Guide for Lab Safety & Facility Inspection Checklists

EHS inspectors will wear protective lab coats and safety glasses during an evaluation. Inspectors may wear protective gloves while performing evaluations. They will also be carrying a picture ID associating them with the university and with EHS.

EHS inspectors will announce themselves at the beginning of a lab evaluation and attempt to identify a safety representative from the lab to ask questions and share results with. They may communicate with any lab personnel during the evaluation.

EHS inspectors may photograph areas of concern in laboratories and ask for a list of lab personnel (First Name, Last Name, and EID) to verify training history.

EHS inspectors may have flyers/handouts such as emergency instructions, notice to employees, emergency eyewash tags, waste tags, non lab-safe refrigerator labels, and chemical labels. Any of these items are available upon request.

Lab Safety Evaluation Items are generally the responsibility of the Principal Investigator (PI) of the lab. The responsible party for Lab Facility Evaluation Items is generally someone other than the PI. The PI, or other responsible party, will be notified of issues identified during the lab evaluation.

Critical items are areas of concern that are immediately dangerous to life and health which require prompt attention and corrective action.

Critical Items may include:

Hazardous chemicals/waste in containers or stored such that they are leaking or likely to result in a release. (Example: containers leaking, bulging, with heavy corrosion, missing caps, storage shelf about to collapse, etc.)
Flammable chemicals stored in a household refrigerator. (> .5 L)
More than 10 gallons of flammables stored outside a flammable storage cabinet.
Peroxide formers expired. (> 90 days)
Gas cylinders improperly secured. (fall hazard)
Toxic gases stored/used outside ventilated containment.
Damaged electrical cords on equipment in use.
Needles in trash cans/glass waste boxes or protruding outside a sharps container.
Egress is significantly impeded. (walkways and/or exits blocked)
Access to emergency equipment is blocked. (not readily moveable)
Emergency equipment not functional.
Appropriate personal protective equipment not available in the lab.

Lab Safety Inspection Items

Chemical Storage (Items 1 — 15)

1. Chemicals segregated by hazard class

flammables are away from oxidizers
acids and flammables are separated
acids and bases are separated
nitric acid is separated from other acids

2. Chemical containers in good condition

unacceptable conditions include: rusty containers (including gas cylinders), leaking containers, and broken caps

3. Chemical containers properly labeled

primary original containers need to have a label on and the label must be readable
lab personnel need to tape labels on if they are falling off or make a new label that includes chemical name, hazards, and manufacturer (if this information is known)
secondary containers that are used for storage (e.g., squeeze bottles) need to be labeled with the chemical contents

4. Chemical containers closed

Containers should have lids or covers
Container lids or covers should be firmly secured unless actively pouring

5. Glass chemical containers are not stored on the floor

glass containers holding liquid chemicals (even water) or hazardous solid chemicals can not be stored on the floor unless they are positioned in such a way (pushed way under a table) that they can’t be broken

6. Hazardous chemicals not stored above eye level

hazardous chemicals must be stored at or below eye level

7. Lab safe refrigerator used for cold flammable storage

there can be no flammables stored in a refrigerator, cooler, or cold room, that is not lab safe

8. Flammable storage cabinets used for flammable storage > 10 gallons

any amount of flammables over 10 gallons per lab has to be stored in a flammable storage cabinet

9. Peroxide forming chemicals not expired

check for expiration dates of chemicals listed:
- Dioxane
- Ethers
- Furans (e.g. tetrahydrofuran or THF)
- Picric Acid
- Perchloric Acid
- Sodium Amide

10. Acids stored in acid cabinet or secondary containment

acids must be stored in an acid cabinet OR in a wooden cabinet or shelf inside a plastic tub, with the cabinet labeled “ACID”
nitric should be physically separated from organic acids, e.g. in its own plastic tub, in a separate cabinet, or in a separate part of the acids cabinet

11. Gas cylinders properly secured

all cylinders must be secured snugly with a strap or chain that is above the middle of the cylinder (a single chain can be used to secure several cylinders as long as each cylinder is secured on at least three sides) — Exempt: lecture bottles

12. Gas cylinder safety caps in place

all cylinders without a regulator need to have a safety cap screwed on top — Exempt: lecture bottles

13. Toxic and hazardous gas cylinders properly ventilated

if the gas is listed on the hazardous gas list in the EHS Lab Safety Manual, then the cylinder needs to be stored in a sprinkled ventilated cabinet or enclosure, if one is present in the lab
small cylinders (e.g., lecture bottles) of gases listed on the hazardous gas list can be stored in a fumehood or glovebox, but not more than 2 cylinders per hood
if a gas cylinder cabinet is not available and is needed, this is recorded on the Facility Inspection checklist

