Chapter 1 - Introduction
Regulatory Framework and Chemical Hygiene
Cornell University Policy 8.6 – Environment, Health and Safety establishes institutional responsibilities for maintaining a safe and healthful working environment and ensuring compliance with applicable environmental health and safety laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines. This Laboratory Safety Manual supports that policy by providing practical guidance for laboratory operations and by supplementing the University’s Chemical Hygiene Plan.
Laboratories that use hazardous chemicals are regulated under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Laboratory Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1450 – Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories. This standard requires employers to establish health and safety practices designed to protect laboratory workers from chemical hazards.
Under the OSHA Laboratory Standard, a laboratory is a workplace where relatively small quantities of hazardous chemicals are used on a non-production basis, and where work is conducted on a laboratory scale, meaning that containers and processes can be safely manipulated by one person. The standard applies to laboratories engaged in research, teaching, and diagnostic activities, but not to facilities producing commercial quantities of chemicals.
A hazardous chemical is any chemical for which there is statistically significant evidence that acute or chronic health effects may occur in exposed employees. Hazardous chemicals include, but are not limited to, carcinogens, toxic or highly toxic agents, reproductive toxins, corrosives, sensitizers, and chemicals that affect target organs. Additional guidance on hazard classification is provided in the Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, including Appendices A and B.
The OSHA Laboratory Standard requires employers to develop and maintain a Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP), designate a Chemical Hygiene Officer, and ensure laboratory personnel receive appropriate information and training. The CHP describes how chemical hazards are identified, evaluated, and controlled, with emphasis on engineering controls, work practices, and personal protective equipment to keep exposures below applicable occupational exposure limits.
At Cornell, Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) maintains the University’s institutional Chemical Hygiene Plan, which applies to all laboratories covered by the OSHA Laboratory Standard. The University CHP establishes the baseline requirements and expectations for chemical hygiene across campus.
Colleges, centers, departments, and laboratories implement the University CHP through laboratory-specific procedures, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and additional controls as appropriate for their activities. Local procedures and supplemental documents support the University CHP but do not replace it.
Most Cornell laboratories that use hazardous chemicals fall under the OSHA Laboratory Standard. In addition to personnel who work primarily in laboratories, other employees who spend a significant portion of their duties in laboratory environments—such as maintenance, custodial, or support staff—may also be covered. Graduate students who are paid to work in laboratories are considered employees for the purposes of this standard.
In areas that use hazardous chemicals but do not meet the OSHA definition of a laboratory, the Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, applies.