TITLE:	ES&H Manual
DOCUMENT ID:	3220 Appendix T2 Job-Specific Chemical Hazard Communication Training

1.0 Overview

Jefferson Lab has an ethical commitment to inform employees of hazards to which they may be exposed. For chemical hazards, there is, in addition, a legal responsibility called Hazard Communication to ensure employees are knowledgeable about the chemicals in their work environment to which they may be exposed. Exposure can come as a consequence of use or via an accident in the employees work area, unrelated to his or her activities.

Since each work area has different chemicals in use or nearby, the information employees need is specific to their own work area. Employees who know and understand the properties and hazards of the materials they work with are able to make intelligent decisions about how best to do their work: safely, cost-effectively, and without undesirable health or environmental effects.

By law, chemical manufacturers or vendors must provide factual information about their products to the end user. They use Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) as the vehicle for this information. Jefferson Lab maintains in the Safety Lab (x7039) a master set of MSDS for the entire laboratory, along with a chemical inventory. We also keep work-area-specific MSDS sets convenient to those who work with or around the chemicals.

2.0 Supervisor’s Responsibility

It is the responsibility of the immediate supervisor to ensure:

• that each employee is familiar with potential chemical hazards
• the employee knows how to get additional specific information as desired

Many Jefferson Lab employees already have extensive knowledge of the chemicals they use, and it serves little purpose to rehash information. Supervisors are encouraged to provide hazard communication training in the manner that best matches the needs and experience of the recipient. There is a baseline of knowledge that we must ensure for all. This appendix provides an outline for the typical, job-specific chemical hazard communication training to which every employee is entitled.

3.0 Content of Job-Specific Chemical Hazard Communication Training

All employees shall have knowledge based on the appropriate combination of experience and Jefferson Lab-specific training to understand:

• The types of chemicals used in their immediate work area and how to recognize their release
• The hazardous properties of these chemicals
• Precautionary measures and protective equipment for their use and handling
• Special work practices, including the use of ventilation systems and other controls
• What to do in an emergency: spills, skin or eye contact, ingestion, etc.
• The location of the local area MSDS set, and how to read and understand MSDSs
• Whom to ask for more information

The MSDS, product label information, and work-area postings should be the focal point for supervisor-provided training. Employees should understand how to get information from these sources. Any employee is entitled to a copy of a MSDS on request.

Several Environmental, Safety, and Health ES&H Manual chapters provide other important information about chemicals, their safe use, and how we provide training and information to people on site. Employees should also know how to find this information and how it relates to their job. These include:

Supervisors should use their Environmental, Safety, Health, and Quality (ESH&Q) staff, whenever appropriate, to augment the basic hazard communication training with more detailed information. In addition, educational resource materials for chemical safety are available to supervisors and employees in the Safety Lab (Bldg. 35).

4.0 Subcontractors

Jefferson Lab and subcontractors working on site have reciprocal responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard to inform each other’s employees of chemical hazards to which they may be exposed. The Jefferson Lab Subcontracting Officer’s Technical Representative (SOTR) is responsible for ensuring we receive a set of MSDS for subcontractors’ chemicals in advance of the project start date. These MSDSs are evaluated for special problems and are included in the Jefferson Lab master set at least for the duration of the chemical’s use on site. A set must be kept available by the subcontractor for the benefit of his employees for the duration of the job. During pre-performance meetings with the subcontractor, he or she is informed of the availability of our MSDS for the work area in question, and the subcontractor’s employees learn more about our chemical hazards in the mandatory ESH&Q Orientation course.

ISSUING AUTHORITY	APPENDIX AUTHOR	APPROVAL DATE	EFFECTIVE DATE	EXPIRATION DATE	REV.
ESH&Q Division	Bert Manzlak	08/05/05	08/05/05	08/05/08	0

This document is controlled as an on line file. It may be printed but the print copy is not a controlled document. It is the user’s responsibility to ensure that the document is the same revision as the current on line file. This copy was printed on 8/25/2009.