Safety Plan

Planning and preparation for the prudent and safe use of hazardous materials and equipment at NC State are predicated on the development of comprehensive Safety Plans and the shared responsibilities of researchers, faculty, staff and students. 

 

Are you a New Principal Investigator?

If you are a new Principal Investigator (PI) or have been promoted to PI status, please register here. After registering, a confirmation email will be sent and a Safety Plan Assessment will be assigned to you.

New PIs must complete the Principal Investigator Safety Training in REPORTER (EHPS-GS300) before their Safety Plan Assessment can be approved. This training will provide information that is useful when creating your Safety Plan, so new PIs are encouraged to take it before starting their Plan.

For additional information about the responsibilities and expectations of the PI position, please see the Principal Investigator Resources page.

If you are a Lab Worker, to view your PI’s Safety Plan and SOPs, Chemical Inventory or Waste Submittals, please ensure your PI or Lab Manager has added you to the permit.

 

Completing a PI’s Safety Plan

While Secondary Safety Contacts (SSCs) can create plans on behalf of the PI, it is expected that the PI will finalize the signature pages associated with their plan. Note that there are multiple steps associated with completing a PI’s Safety Plan:

  1. Complete the NCSU Safety Plan Assessment in EHSA. 
  2. After you receive your Safety Plan Approval email from EHSA, please take the following steps:
    • Upload your Chemical Inventory, following these guidelines.
    • Create your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for processes that contain hazardous chemicals and/or equipment. To create a new SOP directly in the EHSA system, follow these guidelines.
    • Once your Safety Plan has been approved and your SOPs have been uploaded, your lab staff should follow the Lab Staff Acknowledgement process to review and acknowledge the information.
    • Please note that once your Safety Plan has been approved, you should use the topic-specific buttons on the EHSA homepage to make edits to lab spaces or personnel. See these guidelines for more information.

 

How Will This Be Implemented? 

Approximately 30 days prior to the expiration of their current Plan, the PI will receive an email notification from EHS to create a Safety Plan in EHSA. This will be an “assignment” akin to the Lab Safety Inspection process.

 

Background of Safety Plans

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) administers the workplace safety and health regulations in the United States. The OSHA regulation entitled “Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories” (29 CFR 1910.1450, commonly referred to as the “Laboratory Standard”) requires the development of a “Chemical Hygiene Plan” which states how the university will implement the requirements of the Laboratory Standard to provide a safe and healthy work environment for its employees. NC State’s application of this standard is broader in scope and is applied to all areas that store and use hazardous materials and processes. University Safety Plans are intended to fulfill these OSHA requirements as well as all other regulatory standards of local, state and federal governing bodies.

 

Laboratory Safety Plans and the ACS Tutorial

The American Chemical Society (ACS) handbook is intended to be the foundation of each Safety Plan. The university’s application of the material in the handbook is presented as ‘will’ rather than ‘should’. The ACS handbook will be supplemented by material provided by Principal Investigators about specific chemicals and risks/hazards in a work setting.

 

Who Needs a Safety Plan?

A Safety Plan is required for all teaching and research laboratory areas that use or store hazardous materials, hazardous processes, and hazardous equipment. 

 

What is a Hazardous Material?

For Safety Plans, this term encompasses:

  • Physical hazards
  • Biological materials
  • Chemicals (office chemicals such as white-out, glue and copying supplies are exempt)
  • Radioactive material or radiation-producing devices
  • Hazardous processes (high voltage, high pressure, etc.) 

The intended use of Safety Plans includes:

  • Emergency planning and response
  • Inspections
  • Hazard Awareness
  • Training and Education of the students and staff
  • State and federal regulatory compliance

 

Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP)

All NC State University personnel who handle and may be exposed to hazardous chemicals in research laboratories need to review the Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP). This document, along with the Safety Plan, and internally developed site/task-specific procedures, must cover all elements required by OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1450.

The Chemical Hygiene Plan is also a required training tool to help protect employees from specific health hazards in laboratories and to keep exposure below the limits specified by OSHA.

 

Document and Posting Requirements

Safety Plans provide background information required to establish safe working practices for hazardous material/processes use and handling. The PI is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of safe work practices, and the plan functions as both a training tool and a reference source.