Promoting Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security in Developing Countries

Promoting Chemical Laboratory Safety
and Security in Developing Countries
Committee on Promoting Safe and Secure Chemical Management in

Developing Countries
Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
Division on Earth and Life Studies

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Govern-
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councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineer-
ing, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for
the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropri-
ate balance.
This study was funded under grant number S-LMAQM-08-CA-140 from the United
States Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein
are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States
Department of State.
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the National Research Council.
www.national-academies.org
Committee on promoting Safe and secure
chemical management in developing countries
Ned D. Heindel (Chair) Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

Charles Barton, Independent Consultant, San Ramone, CA
Janet S. Baum, Independent Consultant, University City, MO
Apurba Bhattacharya, Texas A&M University, Kingsville
Charles P. Casey, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Mark C. Cesa, INEOS USA, LLC, Naperville, IL
M. Iqbal Choudhary, University of Karachi, Pakistan
Robert H. Hill, Battelle Memorial Institute, Atlanta, GA
Robin M. Izzo, Princeton University, NJ
Russell W. Phifer, WC Environmental, LLC, West Chester, PA
Mildred Z. Solomon, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
James M. Solyst, ENVIRON, Arlington, VA
Usha Wright, O’Brien & Gere, Syracuse, NY
Patrick J. Y. Lim, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
Staff
Dorothy Zolandz, Director, Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
Kathryn Hughes, Program Officer
Tina M. Masciangioli, Responsible Staff Officer
Sheena Siddiqui, Research Assistant
Jessica Pullen, Administrative Coordinator, through May 2010
Lynelle Vidale, Senior Program Assistant, through March 2010
Norman Grossblatt, Senior Editor

Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
Ryan R. Dirkx, (Co-chair), Arkema, Inc., King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

C. Dale Poulter, (Co-chair), University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Zhenan Bao, Stanford University, California
Robert G. Bergman, University of California, Berkeley
Henry Bryndza, E. I. Du Pont De Nemours & Company, Wilmington,
Delaware
Emily Carter, Princeton University, New Jersey
Pablo G. Debenedetti, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
Carol J. Henry, George Washington University School of Public Health
and Health Services, Washington, District of Columbia
Charles E. Kolb, Aerodyne Research, Inc, Billerica, Massachusetts
Josef Michl, University of Colorado, Boulder
Mark A. Ratner, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Robert E. Roberts, Institute for Defense Analyses, Washington, District of
Columbia
Darlene Solomon, Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, California
Erik J. Sorensen, Princeton University, New Jersey
William C. Trogler, University of California, San Diego
Staff
Dorothy Zolandz, Director
Amanda Cline, Administrative Assistant
Kathryn Hughes, Program Officer
Tina M. Masciangioli, Senior Program Officer
Ericka M. McGowan, Program Officer
Sheena Siddiqui, Research Assistant
vi
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their
diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures
approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee.
The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical
comments that will assist the institution in making the published report
as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets institutional standards of
objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review
comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity
of the deliberative process. We thank the following for their review of the
report:
Asad Abidi, University of California, Los Angeles

Mukund Chorghade, Chorghade Enterprises, Natick, Massachusetts
Peter Dorhout, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Kenneth Fivizzani, Independent Consultant, Naperville, Illinois
Alastair Hay, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Claude Lucchesi, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Richard Niemeier, National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
Khalil Qureshi, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan
Elsa Reichmanis, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
Carolyn Ribes, Dow Benelux B.V., Terneuzen, Belgium
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive com-

ments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or
vii
viii ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF REVIEWERS
recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its
release. The review of the report was overseen by R. Stephen Berry, Univer-
sity of Chicago, Illinois, and Jeffrey I. Steinfeld, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge. Appointed by the National Research Council, they
were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of the
report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that
all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final
content of the report rests entirely with the authors and the institution.
About This Study
There is growing concern about the possible use of toxic industrial

