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40: Hazardous Materials
Overview Requirements Standards Definitions    

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Requirements:
General

Chemical Management Services

SLAC utilizes the chemical management services (CMS) supply chain model for hazardous materials management. Haas TCM is the SLAC CMS vendor. All chemical purchase must be initiated and fulfilled using the Haas Total Chemical Management Information System (tcmIS), which greatly enhances the ability of SLAC to comply accurately with hazard communication, inventory, and chemical usage reporting obligations.

The industrial hygiene and hazardous materials program managers are notified of all new chemical material requests that are processed using tcmIS. In the event of special hazards associated with the material (for example, highly toxic, carcinogenic, highly flammable, reactive, radioactive), the program managers may contact the requester to require a further review of the material and/or operation associated with the use of the proposed material. This review will verify the intended use of the material includes the necessary considerations and controls to ensure it can be stored, used, and disposed of safely and in accordance with any applicable regulations. If the safety and/or environmental issues cannot be resolved, the program managers reserve the right to deny the acquisition of this material.

No other means of acquiring chemicals for on-site use is permitted without prior management approval and program review. Possible ramifications for purchases made outside of this policy include the following sanctions:

  • Petty cash purchases: no reimbursement will be issued
  • P-card purchases: first violation, verbal warning and written warning; second violation, p-card revoked
  • All purchases: note of infraction(s) placed in annual performance review

Hazard Communication Program

With the exception of areas covered under the chemical hygiene program (see Section "Chemical Hygiene Program"), all personnel who may be exposed to hazardous materials in their work area are subject to the requirements of the HazCom program. This program requires area managers and supervisors whose personnel may be exposed to hazardous materials to implement the HazCom program in their work area. Hazard communication will include the following elements:

  1. Maintaining a material safety data sheet (MSDS) on each hazardous material used or stored at SLAC
  2. Providing accurate and complete hazardous material inventory in each work area where hazardous materials are store or used. This can be accomplished through local inventories and/or SLAC inventory.
  3. Proper labeling of all hazardous materials
  4. Providing appropriate training for all affected personnel

Employees of subcontractors are subject to the HazCom programs of their employers. For hazards located in SLAC areas where subcontractors will be working, the project manager or university technical representative (UTR) must provide HazCom information.

Material Safety Data Sheet Access

A current MSDS for each hazardous material used or stored will be maintained in the HazCom module of the tcmIS system, and made available for viewing online through the MSDS viewer. The MSDS viewer allows personnel to view and copy each MSDS in the system and is available to all SLAC employees, users, guests, and subcontractors, 24 hours a day. Managers and supervisors will ensure all personnel working in areas where hazardous materials are used or stored have ready access to the MSDS viewer or make available a hard copy of the MSDS for each hazardous material in their work area.

Container Labeling

Hazardous material containers will be labeled meeting the following requirements:

  • Every hazardous material container will be clearly labeled with the material name and appropriate hazard information. Required label elements (per the OSHA hazard communication standard, [29 CFR 1910.1200]) include the following:
    • Name and address of the chemical manufacturer, importer, or other responsible party
    • Identity of the hazardous chemical(s) contained therein
    • Appropriate hazard warnings, or alternatively, words, pictures, symbols (or a combination thereof) that provides information regarding the hazards of the chemicals, and which presents personnel with the specific information regarding the physical and health hazards of the hazardous chemical
  • Manufacturer-affixed labels will not be removed or defaced on the primary chemical container if it still contains the hazardous material. If a container label is missing or illegible, or if the material is transferred into a secondary container, a hazardous material label from SLAC stores must be affixed.
  • Supervisors and managers will be immediately notified when unlabeled hazardous material containers are discovered. Unlabeled containers that may contain hazardous materials should be assumed to be hazardous. An attempt should be made to determine the contents of the container and a correct label should be affixed to the container. If a determination cannot be made about the contents, the hazardous materials program manager should be contacted.
  • All new installations of hazardous material pipes and tubes will be labeled in accordance with ANSI A13.1 requirements.
    Note: American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ANSI A13.1-1996, “Scheme for Identification of Pipelines.”  See the SLAC Library for available standards. For a list of ANSI standards, see the American National Standards Institute “ANSI Electronic Standards Store.”

Custodians responsible for tanks will ensure the tanks are appropriately labeled with the following elements:

  1. Name and concentration of the materials contained within the tank
  2. NFPA 704 hazard diamond indicating the health, flammability, reactivity, and any special hazards of the material

Work Area Hazardous Materials Inventory

A current, accurate, work area hazardous material inventory will be maintained. This can be accomplished through local inventories and/or SLAC inventory.

