Chemical Hygiene Nightmare

[Fred Boyd, Ph.D.]

Call for NetHelp!!

The University of Minnesota has just told all laboratories that we must
generate a "Chemical Hygiene Plan" lest we be in grave peril, i.e. we would
no longer be able to submit grant proposals.  The minimal elements of this
plan include a chemical inventory, accompanying MSDSs (of course), and
Standard Operating Plans which include hazard notes for all our routine
procedures.  If each investigator complied with these regulations countless
scientist-years would be spent figuring out whether to do phenol/chloroform
extractions in the fume hoods.  It seems that a modular approach (standard
plans for molecular biology labs, histology labs, tissue culture labs,
etc.) would save tremendous duplication of effort.  Sort of a Maniatis with
MSDS/hazard info.

My questions:
1)  How are other institutions complying with these requirements?

2)  Is there a modular collection of operating procedures which
incorporates hazard info?  Is anything like this online?

3)  How might such a modular project be coordinated over Internet?  Anyone
want to do a great service to the research community?

-- 
Fred Boyd, Ph.D.                  Voice- 612-624-8150
Lab. Med. Path.                   Fax- 612-616-2444
Cell Biol. Neuro.                 Lab- 612-624-8154
Box 609, UMHC   
University of Minnesota           E-Mail  fredboyd at bmec.micro.umn.edu
Minneapolis, MN   55455