WHS17 - STEM/FII Laboratory Inspection

Audit Information

• Conducted on

  Date

• Prepared by

• Location
  Address

Administrative & Miscellaneous

• Have the current corrective actions been reviewed for this lab prior to commencing this inspection?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are records kept of trained equipment operators?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are records kept of equipment maintenance and servicing/testing of equipment?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are all gas taps labelled appropriately?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are the safety showers and eye wash stations being tested monthly?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the signage on the lab door correct, adequate and up to date?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is work with open flames in the lab (eg. Bunsen burners) appropriately controlled and risk assessed?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Housekeeping

• Are floors clean, dry, and free from slip/trip hazards?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the workplace free from accumulation of equipment, redundant chemicals, boxes, contaminated waste or rubbish?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is shelving stable, free of extraneous material and not too high?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are walkways, exits and corridors free of obstruction?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are chemical storage facilities in good condition?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are suitable trolleys, lifters and steps available for the tasks performed in this lab? If yes, are they free from wear and damage?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Fire

• Are all fire extinguishers/equipment suitable, appropriately located, mounted and identified?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Have all fire extinguishers been checked within the last 6 months?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Have fire hose reels (if present in the lab) been checked within the last 6 months?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Visually, do the fire sprinklers and/or detector heads appear free from damage and obstruction (i.e. items that could restrict water spraying from sprinklers)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Exits

• Are exit signs illuminated and clearly visible?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are all exit doors unlocked?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Environmental

• Are all chemical waste containers appropriately labelled with Class Diamonds?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is chemical liquid waste segregated and stored correctly bunded away from drains?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the sink in the lab in good working order (condition, drainage etc)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are all lights working & lighting levels suitable for tasks?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is ventilation adequate?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are there acceptable atmospheric contamination levels (fumes, dust, vapours)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Chemical safety

• Are chemicals used and/or stored in this laboratory?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are there any flammable solids (Class 4.1) or substances that are liable to spontaneously combust (Class 4.2) in the lab? If yes, are they labelled appropriately with opening and expiry date? Please identify using Chemwatch and clearly identify with coloured stickers.<br>

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Has the annual chemical stocktake for this lab area been completed in the last 12 months? (All chemicals in the lab MUST be present in the Chemwatch manifest)

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are all chemicals and samples in the lab correctly labelled with legible chemical name, date and owner?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are chemicals stored in compatible containers?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are all chemicals located in storage areas compatible? (ChemWatch GoldFFX Incompatibility Report filter can assist)

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are stored chemicals bunded and not near drains?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the base section (bund) of chemical cabinets free of stored chemicals?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the area free of any leakage of hazardous chemicals?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is storage of chemicals in fume cupboards avoided?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are refrigerators in laboratory environments free of any foods, drinks or other human consumables?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are only compliant purpose built liquid nitrogen dewars used in this lab (no modified thermos' or plastic containers)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Have all small (<30L) pressurised liquid nitrogen dewars in the lab been inspected for signs of external damage and ice build-up? (any identified concerns please contact the FII Technical Team immediately)

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Flammable liquids

• Are there flammable liquids stored in this laboratory?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are solvents stored in appropriate containers?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are solvents separated from corrosives?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are appropriate warning signs placed on the flammables cabinet?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are dry powder fire extinguishers accessible?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are flammables, if kept in refrigeration, only stored in suitable purpose-built laboratory fridges or freezers (not in domestic fridges)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Compressed gas cylinders

• Are there any compressed gas cylinders located in this laboratory?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are cylinders secured by brackets or chains?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is the gas name/label on the shoulder of each cylinder clearly legible?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are fuel gas cylinders (eg. hydrogen, acetylene) separated from oxidising gas cylinders by a minimum of 3m (connection to connection)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are gas cylinder regulators and manifolds free from damage and functioning correctly?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are empty cylinders separate from full cylinders & clearly identified?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are flammable gas (i.e. Class 2.1 acetylene) cylinders that are not in use stored outside of the building?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are gas cylinder valves closed when not in use?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Does testing for gas leaks occur when regulators are connected to the gas cylinders?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are all gas cylinders stored in a well ventilated area?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Fume cupboards