Training

See Training Section “Chemical Worker", for HazCom program training requirements.

Chemical Hygiene Program

Under the SLAC chemical hygiene program (CHP), a written chemical hygiene plan is required for all chemical laboratories in which the following conditions are met:

  1. Chemical manipulations are carried out on a laboratory scale
  2. Multiple chemical procedures or chemicals are used
  3. Chemical procedures are not part of a production process and do not simulate a production process
  4. Safety equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) are available and in use

For a list of affected laboratories, see Hazardous Materials: Chemical Hygiene Program Laboratories List [pdf].

Laboratory safe operating procedures will be written and maintained by the laboratory supervisor. All laboratory personnel will follow these procedures to ensure the safe storage, handling, use, and disposal of hazardous chemicals. The Chemical Hygiene Plan [pdf] provides guidelines and specific requirements for the development of laboratory specific chemical hygiene plans. Recommended chemical handling practices are provided in Section “Hazardous Materials Management", and in chemical-specific safe handling guidelines (see Forms and Exhibits).

Prior to working in any laboratory with a CHP, personnel must acknowledge in writing that they have read and are familiar with the laboratory chemical hygiene plan and will comply with the requirements of the plan.

Hazardous Materials Management

General Precautions

Prior to the use of any hazardous material or chemical, the MSDS provided by the manufacturer must be reviewed. Hazardous materials and chemicals will be handled carefully at all times, stored in appropriate containers, and transported in carrying devices, and all chemical containers will be labeled in accordance with the requirements of this chapter. Open containers should be closed after use, and unneeded hazardous materials must be returned to storage.

The ES&H Division may issue a safe chemical use and safe handling guideline for a chemical in use at SLAC with particularly hazardous properties. (See Forms and Exhibits.)

Hazard Controls

To control exposure to material and chemical hazards, personnel who use chemicals and hazardous materials must first evaluate the hazards associated with these chemicals, then identify and implement appropriate hazard controls and procedures prior to using these hazardous materials. Personnel selecting hazardous materials for use at SLAC will consider the following hazard controls, in order of preference:

  • Material/Process Design Selection
    • Select the safest chemical for a given job
    • Use and store the smallest useful quantities to minimize the amount of material on hand
    • Generate the smallest amount of hazardous waste
  • Engineering Controls
    • Provide engineering controls and suitable facilities to minimize hazards
    • Use the smallest vessels, apparatus, or equipment practical and safe for a given job
    • Complete design review to identify and qualify hazards, evaluate risks, and design appropriate control measures prior to installing equipment or using a chemical
    • Use warning devices (horns and flashing lights)
    • Comply with manufacturer operating instructions for equipment
  • Administrative Controls
    • Chemical acquisition control and inventory
    • Training
    • MSDSs
    • Labels and signs
    • Medical surveillance and certification
  • Personal Protective Equipment
    • Using PPE appropriate for the chemicals of interest, such as gloves, coveralls, aprons, indirectly vented goggles, and respirators

Chemical Storage Assets

In any single room or laboratory, the maximum allowable quantity of any one hazardous material or chemical should be kept at a minimum. Personnel should rely on just-in-time delivery provided by CMS vendors. Any exceptions to the storage occupancy amounts or permissible exterior storage amounts in the Uniform Fire Code must be approved in writing by the fire marshal and the relevant manager of the SLAC directorate. Managers may choose to limit the amount of hazardous materials and chemicals stored or used at their building, facility or facility area at or below exempt amounts when required to provide a safe work environment for personnel.

Note: International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO), Uniform Fire Code (ICBO UFC-1997).  See the SLAC Library for available standards. A hard copy of ICBO UFC-1997 is available.

In general, there are eight types of chemical storage assets in use at SLAC for storing chemical containers:

  1. Bulk storage tanks
  2. Tube trailers
  3. Flammable container storage cabinets
  4. Corrosive material storage cabinets
  5. Chemical refrigerators
  6. Laboratory hoods and equipment with built-in hazardous materials storage
  7. Other "cabinets" used to store lesser hazardous materials
  8. Gas racks used to store compressed gas cylinders
    Note: Gas cylinder safety issues are covered in Chapter 38, “Compressed Gas Cylinders

For all eight classes, the locations of the assets will be shown on the CMS map and area managers and supervisors will designate a custodian for each chemical storage asset. (See the Chemical Use Maps on the CMS website.) It is the responsibility of the chemical asset custodian to ensure the following requirements are met:

  1. The local hazardous materials inventory is correct and up-to-date and made available to the hazardous materials program manager.
  2. Chemical assets have been assigned a property control (PC) identification number (other cabinets and gas racks are exempted from this requirement).
  3. Required inspections and testing of the assets are performed.
  4. Documentation of inspections and testing is maintained.
  5. Contact information for the asset custodian (name and extension) must be posted on the asset.

