The Laboratory Safety Program - Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) is designed to identify the safety practices that should be implemented when working with common hazardous chemicals found in the laboratory. These safeguards protect laboratory personnel from unsafe conditions in most situations.

The SUNY Poly Laboratory Safety Program is based on the premise that every member of the research and academic community shares the responsibility for safety. As part of the community, it is important for laboratory personnel to be familiar with the health and safety guidelines that apply to their work and to conduct that work in the safest possible manner. The CHP is a resource to assist laboratory personnel in fulfilling these responsibilities.

This program and plan, including Appendices, and Forms, comprises the Chemical Hygiene Plan as mandated by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1910.1450.

Additional information can be obtained by referring to the publications “Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management of Chemical Hazards” published by the National Research Council and the American Chemical Society’s “Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories and Guidelines for Chemical Laboratory Safety in Academic Institutions.  These publications are excellent resources for guidance and can help strengthen and solidify a culture of safety in academic laboratories.

Additional information related to Laboratory and Work Area Program activities may be found in most of the other programs such as Chemical Safety & Waste Management Programs, Occupational Health and Safety Programs, Emergency Incident/Injury Prevention and Response Programs, Chemical Safety Data Sheets, Training, References and Resources, and others. 

Because of the sensitivity of this information, access to the materials for this program are limited to SUNY Poly community members. Users are required to login with their SUNY Poly NetID to view these documents.

The purpose of this program is to establish the requirements for controlling the mechanical hazards of industrial machinery and working with machine tools/powered equipment in the workplace at SUNY Poly, and to ensure that the hazards of the machine tools/equipment used at SUNY Poly are evaluated and that the information concerning their hazards is clearly identified and conveyed to those who work with or around the machines/equipment.

The program was developed in accordance with OSHA’s 29 CFR 1910 Subpart O – Machinery and Machine Guarding, including General Requirements for All Machines (1910.212), Woodworking Machinery Requirements (1910.213), Abrasive Wheel Machinery (1910.215), and 1910 Subpart P – Hand and Portable Powered Tools and Other Hand-Held Equipment, Hand and Portable Powered Tools and Equipment (1910.242), Guarding of Portable Powered Tools (1910.243), Other Portable Tools and Equipment (1910.244).

This program is applicable to all employees, tenants, contractors, or vendor employees, professors and students operating and/or servicing industrial machinery including those that are classified as building/facilities, tool/die/model/machine shop, laboratory, cleanroom, research, or maintenance equipment at SUNY Poly.

Operations which have the potential for generating hazardous dust, fumes, mist, vapors, or gases on the SUNY Poly campus are required to have adequate exhaust ventilation to protect employee and student health and to avoid unnecessary interruptions due to odors.

This program pertains to local exhaust ventilation system components. It does not cover general exhaust or air handling systems.