Hazard

Pharmacy staff exposure to hazardous drugs during storage.

Recognized Controls and Work Practices

• Limit access to areas where hazardous drugs are prepared and stored to authorized personnel only, with signs restricting entry.
• Design bins or shelves, in areas where hazardous drugs are stored, to prevent breakage and to limit contamination in the event of leakage. For example, design bins with barrier fronts or other design features that reduce the chance of drug containers falling to the floor.
• Apply warning labels to all hazardous drug containers, shelves, and bins, where these containers are stored.
• The American Society of Hospital Pharmacists (ASHP) recommends that hazardous drugs be stored separately from non-hazardous drugs and in individual bins designed to prevent breakage and contain leakage.

Additional Information

• Hazardous Drugs – Handling in Healthcare: USP General Chapter 800. United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP).
• Controlling Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Drugs (Section IV, C). OSHA Safety and Health Topics Page.