Title Page

  • Name of Lab:

  • Conducted on

  • Lab Room and office room:

  • Gas cylinder room:

  • Instrument room:

General Safety

  • Are up-to-date Chemical hazard signs posted on doors leading to rooms with hazardous chemicals (need to be updated annually)?

  • If biohazards or radioactive materials (including naturally occurring) are used, are required permits in place (need to be posted at the lab door)?

  • No food or drink present in lab space

  • Is any other appropriate additional safety signage posted where necessary? (e.g. X-ray, laser rooms)

  • Is a monthly safety self-inspection checklist posted and completed?

  • Are safety inspection records kept and maintained?

  • Is the SFU Laboratory Safety manual and the SFU Hazardous Chemical Storage Manual available? (Do people know where to find it?)

  • If biohazards or radioactive materials (including natural occurring) are used, are required permits in place?

  • Are personnel aware of who the safety committee members are in their area?

  • Are incident report forms being submitted for each incident?

  • Has the occupant or staff nearby reported/identified any recent water leaks or other items that require maintenance?

  • Does your lab have a checklist on the door to go through if you are the last one in the lab? E.g. walk through lab, turn off hot plates, turn off water taps, etc.

Training

  • Have all personnel attended the relevant EHS lab safety training sessions? Is it documented? <br> EHS Laboratory Safety Training<br> EHS Safety Essentials <br> EHS Biosafety <br> PHAC module: General Safety for Containment Labs (anyone listed on any biosafety permit)<br>

  • Have lab-specific safety procedures been discussed with personnel? Eg concerning specific instruments

Emergency & Fire

  • Are campus emergency numbers posted by the phone?

  • Is there a first aid kit, and if so, a mechanism to track its use and keep it stocked?

  • Have the personnel been trained on how to use a chemical spill kit? And is it appropriately stocked? (Should include absorbent material, sealable plastic bas, PPE, etc.)

  • Have the safety showers and eyewash stations been inspected and tested monthly?

  • Are emergency safety showers and eyewash stations available, and are the areas around them unobstructed?

  • Are personnel familiar with the emergency evacuation plan, including egress routes, pull stations, extinguisher locations and assembly points?

  • Are emergency exit signs functional (i.e., not burnt out)?

  • Has the fire extinguisher been inspected within the last year?

  • Is the fire extinguisher accessible and the seal intact?

  • Do sprinkler heads have a minimum clearance of 18 inches? (no storage less than 18 inches directly under sprinkler head)

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

  • Are lab coats available and worn when working in lab and stored separately from personal clothing, jackets, backpacks etc?

  • Are safety glasses/goggles and face shields available and worn when working with hazards such as caustics, corrosives, UV radiation, cryogenic liquids, infectious materials, glass, lasers, machine tools, etc.?

  • Are appropriate protective gloves available and worn when skin contact is a risk?

  • Is fully enclosed footwear worn inside the lab?

  • Are respirators being used? If yes, are they being stored properly? Are the respirator fit test records available?

Housekeeping

  • Are all aisles and doorways clear of materials and equipment?

  • Are office/work areas kept separate from laboratory areas?

  • Are fridges, benches and sinks reasonably clean and uncluttered?

  • Are supplies and materials stored properly on shelves i.e. heavier material stored on lower shelves?

  • Are racks and shelving properly installed and in good condition? **Before inspection day: Check brackets supporting shelves for signs of rust or breakage.**

Fume hoods

  • Are the fume hoods tested annually, with a sticker to show the date last tested?

  • Are fume hood sashes at recommended height?

  • Is the airflow monitor (if available) in the fume hood functioning? (test by raising the sash if safe to do so)

  • Are fume hoods clean, uncluttered, and not used for storage to ensure good airflow?

  • Is the front 15 cm of the hood clear?

  • Are fume hoods used for storage labeled and ONLY used for storage?

  • Does your lab use any of the following: perchloric acid, HF, sodium azide, or pyrophoric compounds? If yes, what safety measures in place?

Chemical Storage and Handling Safety

  • Is a hazardous materials inventory maintained? (State date of last inventory update.)

  • Are you aware of all the 'high hazard' chemicals in your lab, and are they in the chemical inventory?