14. Fume hood not used as permanent storage/ no clutter in fume hood

evidence of fume hood being used as a permanent storage cabinet
evidence of fume hood overly cluttered
fume hood sash blocked by items or objects — cannot close all the way

15. Fume hood sash closed when unattended/at or below 18 inches when attended

the sash must be pulled down so that the vertical opening is no greater than 18″

Ignition Sources (Items 16 — 17)

16. Vacuum pumps and other ignition sources are segregated from flammables/combustibles

vacuum pumps and other significant sources of ignition, e.g., a Bunsen burner, can not be stored near flammable chemicals or combustible material like paper or cardboard

17. Electrical cords are in good condition

all electrical cords (that can reasonably be checked) should be in good condition, i.e., the insulation should not be worn, split, or frayed; the plug should not be separated from the cord; and the cord should not be pinched in a door or in any other way
extension cords are not used as permanent wiring
power strips are not connected in series (daisy-chained)

Chemical/Sharps/Glass Waste (Items 18 — 23)

18. Less than 55 gallons of chemical waste in area

less than 55 gallons total for each lab, liquids and solids are both included

19. Chemical waste containers properly labeled

labeled to indicate that the material is waste and ALL the contents have to be indicated
using the waste tag to identify it as waste without writing the word “waste” is fine
the original contents label MUST be defaced or removed
the word “hazardous” can not be written on the label
a list on a clipboard can be used for indicating the contents as long as it is near the waste container and it’s very clear which list goes with which container (the container itself still needs to be labeled as “waste”)

20. Chemical waste containers closed

always kept closed if not being added to
funnels only allowed if they are actively pouring waste in or funnel has a closed lid and is firmly secured to the waste container

21. Chemical waste stored on floor is in secondary containment

chemical waste that is located on the floor must be stored inside secondary containement

22. Glass waste disposal box properly used

should not be more than ¾ full
should not contain hazardous materials (look for unclean chemical bottles or untreated biological material)
should not have liquids (look for signs of water damage to the cardboard or containers containing liquid)
should have structural integrity (check to see if the bottom is rotting)

23. Sharps containers properly used/properly disposed when full

sharps containers should not be more than ¾ full
sharps containers should not have bottles, beakers, etc. in them unless that glassware is INFECTIOUS
sharps cannot be discarded anywhere other than sharps containers

Good Practices (Items 24 — 26)

24. Excess clutter was not present in the lab

look for signs of cluttered lab benches, fume hoods, and floors that goes beyond daily use (>24 hours)

25. Itmes were not stored within 18 inches of a fire sprinkler head

look for any items stored within 18 inches of a fire sprinkler head

26. Food/drinks were not in the lab

looks for signs of food/drink in the lab (on desks, in trash cans, etc.)
storage of food/drink is not allowed

Emergency Equipment and Egress (Items 27 — 32)

27. Exits and aisles clear of obstruction

walkways should not be cluttered—need at least 3 feet of clearance in aisles
up to two exits in each lab need to be free from obstructions and be usable

28. Emergency equipment clear of obstruction

emergency equipment, e.g., showers, eyewashes, spill supplies, and fire extinguishers need to be unobstructed

29. Doors not propped open

doors from main hallways or entrances to labs with hazardous materials should remain closed
doors to rooms within a suite do not necessarily have to remain closed. It depends on the hazards present in each room in the suite
look for door jambs

30. Spill supplies available

one chemical spill kit is needed per lab group (if contiguous)
if work with infectious agents is conducted, then biological spill supplies are needed

31. Electrical panels/disconnects clear of obstruction/ panel doors closed

will usually be gray colored boxes

32. Lab personnel know emergency equipment shutdown procedures

do they have an emergency equipment shutdown procedures plan?

Emergency Preparedness (Items 33 —40)

33. Eyewash tested within the past week/documented in the past month

lab personnel must turn the eyewash on, and let the water run for a couple of minutes to flush out impurities, e.g., rust and bacteria
report problems with the operation of the eyewash, such as low water pressure or no water at all, to the lab’s Zone Maintenance Shop
record the test date and initials of the person testing the eyewash on an eyewash testing tag or a logbook located near the eyewash (call EHS, 471-3511, for eyewash testing tags)

34. Lab personnel have attended required training (OH 101, OH 102, OH 201, OH 202, OH 238, FF205 and OH 207, OH 218 as needed))

verify training records of PI, lab contact, and any known lab personnel in TXClass
see if they will provide you with a list of lab personnel
ask lab contact if they can verify lab training while you are there
provide lab contact with training flyers (training summary, site-specific, training records template) as needed

35. Lab personnel know how to get SDS

lab personnel need to know how to get SDS; either paper copies in the lab, EHS office, or the internet
regardless of the system used, SDS must be available at all times

