Lab safety information

All CECMEE Laboratories and field facilities are required to follow regulations for health and safety procedures (OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.1450). In addition to following the policies and procedures available through the NAU Office of Regulatory Compliance, local policies and procedures have also been developed that must be followed. Before you work in a laboratory, at the field station or in the field, it is important that you become familiar with all of the appropriate policies and procedures so that we can ensure these facilities, and their tools and equipment are used safely and for their intended purpose.

Safety requirements

All work that is conducted through any of the CECMEE laboratories or field station represents the work of NAU and is thus legally bound to ensure that NAU adheres to all applicable environmental regulations. NAU operates under permits issued by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) specifying conditions required by the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. In addition, any environmental regulations from either ADEQ or the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that are found applicable to the work being done but are considered beyond the conditions of the issued permits, must also be followed. It is the responsibility of each project lead to work directly with the NAU Office of Regulatory Compliance and, as needed the relevant offices within ADEQ, individual Tribal environmental programs or Region 9 EPA to determine the requirements of full compliance.

In addition to the Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) developed by the NAU Office of Regulatory Compliance (ORC), the following general Site-Specific CHP applies to all of the ENE labs (rooms 238, 239, 240, 241, 241A, 242, 245, 2004A, 2004B):

• Safety Data Sheet (SDS) location: 115, 116, 117 and 245
• Chemical Inventory location: 238 and in SDS binders
• Standard operating Procedures (SOPs) location: 238
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Assessment location: 239, 241, 242, 245
• Eyewash/Safety Shower location: 117, 239, 241, 242 and 245
• Spill Kit location: 117 and 241
• Special Emergency/Detectors (alarms, etc): Fire Alarm in hallway outside laboratory