Hunter College

Annual Safety Compliance and Assurance Program

Year-2004

Hunter College mandates that all biomedical and chemical research programs and all locations where chemicals and their waste are handled, stored or managed to follow basic safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and to register the areas above with the office of Environmental Health and safety and, if necessary, to be certified by the corresponding committees to ensure compliance with safety practices and governmental mandates regarding environmental (EPA), occupational (OSHA) mandates and grant institution rules.

The person overseeing any of the programs or facilities above must file this form with EHS by January 31, 2004. This form is available online at www.hunter.cuny.edu/ehs. You can mail this form to EHS at Room E-1211/E-1211A or e-mail it to Ricardo Franco at Ricardo.Franco@hunter.cuny.edu or Abner Felix at Abner.Felix@hunter.cuny.edu. For assistance with this form or any of the requirements in it, call EHS at (212) 772-4462.

Room Number:

Person in Charge of Room:

After Hours Emergency Phone No.

Name of Principal Investigator (P.I.)

E-Mail address of P.I.

Briefly describe the work that you conduct in your lab, stock room, shop, work area, etc:

PRUDENT LABORATORY, STOCKROOM, PREP ROOMS AND SHOP  AND STUDIO PRACTICES

YES

NO

NA

1.         Hunter College has a set of basic safety procedures for areas where biomedical work or chemicals are used (Safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Are those procedures adequate for the level of work that you conduct? Or do you need an SOP specific for your work (see next three items).

2.         Do you conduct rDNA research? If so, you need an SOP specific for your work & lab and may need to register your rDNA research with EHS and possibly NIH.  Do you have an rDNA SOP? Please send a copy to E-1702.

3.         Do you work with or store any CDC or APHIS Select Agent (SA) or Toxin. If so, you must disclose those agents to the College’s EHS office so that we can register your SA/toxins with the CDC and develop a lab safety plan. Please send a list of those agents/toxins to E-1702.

4.         Do you work with Nat’l. Inst. for Research on Cancer Group 1, carcinogenic to Humans, or IARC Probably Carcinogenic to Humans? If so, EHS needs an SOP specific for your work. Please send a copy to E-1702.

5.         Do you keep a relatively current inventory (4-5 months) of the chemicals for each of lab, shop, stockroom, and or work area(s)? It is required by FDNY and EPA. Send a copy to E-1702.

6.         Do you have any EPA-EPCRA Extremely Hazardous Substances in your chemical inventory? If so, mark them with an asterisk in the inventory list you are sending us so that we can keep records of their locations and quantities. We can do that for you as well when we get your inventory. It is an EPA, FDNY, NYC and NYS requirement.

7.         EPA is vigilant about speculative accumulation of chemicals: storage of chemicals that you no longer use, or remain stored for more than 3-years and you have no anticipated use for them, expired chemicals, and chemicals in containers that appear deteriorated, abandoned, forming crystals, etc.? Do you have speculative accumulations of chemicals? If so they must be treated as chemical waste and discarded accordingly.

8.         Hunter College has a set of basic safety procedures for laboratory work (Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures or SOPs.) Are those procedures adequate for the level of work that you conduct? Or do you need an SOP specific for your work (see next three items).

9.         Have any employee in your area reported overexposure symptoms to the chemicals they work with? Please explain. 

10.      Do you separate your stored chemicals to ensure that chemical reactions do not occur? It’s an NYFD and EPA mandate.

11.      Do you keep your corridors free of chemical containers, bench tops free of unnecessary chemicals and equipment, and follow good housekeeping practices to maximize safety in your lab?

12.     Do you train your lab employees on general safety hazards and specific risks associated with your work?

13.     Do you require your lab employees and lab students (if applicable) to wear personal protective equipment appropriate for the level of safety needed in your area?

14.     Do you inform your students and personnel in your lab/shop/studio or work area of the location and type of fire extinguishers, the two closest emergency exits and the location and use of the closest eye wash station and safety shower?

15.     Do you and your personnel know of the closest spill kit supplies?

16.     Do you have procedures to minimize the purchase and use of chemicals and to reduce the volume of HW in you lab? EPA required. Please describe it.

17.     If you are in control of a chemical laboratory, stockroom, prep room or other location where chemicals are stored, do you have a NYFD Certificate of Fitness for chemicals? What if the number and expiration date?

IONIZING RADIATION  AND LASERS

YES

NO

NA

18.     Are you certified by the Radiation Safety Committee to conduct research with radioactives? No P.I. is allowed to work with radionuclides unless you register your program with EHS’ Radiation Safety Unit.

19.     Is everyone working with radionuclides trained in Radiation Safety

20.     Are you and your lab personnel working or managing the radioactives being monitored for exposure?

21.     Is your radioactive work performed in a “controlled area” and shielded, if needed, to protect employees?

22.     Are your radioactive materials and waste managed and under the control of person assigned as the radiation manager for your work area/lab?

23.     Are your radioactive materials and waste properly labeled and documented?

24.     Is your radioactive waste properly packaged, stored and removed from the lab ASAP?

25.     If you work with lasers, have you trained your employees in the proper use and safety hazards associated with them?

26.     Are your lab personnel working with lasers provided with personal protective equipment and trained to use them and how to minimize exposure to lasers?

27.     Is your laser equipment checked periodically for proper alignment of the beam?

28.     Do you work with X-Ray machines, and if provided with equipment to minimize exposure to radiation?

29.     Do you work with equipment that produces strong magnetic fields?

MANAGEMENT OF REGULATED WASTES: CHEMICAL, BIOMEDICAL, RADIOACTIVE, UNIVERSAL WASTES

YES

NO

NA

30.     If you produce chemical waste, do you have a designated area in your lab called a ”Hazardous Waste Accumulation Area” which