A Systematic Tool For The Evaluation Of Hazards In Laboratory Operations (And Other Stuff)
Regulatory management of hazardous chemicals and operations, such as OSHA Process Hazard Analysis, EPA Risk Management Planning, EU REACH, etc. provide a solid framework for the evaluation, control and mitigation of the risks associated with these operations. Unfortunately, these methods often require specialized subject matter experts and are often too costly, too expensive, too manpower intensive, too time consuming and too complex for most laboratory scale operations. In addition, the pace of research, the ability to screen multiple materials of varying hazards and the desire to change the scope of projects based on discovered data make using complex hazard assessment tools difficult. This can lead to researchers focusing on only hazards they are familiar with or, worse, not conducting thorough hazard assessments at all.
The Arkema King of Prussia Research & Development Center faces the same issues when conducting research. We have developed a systematic tool for the identification of hazards and have incorporated it into our process safety review methodology, which will be shared during the presentation. This methodology can be used outside of the workplace for the evaluation of hazards as well.