  • Are SDSs available, up-to-date and accessible for all chemicals in use? (can have either available online or printed paper copies that must be updated every 3 years)

  • Are all chemical containers legibly labeled for contents and hazard (WHMIS)? <br>Research samples must also be labeled with an identifier that allows others to look it up in the researcher's notebook. Samples with long-term storage must be clearly identified with the experiment number and structure/names.

  • Is secondary containment used when storing hazardous liquid chemicals in refrigerators, freezers and cabinets? (plastic trays)

  • Are chemicals stored according to compatibility (oxidizers separated from flammables)?

  • Are flammable materials stored in closed containers and in approved flammable storage cabinets or refrigerators?

  • Are amounts of flammables and corrosives stored kept to a minimum?

  • Are flammable liquids heated safely with proper equipment? (e.g. not using an oil bath, or not directly on a hot plate in a beaker. Steam baths, salt, and sand baths, beads baths, heating mantles, and hot air are preferable.)

  • Are peroxide-forming compounds (e.g. ethers, isopropanol) labelled and dated when opened and not stored in direct sunlight?

  • Have peroxide-forming compounds been tested every 3-6 months for peroxide formation as per SFU protocols?

  • Are safe transportation procedures and equipment used for chemicals where necessary? (e.g. chemical carriers)

  • Are separate waste receptacles for chemicals, sharps, glass, biohazards, and radioactive materials available and used?

  • Do personnel know how to request disposal for hazardous materials? Have hazardous wastes produced in an area been identified, appropriately packaged and controlled?

  • Are waste containers filled only 75%, labeled for contents/hazards, and capped?

  • Are expired chemicals, after being reviewed by the PI, disposed of?

Equipment and Compressed Gases

  • Are procedures and equipment posing potential hazards identified, and have safe work procedures been developed to mitigate the hazards?

  • Are the operator and service manuals available for the equipment? Are emergency stop buttons operational? Do centrifuges have an interlocked lid, cover, system?

  • Are vacuum pumps installed and used appropriately? <br> Are exhausted to the outside (e.g., through the fume hood) <br> Oil-lubricated pumps are equipped with an oil mist filter<br> Used with cold trap(s) and/or other appropriate inlet trap to prevent contaminants from getting into pump oil and exhaust <br> Oil is regularly inspected for signs of contamination and changed when needed<br> Used with a tray underneath the vacuum pump to catch oil leaks  Does not have any oil leaks/spills

  • Do moving parts have guards installed (e.g. belt-drive vacuum pumps)?

  • Do vacuum pumps have cold traps to prevent volatile substances from getting into pump oil, or do they have a provision to purge pump?

  • Are compressed gas cylinders appropriately secured to a wall or bench with two points of contact with two chains, properly capped or regulated, stored upright (especially corrosive gases), and kept away from doors and electrical outlets?

  • Is a hand cart available for moving gas cylinders? The cart must have at least 4 wheels.

  • Are Dewar flasks and vacuum desiccators taped or guarded? Look for any rusty dewars - more accidents than usual lately.

  • Are all plastic and rubber tubes and hoses in good condition, with connections secured with wire or clamps to prevent accidental releases of hazardous materials?

  • Are any mercury thermometers still in use in the lab? If yes, contact EHS for disposal and replace it with the mercury-free alternative.

  • If an internal combustion engine is present, is maintenance and ventilation of the room verified and documented?

Electrical Safety

  • Do all appliances have 3-pronged plugs for grounding?

  • Extension cords and power bars not excessively loaded?

  • Are power bars used appropriately: <br> One power bar can be directly plugged into a wall outlet or through a single extension cord into an outlet. It is not ok to plug one power bar into another power bar (no daisy chaining) <br> power bars cannot be plugged into extension cords<br> 12 outlet power bars must not be used<br>

  • Are cord guards used when electrical cords pass through walls, doors, ceilings, or across floors? (otherwise not acceptable)

  • Are all wires and plugs on equipment in lab in good condition?

  • Are cables and cords secured to prevent a tripping hazard?

  • Are all panels and covers in place on electrical equipment?

  • Does electrical equipment have appropriate safety labeling present? (e.g., CSA certification)

  • Are there no acids or flammables in close contact with electrical ignition sources?

Additional Comments

  • Have the deficiencies from previous safety inspections been addressed?

  • Any additional comments?

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