Successful safety management of the lab includes conducting a risk assessment for hazardous procedures and/or procedures with hazardous materials. The lab's specific Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) will document how these tasks are carried out while ensuring the health and safety of personnel performing them.
A proper risk assessment considers not only the severity of consequences from exposure to the hazard, but the probability of occurrence of exposure.
The following information is adapted from Identifying and Evaluating Hazards in the Research Laboratory, American Chemical Society ,2015.
A risk assessment rating is determined as follows:
Severity of consequences is scored in this model using a weighted scale. This ensures that any operation which could result in death or major disruptions is more highly prioritized and that significant steps will be taken to mitigate that risk.
Definitions for determining severity of consequence.
Definitions for determining probability of occurrence.
Based on the calculated risk level, the appropriate response is described in the chart below:
Strategies for mitigating risk can be assessed using the Hierarchy of Controls framework. It organizes mitigation strategies, or controls, in order of effectiveness. Under this framework, one should first consider the feasibility of the more-effective controls (e.g., substitution) before considering less-effective measures (e.g., administrative controls). As demonstrated in the graphic below, PPE is the last line of defense in the hierarchy of controls.
From the National Institutes for Occupational Safety and Health.