Lab Safety
UMass Lowell (UML) Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) office maintains a staff capable of supporting the ever growing campus research and facilities safety needs. The EHS department has a sub-section called "Lab Safety" dealing with the needs specific to laboratories on campus.
- Lab Safety Contacts
- Safety Alert: New Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulation on Methylene Chloride Use
- Lab Safety Training
- Facilities Lab Safety Training
- Risk Card Awareness and Instructions
- Labs Safety Forms
Lab Safety Contacts
If you have any questions, please contact:
- Kathi Lamond, Lab Safety Manager, Certified Industrial Hygienist
Phone: 978-934-2746
email: Kathi_Lamond@uml.edu - Maryam Babaei, Lab Safety Specialist
Phone: 978-934-4840
email: Maryam_Babaei@uml.edu
Email: hazardous_receiving@uml.edu to schedule / request a pick up of hazardous waste and/or delivery of hazardous waste containers.
Safety Alert: New EPA Regulation for Methylene Chloride Use
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) regulations, has determined that methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane, poses an unreasonable risk to human health and the environment. Under the Methylene Chloride; Regulation Under the Toxic Substances Control Act final rule (pdf), most commercial and consumer uses of methylene chloride are prohibited. There is an exemption for lab use if a Workplace Chemical Protection Plan (WCPP) is in place. Please see the EPA's Risk Management for Methylene Chloride page for more information.
EHS is currently conducting risk assessments for all lab groups who use this chemical (tracked through UML's Vertere chemical inventory system) and will be scheduling exposure monitoring for all those lab groups who must continue to use this chemical in research. If methylene chloride is no longer used, it must be disposed of as hazardous waste. Please email: hazardous_receiving@uml.edu or submit a Hazardous Materials pickup request to schedule a pickup. A less hazardous substitute is the best engineering control if methylene chloride must be used in your research. Please contact UML's Toxic Use Reduction Institute by phone: 978-934-3275 or email: info@turi.org for assistance with finding a less hazardous substitute. For further information on hazards and safety controls, please read the UML standard operating procedure for methylene chloride located on this webpage under Lab Safety Forms.
Lab Safety Training
Lab Safety Training is required initially and every year thereafter. Specific trainings are available upon request.
- Step 1: Complete training modules 1-4 with embedded quiz. Your results will automatically be emailed to ehs@uml.edu as well as the email you provided in the quiz.
- Step 2: Provide a copy of your results to your Principal Investigator as proof of being certified for Lab Safety Training.
- Step 3: Print a copy of your results (1st page is sufficient) and file in section 8 of your Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) Notebook.
- Step 4: Register your training through the EHS safety website. This is your landing page where you can see what trainings may or may not have expired. If you do not have an @uml.edu or @student.uml.edu email address, please log in with a Microsoft or Google account by clicking "I don't have a UMass Lowell (UML) account" when prompted.
- Step 5: Print the provided training certificate (from step 4) and file in your CHP Notebook (section 8).
online-lab-safety-modulesOnline Training Modules:
- Tutorial Video: Before starting, it is recommended that the tutorial video be watched as it describes how to properly navigate the training so content or questions are not missed:
- Module 1: Overview of EHS and the lab safety program and all associated functions including important locations and contacts.
- Module 2: Hazardous communication including review of the key labels, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Globally Harmonized System (GHS), Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and pictograms.
- Module 3: Lab Safety is the main module for understanding one's roles and responsibilities within the lab (reducing hazards, safety controls, proper handling and storage of hazardous materials, hazard identification, Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP), Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO), etc.).
- Module 4: Hazardous waste provides guidance on proper handling, categorizing, storing, and ultimately disposing of hazardous waste.
facilitiesFacilities Lab Safety Training
EHS, as a service to the university, provides facility awareness training as a right-to-know training for those who may enter a laboratory or any hazardous work environment. Facilities Lab Safety Training is required initially and every year thereafter if you are going to enter a lab unsupervised. If any questions or you would like an in-person training, email: Kathi_Lamond@uml.edu.
Complete training modules 1 - 3.
Online Facilities Lab Safety Training:
- Tutorial Video: Before starting, it is recommended that the tutorial video be watched as it describes how to properly navigate the training so content or questions are not missed:
- Module 1: Overview of EHS and the lab safety program and all associated functions including important locations and contacts.
- Module 2: Hazardous communication including review of the key labels, OSHA, GHS, SDS, and pictograms.
- Module 3: Lab Safety is the main module for understanding one's roles and responsibilities within the lab (risk card signs, entry procedures with risk card signs, safety controls, etc.).
riskcardRisk Card Awareness Information
EHS determines entryway into hazardous spaces, as such a door mounted risk card system is designed and implemented on campus to provide guidance and controls.
- Online risk information sign awareness module educates the UML community on our risk card sign system including topics such as how it is used on campus to communicate hazards and determine entry procedures.
- Risk information sign completion instructions allow Principal Investigators and facility space managers to properly identify the hazards within their spaces so EHS can assign a color and provide/post the sign.
- Risk Card Database is the online tool to track laboratories, hazards, PI's, and emergency contact information. This database will provide contacts to police for first response, facilities for the names of responsible party, and track associated hazards. To view the database, you must have UML credentials and have been provided access to the risk card database. To request access, email: EHS@uml.edu, include "risk card database access" in the email subject line, include your name, department, and reason for access in the body of the email.
Lab Safety Forms
- Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) (pdf)
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
- How to Wear N95 or N100 Respirator (docx)
- Lab Coat Program
- OSHA’s Laboratory Safety Guidance(pdf)
- Move-Out or Renovation Checklist (pdf)
- Lab Inspection Checklist (doc)
- Non-Hazardous Waste Determination Form (pdf)
- American Chemical Society (ACS) - Lab Safety
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chemical Reactivity Worksheet
- Satellite Accumulation Area (SAA) Inspection Checklist (pdf)
- General Safe Practice for Working with Engineered Nano-materials in Research Laboratories
- Emergency Eyewash Station Weekly Testing Form (pdf)
- Welding PPE Checklist Form (pdf)
- Saab Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (ETIC) Level 2 Safety Training (doc)