36. Lab personnel have PPE available (including fire-resistant lab coats as needed)

the clothing must be available and the lab staff must have the ability to obtain additional clothing as needed

37. Lab personnel wear/use proper PPE while in lab (lab coat, gloves, glasses, etc.)/shorts/sandals are not worn in the lab

if working with chemicals, at a minimum, lab staff need to wear eye protection, gloves, long sleeves, and long pants or a buttoned lab coat if shorts are worn
open toed shoes, e.g., sandals, are not allowed

38. Self-evalustions submitted to EHS (General, Controlled Substance, Select Toxin)

General self-evaluations must be submitted in the Fall and Spring semesters
Controlled Substance and Select Toxin self-evaluations must be submitted annually if working with these materials

39. Annual chemical inventory completed/submitted to EHS

log on to EHS Assistant to view your chemical inventory and update it as needed
complete the inventory review statement in EHS Assistant after you have updated your inventory

40. Written SOPs for high hazard labs

use the template available on the EHS website to create SOPs for highly hazardous chemicals

Other (Item 41)

41. Miscellaneous

anything that stands out as being a lab deficiency needing corrective action that has not already been identified in any of the other inspection items

Lab Facility Inspection Items

Emergency Equipment (Items 42-46)

42. Eyewash available

eyewash must be available within 10 seconds normal travel time and accessible (e.g., not behind a locked door)

43. Emergency shower available

emergency shower must be available within 10 seconds normal travel time and accessible (e.g., not behind a locked door)

44. Emergency shower has been tested within the past year

inspection tag must be marked showing that the shower’s been tested within past year

45. Fire extinguisher is available, mounted and clearly marked

fire extinguishers must be mounted near the door and must also be marked with a prominent sign if the mounting is in a place where the extinguisher is obstructed from view
fire extinguishers must be readily available if there are hazards present that could potentially cause a fire

46. Fire extinguishers are charged and have safety pins and seals.

is the pressure gauge fully charged? The arrow should be in the green zone and oriented towards the “12:00” position if you were reading it like you would a watch or clock.
the safety pin should be firmly in place.
the safety seal (a piece of plastic ty wrap) should be connected to the safety seal and handle of the extinguisher.
carbon dioxide cylinders will not have a pressure gauge so we will only look for the safety pin and seal on these types of units.
check to see whether or not the fire extinguisher has been used or tampered with. The pressure gauge, safety pin, and seal will help us determine if usage or tampering has occurred.

Lab Design (Items 47-48)

47. No penetrations in walls, floor, or ceiling/ all ceiling tiles in place

look for punctured holes in the walls that were used to secure objects
manufactured floor drains do not count as a deficiency
check to see if any penetrations have not been sealed with fire retardant material

48. Oxygen monitoring present if cryogens use/dispensed in confined area

if cryogens are used/dispensed in a small, confined area, then the area should be equipped with oxygen monitoring

Labeling/Signage/Lab Usage (Items 49-56)

49. Refrigerators/cooling equipment properly labeled

non lab-safe refrigerators/freezers/coolers will need a black and white sticker with the wording “Do not store flammable solvents in this refrigerator”
the stickers (labels) are provided by EHS and are approximately 4″ wide by 5.5″ long

50. Current lab signs/inventories posted at lab entrance

a current EHS lab sign indicating chemical hazards in the lab and the laboratory emergency contacts must be posted near the entrance
if lab uses RAM, lasers, or biological materials then appropriate signs must be in place at the entrance
if lab does not use these hazards and misleading signs are present indicating otherwise then this would be a deficiency as well
verify whether or not other unusual hazards associated with the lab warrant signage such as electrical hazards, asbestos, electromagnetic area, strong radio frequencies, etc.

51. Emergency instructions posted

verify whether or not the lab has emergency instructions posted in the lab — ideally near phones or the entrance
EHS provides emergency instructions — verify whether or not they are present and the information at the bottom has been completed

52. Mercury thermometers not used in lab

consider exchanging alcohol thermometers fot the mercury thermometers used in the lab

53. Propane not used in the lab

16oz or smalled containers of propane are permitted
use of propane containers larger than 16oz is subject to approval by Fire Prevention Services (FPS)

54. No Occupational Safety concerns in lab (hearing, respirators, machine guards)

proper hearing/respiratory protection should be used
machine equiment should be properly guarded
contact EHS (471-3511) for assistance with hearing/respiratory protection and machine equipment safety

55. Lab participates in Green Lab program

visit Green Lab website for more information

56. No safety concerns/incidents since last inspection

Chemical Ventilation Control (Items 57-58)

57. Ventilated storage available for toxic and hazardous gas cylinders

mark this as “N” if gases are present that are on the gas list and sufficient ventilated cabinets are not available

58. Fume hood has been tested within the past year

look for the test date on the small EHS inspection sticker on the front of the hood