Particularly hazardous substances (PHS) require additional planning and considerations. A description of particularly hazardous substances is available from the Occuptional Safety and Health (OSHA) website here. Consult the safety data sheet to determine whether a particular chemical may be considered a carcinogen, reproductive hazard or substance with a high acute toxicity and therefore identified as a PHS.
The OSHA Laboratory Standard defines particularly hazardous substances as:
Carcinogens – A carcinogen is a substance capable of causing cancer. Carcinogens are chronically toxic substances; that is, they cause damage after repeated or long-duration exposure, and their effects may become evident only after a long latency period. A chemical is considered a carcinogen if it is included in any of the following carcinogen lists:
Reproductive Toxins – Reproductive toxins are substances that have adverse effects on various aspects of reproduction, including fertility, gestation, lactation, and general reproductive performance. When a pregnant woman is exposed to a chemical, the fetus may be exposed as well because the placenta is an extremely poor barrier to chemicals. Reproductive toxins can affect both men and women. Male reproductive toxins can in some cases lead to sterility.
Substances with a High Acute Toxicity – High acute toxicity includes any chemical that falls within any of the following OSHA-defined categories:
Laboratory workers planning to use a particularly hazardous substance must first receive explicit written approval from their Principal Investigator and/or Chemical Hygiene Officer, per the Departmental Chemical Hygiene Plan. The following steps must be taken:
1. Laboratory workers must complete a Particularly Hazardous Substance Use Approval form. Information required on the form includes:
2. The laboratory worker submits the form to the Chemical Hygiene Officer and/or Principal Investigator and receives approval.
3. The area where the PHS will be used is posted as a designated area. Signs for this purpose are available through EHS or may be made by the department or laboratory worker, as long as it includes the following information:
4. The laboratory worker proceeds with the experiment, following the practices outlined in the Particularly Hazardous Substance Use Approval form, as well as the appropriate work practices included in the remainder of the Safe Work Practices and Procedures section of this manual. All work is conducted within the Designated Area.
5. The laboratory worker decontaminates all equipment and disposes of waste promptly, as outlined in the Particularly Hazardous Substance Use Approval form.
The increased hazard risk associated with Particularly Hazardous Substances (PHS) calls for more strict operating procedures in the laboratory: