Course Introduction

More than 500,000 workers are employed in laboratories in the U.S. The laboratory environment can be a hazardous place to work. Laboratory workers are exposed to numerous potential hazards, including chemical, biological, physical and radioactive hazards, as well as musculoskeletal stresses.

Laboratory safety is governed by numerous local, state and federal regulations. Over the years, OSHA has created rules and published guidelines to make laboratories increasingly safe for personnel. This document is intended for supervisors, principal investigators and managers who have the primary responsibility for maintaining laboratories under their supervision as safe, healthy places to work and for ensuring that applicable health, safety and environmental regulations are followed. Worker guidance in the form of Fact Sheets and QuickCards™ is also provided for certain hazards that may be encountered in laboratories. There are several primary OSHA standards that apply to laboratories and these are discussed below. There are also other OSHA standards that apply to various aspects of laboratory activities and these are referenced in this course.

The Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories standard (29 CFR 1910.1450) was created specifically for non-production laboratories. For those hazards that are not covered by a specific OSHA standard, OSHA often provides guidance on protecting workers from these hazards.

This course is designed to help make employers aware of the OSHA standards as well as OSHA guidance that is available to protect workers from the diverse hazards encountered in laboratories.

Modules

To begin your training, click on the module links below. If you are just starting this course, you should start with module 1.

1. Module 1: The Standards
2. Module 2: Related OSHA Standards
3. Module 3: Controlling Laboratory Hazards
4. Module 4: Chemical Hazards in the Laboratory
5. Module 5: Biological Hazards
6. Module 6: Bloodborne Pathogens
7. Module 7: Research Animal Laboratory Safety
8. Module 8: Physical Hazards and Others
9. Module 9: Safety Hazards

Please login to your student dashboard to access and download this FREE course PDF studyguide. You can save this study guide to your computer for offline studying, or print the study guide if you prefer.

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Course 757 Final Exam

After studying the course material and answering the quiz questions, it is time to take the final exam. We highly recommend answering the module quiz questions to check your understanding of the course material. The final exam questions are typically developed from these quiz questions.

OSHAcademy course final exams are designed to make sure students have gained a sufficient understanding of the content covered within each course. To help demonstrate this understanding, students must achieve a passing score on course final exams. It is OSHAcademy's policy to protect the integrity of our exams: as a result, we do not provide missed questions to students.

This is an open book exam. Students are permitted to use a separate browser window to review course content while taking the exam. If you do not pass a final exam, you will see a "Retake Exam" button next to the course on your student dashboard.

If you have already paid for your certificate

If you have already paid for certificates, your exam score will be displayed on your student dashboard after successfully passing the final exam. If you chose PDF certificates, you can view and print your certificate and personal transcript from your student dashboard. If you chose original printed documents, they will be prepared and mailed to the address in your student account.

If you only want free training

OSHAcademy provides free access to all training materials, including course modules, practice quizzes, exercises, and final exams. However, exam scores, certificates, and transcripts are provided only if you purchase a certificate package to document your training. If you do not require official training documentation, we will archive your exam results should you decide to purchase official certificates later.

Take the Final Exam

Endnotes

1. OSHA 3404-11R, Laboratory Safety Guidance, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHA3404laboratory-safety-guidance.pdf

2. OSHA Fact Sheet 3464, Laboratory Safety - OSHA Laboratory Standard, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAfactsheet-laboratory-safety-osha-lab-standard.pdf

3. OSHA Fact Sheet 3461, Laboratory Safety - Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP), OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAfactsheet-laboratory-safety-chemical-hygiene-plan.pdf

4. OSHA Fact Sheet 3463, Laboratory Safety - Noise, OSHA (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAfactsheet-laboratory-safety-noise.pdf

5. OSHA Fact Sheet 3462, Laboratory Safety - Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAfactsheet-laboratory-safety-ergonomics.pdf

6. OSHA Quick Facts 3405, Laboratory Safety - Autoclaves/Sterilizers, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAquickfacts-lab-safety-autoclaves-sterilizers.pdf

7. OSHA Quick Facts 3406, Laboratory Safety - Centrifuges, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAquickfacts-lab-safety-centrifuges.pdf

8. OSHA Quick Facts 3408, Laboratory Safety - Cryogens and Dry Ice, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAquickfacts-lab-safety-cryogens-dryice.pdf

9. OSHA Fact Sheet 3462, Laboratory Safety - Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAfactsheet-laboratory-safety-ergonomics.pdf

10. OSHA Quick Facts 3407, Laboratory Safety - Chemical Fume Hoods, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAquickfacts-lab-safety-chemical-fume-hoods.pd

11. OSHA Quick Facts 3409, Laboratory Safety – Electrical Hazards, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAquickfacts-lab-safety-electrical-hazards.pdf

12. OSHA Fact Sheet 3462, Laboratory Safety - Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAfactsheet-laboratory-safety-ergonomics.pdf

13. OSHA Quick Facts 3410, Laboratory Safety - Labeling and Transfer of Chemicals, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAquickfacts-lab-safety-labeling-chemical-transfer.pdf

14. OSHA Quick Facts 3410, Laboratory Safety - Latex Allergy, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAquickfacts-lab-safety-latex-allergy.pdf

15. OSHA Fact Sheet 3462, Laboratory Safety - Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAfactsheet-laboratory-safety-ergonomics.pdf

16. OSHA Quick Facts 3412, Laboratory Safety - Working with Small Animals, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/Publications/laboratory/OSHAquickfacts-lab-safety-working-with-small-animals.pdf

17. 29 CFR 1910 Occupational Safety and Health Standards, Subpart Z, Toxic and Hazardous Substances, OSHA, (2011). Retrieved from: https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10147"

18. NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards, CDC. Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/default.html

19. Science Reference Guides, Library of Congress. Retrieved from: https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/sci-ref-guides.html

Additional Resources

• OSHA Safety and Health Topics – Laboratories, OSHA
• OSHA’s Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program, OSHA
• Laboratory Safety at CDC , The Centers for Disease Control
• AIHA Laboratory Health and Safety Committee
• Biosafety Publications and FormsThe Centers for Disease Control
• Video: CDC Laboratories – A Key Line of Defense
• Video: Zombie College: The 5 Rules of Lab Safety
• Video: General Laboratory Safety
• Video: Safety Elements in Medical Laboratory Practice
• Video: General Laboratory Safety - Instructions
• CDC A-Z Index of Terms