All chemical storage cabinets must be approved storage cabinets (that is, compliant with the Uniform Fire Code, see Hazardous Materials: Chemical Storage Asset Requirements [pdf].)

All chemical storage assets are required to be inspected monthly. (See Hazardous Materials: Storage Inspection Procedure and Form.

Chemical and Oil Containing Equipment

Chemical and oil containing equipment, though not considered a chemical asset, have requirements associated with their use. Oil-filled and chemical process equipment must be evaluated for inclusion in the Hazardous Materials Inventory Statement (HMIS) and appropriate warning labels and signs by the hazardous materials program manager. Equipment containing oil or chemicals must be within secondary containment if a release of material could impact human health or the environment.

Process Safety Analyses

In addition to the safety analysis documentation required by Department of Energy (see Chapter 1, "General Policy and Responsibilities", and Chapter 2, "Work Authorization"), SLAC is subject to two regulatory programs covering chemical process safety:

  1. OSHA Process Safety Management (29 CFR 1910.119)
  2. Cal EPA, Cal ARP program, administered locally by San Mateo County

These two programs list certain highly hazardous or toxic chemicals and threshold quantities for each. If a facility uses one of these materials in any single process in an amount above the threshold quantity, the facility must prepare process safety management and accidental release prevention documentation for that process, and implement the resulting safety and hazard control recommendations. The industrial hygiene program manager is responsible for the process safety management (PSM) program, and the air quality program manager is responsible for the Cal ARP program. Any proposed new process at SLAC involving the use of chemicals listed on either the PSM or Cal ARP lists, or any modification of an existing process using these chemicals, must be reviewed by the appropriate program manager who will perform a threshold determination analysis. The Hazardous and Experimental Energy Committee (HEEC) will also be consulted. In the event a threshold is exceeded, the line organization must change the process so exposure remains under threshold quantities, or perform the required safety studies and implement controls to satisfy the requirements of the PSM and Cal ARP programs.

Hazardous Materials Transportation

Hazardous Materials Transportation to/from SLAC

Transport of chemicals from an off-site location to SLAC will be accomplished only through the CMS acquisition process. Transportation of hazardous materials from SLAC to off-site locations will be managed and arranged by properly trained shipping and receiving department personnel, using the appropriate shipping containers, labels, and other necessary equipment.

Transportation of hazardous waste from SLAC to off-site locations will be managed and arranged by properly trained Waste Management (WM) Group personnel, using the appropriate shipping containers, labels, and other necessary equipment (see Chapter 17, "Hazardous Waste").

Hazardous Materials Transportation within SLAC

Specific information regarding hazardous materials packaging, labeling, and security is specified in the US Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Transportation specifications (49 CFR 171 and following). Hazardous Materials: On-site Transportation Requirements [pdf] describes packaging, labeling, and securing hazardous materials and waste for on-site transportation from one room to another, from one floor in a building to another, or from one building to any other location at SLAC.

Hazardous Materials Contingency Planning

Consolidated Contingency Plan

SLAC will prepare and maintain a consolidated hazardous materials contingency plan in the format specified in Section 25503.4 of the California Health and Safety Code. SLAC has developed a consolidated chemical contingency plan (CCCP) to integrate various regulatory requirements for hazardous materials (including hazardous wastes) emergency planning into a single functional document. This single plan approach helps to reduce duplication of effort and needless program development, implementation, and maintenance burdens. This CCCP helps to ensure adequate preparedness with rapid and appropriate response to emergency situations involving hazardous materials. The purpose of this plan is to protect public health; employees, contractors and visitors; and the environment.

Spills and Releases

A chemical spill is the release of any hazardous chemical from its primary container that results in an increased risk or potential risk to human health, the environment, and property. Refer to Chapter 16, "Spills", for detailed information about spills and releases.

Note: Preparation is essential to minimizing the hazards caused by a chemical spill. Assemble a chemical spill kit, and understand the hazards associated with the chemicals used and stored in the work area. Consult the MSDS or chemical inventory for more information. Post an emergency telephone call list near the entrance to each work area as appropriate.

 

 

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