For the past 14 years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has mandated the protection of laboratory workers from hazardous chemicals and bloodborne pathogens. Laboratory policies and procedures must protect each worker on a daily basis. The latest document OSHA Compliance Officers use to determine compliance is CPL 2-2.69. Laboratory managers can also check the OSHA website at http://www.osha.gov on a regular basis for the latest requirements. This article includes a discussion of engineering controls, work practice controls, and personal protective equipment. Safety needles and single-use needle holders are OSHA-required engineering controls that have been mandated by law. Work practice controls include controlling ergonomic risk factors to improve employee comfort, productivity, and job satisfaction, and lowering workers compensation costs. Many of the ergonomic factors inherent in the laboratory can be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site at http://www.cdc.gov/od/ohs/Ergonomics/labergo.htm. The latest information on fabric needed for lab coats is included with a extensive discussion of the fabric tests (water repellency, Suter hydrostatic pressure, break test, soil release, and air permeability) used by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), which OSHA mentions in its compliance document 2-2.69.
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