chemicals or other hazardous chemicals by those seeking to perpetrate
acts of terrorism. The U.S. Chemical Security Engagement Program (CSP),
funded by the U.S. Department of State and run by Sandia National Labo-
ratories, seeks to develop and facilitate cooperative international activities
that promote best practices in chemical security and safe management of
toxic chemicals, including
• partnering with host governments, chemical professionals, and

industry to assess and fill gaps in chemical security abroad;
• providing technical expertise and training to improve best practices
in security and safety among chemical professionals and industry;
• increasing transparency and accountability for dangerous chemical
materials, expertise, and technologies; and
• providing opportunities for collaboration with the international
professional chemical community.
The Department of State called on the National Academies to assist

in the CSP’s efforts to promote chemical safety and security in developing
countries. More specifically, the National Research Council was asked to
perform two main tasks focused on laboratory-scale activities.
See Appendix A for the full statement of task.
ix
ABOUT THIS STUDY
1. Examine the dual-use risks posed by toxic industrial chemicals and

other hazardous chemicals in developing countries, particularly in regions
where terrorism is on the rise.
2. Provide guidance and produce educational materials on a baseline
of practices in the handling and storage of hazardous chemicals required to
promote safety and security in their use in the developing world.
This report addresses these two tasks: the educational materials de-
scribed will be delivered to the sponsors separately from this report. The
educational materials will be based on material generated by this current
study (mainly Chapters 3 and 4) and derived from the forthcoming revised
edition of Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management
of Chemical Hazards (The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.,
2010). Those materials will be produced upon completion of the current
report, and are meant to be used by CSP and similar organizations that are
engaged in chemical laboratory safety and security outreach in developing
countries. The NRC plans to seek assistance from other organizations such
as the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the Organiza-
tion for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and the Academy of Sciences
for the Developing World (TWAS) to review, co-brand, and distribute the
materials. The materials will be distributed in print and electronic format,
and will be translated into Arabic, French, and Indonesian.
Appointed by the National Research Council, the Committee on Pro-
moting Safe and Secure Chemical Management in Developing Countries
was convened to carry out the task. The 14 expert committee members rep-
resent the fields of chemical safety, chemical security, chemical management,
environmental health and safety, international chemical exchanges and
scientific affairs, organic and pharmaceutical chemistry, industrial hygiene
and safety, biological safety and security, toxicology, laboratory design and
safety, education and behavioral change, and basic chemical synthesis. They
have experience in industrial and academic laboratory-scale activities, and
they include researchers who have firsthand experience with the conduct of
chemical research in developing countries. The committee held four meet-
ings, three of which included data-gathering sessions.
The committee would especially like to acknowledge the two interna-
tional members of the committee, Iqbal Choudhary of Pakistan and Patrick
Lim of the Philippines, who traveled very long distances and crossed many
time zones to attend the committee meetings. It also thanks the three inter-
national guest speakers who made long journeys from developing countries
to one of our data-gathering meetings and provided invaluable insight to
the committee:
See Appendix C for committee member and guest speaker biographical information.
ABOUT THIS STUDY xi
Supawan Tantayanon, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

Engida Temechegn, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Khalid Temsamani, University Abdelmalek Essaadi, Tétouan,
Morocco
In addition, we thank Mohammad El-Khateeb of Jordan University of Sci-

ence and Technology, who joined one meeting via video conference; and
Alastair Hay of the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, and Richard W.
Niemeier of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health,
Cincinnati, Ohio, who had shorter journeys but provided no less valuable
insights to the committee.
The committee hopes this report will serve the needs of the Department
of State and the CSP and the chemical safety and security needs of the larger
international chemistry community.
The Committee on Promoting Safe and Secure

Chemical Management in Developing Countries
Abbreviations
ACC American Chemistry Council

