8/10/2001 - Chemical Hygiene Officer

The purpose of this alert is to improve our system for addressing health and safety issues in labs by asking each PI and Lab Supervisor to designate a Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO) for his/her labs.

The role of the CHO is to coordinate the proper storage, handling and disposal of chemicals within the lab(s). Environmental Services will work directly with the CHO on issues related to chemical safety. For example, when we audit a lab, we will ask to speak with the CHO and will discuss any deficiencies with him/her. We will add the CHO to our mailing list, for all mailings related to chemical safety. In addition, in the event of an EPA inspection, we will ask the CHO to field questions about practices in the lab.

The CHO should be familiar with the day-to-day operations of the lab. A PI can serve as the CHO, or can delegate the responsibility to another person, such as a post-doc or a research technician. If a PI has labs in different locations, a CHO should be designated for each area. In order to designate a CHO, please send the following information to Gerry Griffin, Environmental Services, GH-C-117 or return it to her by e-mail:

• PI's name
• PI's e-mail
• Chemical Hygiene Officer's name
• Chemical Hygiene Officer's phone #
• Chemical Hygiene Officer's e-mail
• Chemical Hygiene Officer's job title
• Lab Address(es)

If we do not receive a response, we will assume the PI intends to serve as the CHO for his/her labs.