific Chemical Hygiene Plans for individual laboratories following a similar outline with sections as appliciable. The above pdf document of the entire manual is a clickable file; you can move to any part by clicking on the section heading.

A template for the production of a lab-specific chemical hygiene plan is also provided