ACS American Chemical Society
AIHA American Industrial Hygiene Association
ASSE American Society of Safety Engineers
BCSP Board of Certified Safety Professionals
CCS ACS Committee on Chemical Safety
CHAS ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
CHO Certified Chemical Hygiene Officer
CIH Certified Industrial Hygienist
COC Chemical of Concern
CSHEMA Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management
Association
CSJ Chemical Society of Japan
CSO Chemical Safety Officer
CSP Chemical Security Engagement Program
CWC Chemical Weapons Convention
FACS Federation of Asian Chemical Societies
FASC Federation of African Societies of Chemistry
IAC ACS Committee on International Activities
ICCA International Council of Chemical Associations
IPCS International Program on Chemical Safety
IUPAC International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
IYC 2011 International Year of Chemistry 2011
xiii
xiv ABBREVIATIONS
MSDS Materials Safety Data Sheet

NAO National adhering organizations
NCGC National Core Group in Chemistry
NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development
OPCW Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
PacifiChem International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin
Societies
PPE Personal protective equipment
RCSC Responsible Care® Security Code
REACH Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction
of Chemical Substances
SAICM Strategic Approach to International Chemicals
Management
SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
SOP Safe Operating Procedure
SVA Security Vulnerability Assessment
UNESCO U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
Contents
Summary and Recommendations 1
1 Current Patterns of Procurement, Use, and Distribution of

Chemicals in Developing Countries 17
The Global Business of Chemistry, 18
Chemical Supply, 20
Chemical Distribution, 22
Laboratory-Scale Use of Chemicals, 26
2 Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security Outreach in

Developing Countries 27
Expanding Current CSP Partnerships, 28
Potential New Organizational Relationships and Approaches to
Outreach in Developing Countries, 33
Additional Considerations for Enhancing Safety and
Security Training, 37
3 Guidelines for Establishing a Laboratory Chemicals Safety and

Security Program 41
Whose Job Is It? Responsibility for Laboratory
Safety and Security, 41
10 Steps to Establish an Effective Chemical Laboratory
Safety and Security Program, 43
xv
xvi CONTENTS
Special Concerns, 47
Guidelines for Facility Access and Use, 48
Procedures for Managing and Working with Chemicals of
Concern, 52
4 Compliance with Safety and Security Rules, Programs, and

Policies 61
Components of a Good Compliance System, 61
Approaches to Fostering Compliance, 65
Appendixes
A Statement of Task 69
B Meeting Agenda 71
C Committee and Guest Speaker Information 75
D Examples of Chemicals of Concern 85
E Sample Safety, Health, and Environment Policy Statement 95
F Sample Forms for Chemical Handling and Management 97
G Compliance Forms 105
Summary and Recommendations
International chemical security has historically focused on chemicals con-

trolled by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), as well as explo-
sives, flammables, and chemicals used for production of illicit drugs. In the
last 20 years, however, there has been growing concern about the use of
toxic industrial chemicals and other hazardous chemicals by those seek-
ing to perpetrate acts of terrorism; such chemicals are commonly known
as dual-use or multiple-use chemicals. The 1995 sarin attack by the Aum
Shinrikyo cult brought to light the potentially devastating outcome of the
diversion and use of chemicals for malevolent purposes. Many other inci-
dents have occurred involving intentional releases of hazardous chemicals
with significance to public health and safety.
In this report, the term chemicals of concern (COC) is used to describe
all those laboratory chemicals that pose a high risk to safety and security
and include
See Appendix Table D-1 for an example list of Chemical Weapons Convention chemi-
cals, and see the U.S. Chemical Weapons Convention Web site at www.cwc.gov for further
information.
For more information, see Hauschild, V.D., and G.M. Bratt. Prioritizing industrial chemical
hazards. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A 68(2005):857:876.

For an excellent review, see M.M. Patel, J.G. Schier, and M.G. Belson. Recognition of illness
associated with covert chemical releases. Pediatric Emergency Care 22(2006):592-601.

See Appendix D for a sample list of chemicals of concern.

