Chemical Safety

Summer in Seattle means hiking, biking, kayaking and ... lab work. Yes, many of us spend gorgeous summer days working in the lab. While it's fine to wear shorts, skirts, sandals or flip flops outside, wearing these items in the lab can expose you to hazards. Proper lab attire ensures your skin is covered and protected.

Even if you aren't working with hazardous materials that day, your coworker might be, so always dress to protect yourself. We recommend keeping an appropriate change of clothes and shoes in the lab so you are never without the right gear.

Why should labs have a standard operating procedure (SOP) for a chemical when the manufacturer safety data sheet (SDS) is available? Both documents are required in the lab and offer different types of important information about a chemical.

Use the SOPs versus SDSs Focus Sheet to understand the types of information provided by each document and how to effectively use them as part of your laboratory’s chemical hygiene plan.

Chemical waste generators will soon have a new, faster way to submit a Routine Chemical Waste Collection Request. 

Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) is in the process of adding QR codes on all routine waste carboys to make submitting a collection request quick and easy: 

1. Scan the QR code on the carboy. 

Most Environmental Health & Safety teams relocated to the new Gateway building above the Sound Transit Link light rail station on Brooklyn Avenue NE between NE 45th and 43rd Streets.

Programs and services that moved include:

Have you reviewed your full chemical inventory in MyChem this year?

Even if you have been adding to and deleting items from your inventory, you will still need to attest to a full review of the inventory by clicking the Review Inventory button at the top of the list.

Annual review