OSHA Requirements for lab in doctor's office

[heyjim43]

I need to find out about what is expected of a full surface and finish lab by OSHA. What do I need to have available within a MSDS manual, safety glasses standards, disposal of chemicals(tints, reclaim tank water, edger coolant, generator coolant, etc), etc. If you have any info or persoanl info about this respond by a message or email me at jvgproductions@juno.com! Thanks!

[Jim G]

If you're a member of OLA, give them a call...one of the benefits of membership.

If not, call some of the labs you may be familiar with to see if they can help you. You will need full MSDS documentation along with ongoing training and sign-off's from ee's. Lock out/Tag out program. Hazardous waste disposal. Don't forget drop-ball documentation. Get ready for ergo legislation again too; it ain't dead.

And you thought running a lab was just spheres and cylinders!

[RT]

Generally you'll have to talk to your local sewer district on liquid waste disposal topics. Some labs are able to sneak by on waste issues simply because they waste tremendous amounts of water, thus diluting the waste. Assuming you won't be, then you'll need to filter most outgoing liquid wastes. I'd recommend the PSI Pan Handler for filtration, particularly if you'll be using lead-cadmium alloy. However, the alloy represents one of the more significant OSHA worries in a lab, so you might consider one of the wax based blocking systems if you're concerned. Rule #1 of environmentalism is rather than coming up with better ways of disposing of hazardous waste, don't make it in the first place.

Ohterwise, the OSHA part is pretty straightforward--if you're starting a new operation, you're probably less likely than an existing lab to have bizarre wiring issues. Waste disposal is the more commonly ignored issue. As Jim G warned, ergonomics issues are a worry in labs--repetitive motion injuries are easy to acquire.

Good luck.

[Pete Hanlin]

Don't forget protective gear, either (like, say, safety glasses). Of all the labs I've seen, I have yet to see one with lab techs wearing safety glasses! Seems like that one would be obvious to our industry (of course, in the years I worked in the lab I don't recall wearing goggles more than once or twice ;) ).

Also, there are petty little things like plug lock outs and such (for use when a machine is being serviced). Mainly though, if you are using lead based alloy, you will either spend a fortune to be compliant or you will be like 99% of the labs using this material and be non-compliant. If I'm not mistaken, any water coming into contact with the alloy must be centrifuged or otherwise treated- or barrelled and disposed of accordingly.

A few years back, I took two hour CEC given by some fella in the Navy who was really sharp on such things (OSHA regs and labs, that is). He described their treatment of alloy-contaminated water and I thought "Wow, I'm glad someone can afford to do all that, we sure can't!"

Good Luck!
Pete

[Jim G]

We did a pretty thorough study of reclaim tank waste. Seems that the water becomes a hazardous waste after deblocking about 200 (alloy) lenses. Were you to dump that in the sewer on a Saturday with no other waste water, you would be in violation. However, should you dump it after 175 lenses or during the week when there would be significantly quantities of liquid waste, you would not be in violation.

I once made the mistake of setting up the above scenario with a county hazardous waste inspector and then asking, "At the end of the week/month, what's the difference." Don't go there!

Many/some/any? of us do right to know training yearly. That's OK for those continually employed but don't forget to train upon new hires or transfers also.

[RT]

Pete: Believe it or not, our lab actually enforces a safety glass rule, with 100% compliance. Woo hoo! We're in first place!

The Navy lab you refer to is in Yorktown, VA, and has a pretty stringent local sewer commission. Since the lab is on a Navy base, and people can get pretty cranky about what's on base, they get scrutinized. They really have no choice BUT to comply. However, complying really isn't that difficult, and most labs do comply as Jim G points out merely by virtue of wasting a ton of water, thus diluting the wastes. Of course, the lead isn't the only issue. In our situation, the sewer commissioner is shy about particulate matter (emery, plastic, etc.) in the liquids, as well as any petroleum based products (we have to be careful what we use for grinding coolants).

Filtration systems do exist that aren't as involved as what the Navy does, and are reasonably priced. Non-lead blocking systems exist that work perfectly well, and have been adopted by a large number of labs. There's really no reason to poison your town with lead wastes.

[Pete Hanlin]

I don't think there is a real need for alloy out there unless you are a wholesale lab doing a lot of glass. I would recommend the wax systems for most "superstore" or "in-office" labs. Just seems to me to be a better, less hazardous option!

One of the problems one of the chain labs that I supervised had was a constant problem with blocked up drainage pipes. After renting a snake for the third time in a year, I finally discovered it was the swarf (from Poly) that they were dumping down the drain every night! A nylon stretched over the appropriate drainage pipes was all that was needed to keep me from further dredgings.

Have you ever seen the Navy facility you mentioned? From the talk, I came away with the impression that it must be some facility!

[harry a saake]

One often overlooked item is you should have a planogram of all your msds materials, showing exactly where they are stored, and make sure all of the employees know it and sign that they know it. PS, make sure you dont store volatile materials near heat or electric.

[RT]

It wouldn't take much for poly swarf to clog a drain. Kinda reminds me of last year when my septic tank overflowed the night before Thanksgiving. The guy who came to pump the dump was all juiced at the thought of Thanksgiving. Seems that lots of people stick a whole turkey carcass down the garbage disposal and clog the drain, thus requiring his expertise. He was expecting to make a grand just on Thanksgiving!!! I guess some people just figure that there's some kind of magic going on down the drain!

Yep, I've been to the Navy lab. It looked like just another lab. Nothing special. But they take their waste disposal serious. You could get drawn and quartered for tossing a can of Right Guard in the trash in their locker room!