Control and Prevention

The following references provide information about the control and prevention of chemical reactivity hazards, including laboratory safeguards.

• New Measures Adopted to Prevent Chemical Accidents for Improved Community Safety. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) News Release, (August 5, 2003). Announces the expansion of New Jersey's Toxic Catastrophe Prevention Act (TCPA) program to provide greater protection for residents living near industrial facilities.
• Guidelines for Process Safety in Batch Reaction Systems. American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS). New York: Wiley-AIChE, 1999. Identifies the singular concerns of batch reaction systems including potential sources of unsafe conditions. Provides a "how-to" guide for the practicing engineer in dealing with them by applying appropriate practices to prevent accidents.
• Guidelines for Safe Storage and Handling of Reactive Materials. American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS). New York: Wiley-AIChE, 1995. Offers guidelines that can significantly reduce the risk or mitigate the severity of accidents associated with storing and handling reactive materials.
• Remediation Technology Screening Matrix (RTSM) and Reference Guide, Version 4.0. U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and other Federal Agencies participating in the Federal Remediation Technologies Roundtable (FRTR), (January 2002).
  • Chemical Reduction/Oxidization. Describes the unique hazards associated with reduction/oxidization including physical, chemical, radiological, and biological hazards. Also offers effective control methods.
• For additional information, see OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Pages on:
  • Chemical Hazards and Toxic Substances
  • Hazard Communication
  • Laboratories
  • Process Safety Management

Responding to hazardous chemical releases

Employers whose workers will be involved in emergency response operations for releases of, or substantial threats of releases of, hazardous substances regardless of the location of the hazard must comply with OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) standard, 29 CFR 1910.120. This may include emergency response following an earthquake. Instruction CPL 02-02-073 describes OSHA enforcement procedures under the relevant provisions of the HAZWOPER standard.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has promulgated a standard applying OSHA’s HAZWOPER standard to state and local government workers in states where there is no OSHA-approved State Plan. See 40 CFR Part 311.

OSHA’s HAZWOPER Safety and Health Topics page explains requirements of the OSHA HAZWOPER standard, including required worker training.