PROMOTING CHEMICAL LABORATORY SAFETY AND SECURITY
1. chemicals likely targeted for theft or diversion

a. CWC chemicals;
b. explosives and improvised explosive device precursors; and
c. mass Effect Agents and Precursors.
2. chemicals with high acute toxicity (Globally Harmonized System
Category 1); and
3. chemicals used in clandestine production of illicit drugs.
At the same time, laboratory chemists throughout the world work daily
with many potentially hazardous chemicals, including COCs, for legitimate
purposes and generally follow the necessary safety procedures for handling
and disposal of these chemicals. Chemical laboratories are where chemical
research, development, and education take place. Chemical manufacturers
also use laboratories for quality control, process monitoring, and analy-
sis related to compliance with government regulations. The quantities of
chemicals used in such settings are typically small and pose less risk com-
pared with industrial-scale manufacturing, use, and transport of chemicals.
Chemical laboratories in small-scale industrial and academic settings, how-
ever, tend to operate independently, have less government and regulatory
oversight, and are generally more accessible to the public than large-scale
industrial laboratory and manufacturing facilities. Such laboratories thus
present a vulnerable target for those seeking to do harm. For example, in
2002 Joseph Konopka (a.k.a. “Dr. Chaos”) was found to be storing over
a pound of cyanide compounds and other hazardous chemicals in a tunnel
near the Chicago subway system, and at least part of the stores of cyanide
were obtained from the campus of the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The growing security threat of COCs thus presents a new challenge to
working with chemicals in the laboratory, especially in small-scale indus-
trial and academic settings. While large-scale industrial manufacturing and
use of COCs is a dominant concern in national and international chemical
security, use of chemicals at the laboratory scale poses a unique and signifi-
cant security threat and is the main focus of this report.
Developing countries in particular face many challenges with regard to
chemical laboratory safety and security. They are generally characterized
as having low- to lower-middle-income economic status, but they can vary
widely in socioeconomic standards and implementation of the rule of law.
Some first-rate institutions in developing countries have excellent labora-
United States v. Joseph Konopka, U.S. District Court, Criminal Complaint Case Number 02
CR, March 9, 2002, Cook County, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division; and CNN.
com, March 12, 2002. Man allegedly stored cyanide in Chicago subway. http://archives.cnn.
com/2002/US/03/12/chicago.cyanide/index.html (accessed December 17, 2009).
See the World Bank country classifications: http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-
classifications (accessed May 6, 2010).

SUMMARY
tory safety and security systems in place, and some national governments
in developing countries have established policies for occupational safety in
the work place. However, laboratory safety and security are generally not a
high priority in developing countries. In addition, developing countries that
do have a legal framework of laws and regulations for chemical safety often
lack an adequate and effective system of enforcement. As developing coun-
tries become more economically competitive and strive to increase chemis-
try activity, they face many challenges in improving laboratory safety and
security. Safety and security practices are intended to help laboratories carry
out their primary functions efficiently, safely, and securely, but improving
safety and security is often seen as inhibitory rather than enabling.
Current Safety and Security Practices

in developing countries
The culture of laboratory safety depends ultimately on the working hab-
its of individual chemists and their sense of teamwork for protection of
themselves, their neighbors, and the wider community and environment.
. . . Safety in the laboratory also depends on well-developed administrative
structures and supports that extend beyond the laboratory’s walls within
the institution.
National Research Council. 2005. Prudent Practices in the Labora-
tory: Handling and Disposal of Chemicals, 1995��
(Washington, D.C.:
National Academies Press).
This section provides an overview of current chemical laboratory safety

and security practices in developing countries, largely focused on the barri-
ers to and needs for improvement. The information presented is based on
the collective experience of the committee members and the insightful guest
speakers listed in “About This Study,” including several from representative
developing countries.
Current Safety Practices

Chemical laboratories in developing countries have large numbers of
students in teaching laboratories, but they typically have a relatively small
(although increasing) number of people engaged in high-level research. In
general, use of hazardous laboratory chemicals is greater in institutions
that offer graduate programs and that engage in basic research; but that is
For example, see country policies listed on the International Labor Organization Web site:
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/asro/bangkok/asiaosh/std_leg/national/indexnat.htm
(accessed December 18, 2009).
a generalization, and there is a wide variation in such activities and safety