• Are there fume cupboards located in this laboratory?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are electrical service outlets (i.e. power points; power boards) located outside of the fume hood?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are emergency isolators accessible for electrical & gas and are they clearly marked?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are there warning signs indicating a maximum of 2.5 litres of flammable liquid in the fume hood at any given time?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are fume scrubbers installed where appropriate?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are fire extinguishers located within 4 metres of fume cupboard?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are the fume cupboards regularly tested, including for a face velocity of 0.5 metres per second?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are fume cupboards and surrounds kept tidy with no disturbances to airflow?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Biological safety

• Is there biological work conducted in this laboratory?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are contaminated waste procedures developed & implemented?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are sharps (needles, syringes, pipettes, scalpels, razors, etc) stored appropriately?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are risk group category and containment procedures in place & adhered to?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are disposable gloves available & used when specimens are handled?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is appropriate decontamination of work surfaces in practice?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are recombinant DNA project work assessed and certified by the University’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) & by the Human Research Ethics Committee (if needed)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are recombinant DNA laboratory areas inspected and certified by the University’s Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is aerosol production minimised & contained?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Radiation safety

• Is work with radioactive materials conducted in this laboratory?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are specific areas designated for radiation procedures?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is appropriate monitoring equipment readily available and operational?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are personal monitoring procedures in place?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is adequate & sufficient shielding provided?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is radioactive material securely stored?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are absorbent materials available to contain spills?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are radioactive waste/storage procedures in place?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Electrical installations

• Is in-service inspection, testing & tagging of portable electrical equipment done in accordance with the procedure for Electrical Equipment Inspection and Testing?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are adequate power points available, unobstructed and in good condition?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are power leads in good condition, no trip hazards?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are circuit breakers & main isolators clearly marked?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are temporary wiring and piggyback adaptors avoided? AND are excessive use of extension cords and powerboards avoided?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• If power boards are being used, are they of high quality possessing individual switches for each plug and are they surge protected?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Have all hotplate power cables been set-up correctly and mounted in a way that will prevent them from contacting the hotplate surface?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is an appropriate fire extinguisher (ie. CO2 or dry powder), adjacent to any electrical switchboards in the area?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Have electrical ignition sources been controlled in flammable environments (eg intrinsically safe fittings/equipment)?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Machinery & Equipment

• Are operating instructions/safety signs adequate & clear?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are emergency stop switches accessible and red in colour?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Have machine & equipment interlock/E-Stop test records been sighted?<br>

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are moving parts, belt drives, shafts, fans appropriately guarded?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are machines & equipment free from obstruction?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is there adequate distance between machines & equipment to allow good ventilation and servicing?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Personal Protective Equipment PPE

• Is all correct PPE readily available when required?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Is PPE stored and maintained correctly?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

First Aid

• Are there trained first aid personnel?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are first aid personnel identifiable?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are there first aid kits available and adequately stocked for the types of hazards and level of risk ie chemical burns?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Have the first aid kit contents and expiry dates been checked against the WHS10 first aid kit form in the past 12 months? If you need any assistance please contact the Technical Team.

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Emergency procedures

• Have emergency procedures been established for specific hazardous circumstances including spills?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are lab users aware of response procedures for minor and major spills and is there an adequate and suitably stocked spill kit available in the lab for the types of spills anticipated?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are emergency plans and contact numbers displayed?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

• Are Chemwatch manifests and UniSA Emergency Response Booklets available in accessible areas for staff, students and emergency personnel?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Alarms and Testing

• Is a local response protocol in place for specialised alarms, eg: O2 depletion; CO2?

  Yes

  No

  N/A

Miscellaneous

• Has this inspection checklist covered all WHS questions required for this laboratory? If No, please type what has been missed

  Yes

  No

  N/A