Safety Office, Commissary Building
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
Phone 519 888 4567 Ext. 33587
Fax 519 886 8082
Email: safety@uwaterloo.ca
All laboratory work carries with it the potential to cause significant harm to you and to those around you. To minimize this harm, the University of Waterloo is taking a risk-based approach to laboratory safety. The process involves three steps:
Hazards deemed high risk must be controlled immediately. Hazards identified to be of moderate risk should also be controlled immediately, but temporary controls (such as the use of PPE) can be used until a permanent solution is found. Finally, hazards identified to be of low risk should be monitored to ensure their risk does not increase.
The objective of this laboratory safety program is to eliminate or reduce the risk that laboratory work poses to researchers, workers, students, and any other person exposed to the hazards laboratory work creates.
The information provided on this pages applies to all laboratory activities that pose a potential for harm or injury to persons or infrastructures. Other health and safety programs at the University of Waterloo provide more detailed operating procedures and guidance for various activities. Examples of these include the Biosafety Program, the Laser Safety Program, the Nanosafety Program, etc...
Links to these programs can be found in the menu on the left of the screen or below in Table 1.
The primary responsibility for the safety of workers, students, and the public lies with the Principal Investigator. The principal investigator is considered a supervisor under the Occupational Health and Safety Act in Ontario. In this role they must ensure the following duties are met:
Workers and students are expected to:
The Safety Office acts on behalf of the University of Waterloo to support legislative requirements, and the overall reduction of risk to workers, students, faculty and visitors. It is a resource that interprets legislation and standards, develops tools to assist PI’s, workers, and other individuals performing work on campus. Some of the resources the Safety Office provides includes:
In other words, the Safety Office is a resource for the University of Waterloo that recommends best practices and standards to minimize risk. We do not make things safe, we help you to assess the work you perform in order to control the risks you may face while working.
The laboratory safety committee (LSC) is a volunteer group of individuals from various faculties at the University of Waterloo. It's main function is to monitor laboratory risk and act in a advisory role to the Vice-President, University Research, and the Safety Office. For more information on the committee please click here:
When a research project is proposed it is expected that the Principle Investigator will analyze the methods, equipment, and materials being used in order to identify:
This process is called “Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment”. The purpose is to proactively identify and eliminate or reduce the risk of any hazard that may pose a significant potential for harm to individuals or the work environment. Completing this process before work is conducted allows one to implement and plan controls more efficiently and cost effectively. That does not mean the process should not be performed if work has already begun. A hazard and risk assessment can be performed at any time.
Each research project is unique, or will have some unique element to it. That is why risk must be analyzed using tools appropriate to the work being conducted, and/or the materials/equipment being used. The table below houses links to various hazard assessment tools for laboratory work taking place on campus. Table 1 below also provides links to the other specific laboratory safety programs.
Full Program - these links go to other pages on our website. |
Hazard Assessment Tool - these links go to external documents, or an online tool. |
---|---|
2. Local Risk Assessment - Note, can only be used if you already have a valid permit. |
|
Laser Risk Assessment |
|
Radiation Risk Assessment |
|
X-ray Risk Assessment |
|
Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment | General Lab Risk Assessment Form |
* Note: To view the full safety program for each respective topic, click on the links in the left column. To view only the risk assessment tools associated with each safety program, click on the links in the right column.
Below is a list of laboratory hazard related fact sheets and standards. These fact sheets have been grouped into the following three categories: Chemicals, Processes, and Equipment. The fact sheets are displayed in the three columns below. Simply click on the one that you wish to view for an in-depth review of the hazard. If there is a specific fact sheet you would be interested in being displayed here, please contact the Safety Office and should the need arise, we will develop it.
Chemicals
Chemical Storage in Laboratories
Gases - Compressed Gas Standard
Gases - Ethylene Oxide
Gases – Hydrogen
Gases – Oxygen
Gases – Toxic
Liquids - Hydrogen Fluoride Standard
Liquids - Inorganic Acids
Liquids - Organic Acids
Peroxide Forming Compounds (Chemistry SOP)
Pyrophorics
Processes
Emergency Response – Cleaning up biologically related material spills
Emergency Response - Cleaning up chemical spills
Emergency Response – Cleaning up Nanomaterials
Emergency Response – Cleaning up Radioactive material spills
Purifying Solvents
Laboratory Waste Disposal Guidelines
Equipment
Biosafety Cabinets
Gloves Boxes
Hot Plates
Regulators and Cylinder Safety Devices
Below are two video links released by the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), illustrating how a lack of understanding hazards, and a lack of controlling hazards can lead to injury and harm. These are real events.
An agreement has been reached between UCLA's Chemistry Professor Patrick Harran and the LA Superior Court on his felony charges due to the fire related death of a research assistant in 2009.
Follow this link to read the update:
Safety Office, Commissary Building
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
Phone 519 888 4567 Ext. 33587
Fax 519 886 8082
Email: safety@uwaterloo.ca