practices within and between countries.
The increasingly global interconnectivity of science, driven by the pro-
liferation of mobile phones, air travel, e-mail, and the Internet, has resulted
in scientists everywhere becoming more aware of laboratory best practices
and in some cases the prestige that attends recognition by the international
community. This has led some institutions in developing countries to seek to
attain certifications in international standards (such as ISO 9001, Quality
Management Systems standard; ISO 14001, Environmental Management
Systems standard; and ISO 17025, general requirements for the competence
of testing and calibration laboratories), which has played an important role
in including occupational and community safety as a component of the
overall standards system.
The barriers to and needs for improving laboratory safety practices in
developing countries are listed here and described in detail below.
Barriers
Financial limitations
Climate constraints
Cultural challenges
Needs
Institutional safety policy and rules
Institutional implementation strategies or plans
General safety awareness and training
Reporting and compliance processes
Waste disposal systems
External help and support
Barriers to Improving Safety Practices
Financial Limitations
Financial constraints are among the most important bottlenecks in
implementing safety practices in chemical laboratories in developing coun-
tries. They affect every aspect of safety plans and implementation, because
initial investments and sustained support are required to build and maintain
a safety infrastructure.
Laboratory buildings are specialized structures, and the addition of
safety features increases the costs of planning and construction. In some
SeeInternational Organization of Standardization at http://www.iso.org/iso/home.htm (ac-

cessed December 18, 2009).
SUMMARY
cases the extra cost may be quite small (2 percent to 3 percent of total
capital cost of building the laboratory), but in an effort to save money, new
laboratory buildings are often constructed with inadequate safety provi-
sions. Some chemical laboratories are situated on upper floors of high-rise
buildings in highly populated urban areas and have no provision for an
exit plan or separate chemical stores. The highest parts of some of those
buildings are beyond the reach of firefighting ladders. In general, there is
little consultation between the chemists, who are the end users of the labo-
ratories, and the architects, builders, and chemical safety experts.
Similarly, a sufficient supply of operating fume hoods, fire extinguish-
ers, and other protective equipment requires funding, which is often un-
available. In many teaching laboratories, a large number of students are
assigned to work in a single chemical-fume hood, and this makes such
equipment largely useless.
Financial constraints are largely responsible for unfavorable student-to-
teacher ratios in many teaching laboratories (for example, 40:1 in Ethiopia
and 25:1 in the Philippines), which not only affect the quality of teaching
but also make laboratory safety challenging. Hiring, training, and retaining
of safety personnel is difficult in such a financially constrained environment.
Many laboratory staff who have attained a high level of proficiency and
competence leave academic laboratories for more lucrative positions in
industry or even employment abroad. Other laboratory staff may feel they
have little choice but to tolerate unsafe jobs because of financial constraints.
They are forced to choose between keeping a job and being safe.
Climate Constraints
Special climatic conditions in many developing countries hinder compli-
ance with safety practices. Many regions of the world experience extremes
in weather and have no provision for controlling indoor temperature or
humidity other than with the use of ceiling fans and windows. Students
in the hot and humid environments of tropical and subtropical regions
often do not wear chemical splash goggles or latex gloves because they are
uncomfortable. While institutions tend to schedule closures or vacations
during extreme weather, appropriate provisions cannot always be made for
storing chemicals safely during such conditions.
Cultural Challenges
Differences in culture have a substantial effect on behavior, including
chemical safety and security. Developing countries often have a hierarchi-
cal structure in which decisions are made and implemented from the top
down. In such a management structure, a large commitment from leader-
ship, which is a component in scientific methods and practice, is required

before any progress can be made.
However, many of those in leadership positions take responsibility
without being held accountable. Such a culture can discourage recogni-
tion of safe behavior and prevent criticism of unsafe or suspicious conduct
by superiors or even peers. Hierarchical management structures thus can
inhibit reliance on coworkers to report or prevent breaches in safety or
security.
Needs for Improving Chemical Laboratory Safety Practices
Institutional Safety Policy and Rules

Not many institutions in the developing world have specific safety rules
and policies. They generally rely on generic safety practices that may not be
very clear or known to people who are supposed to follow and implement
them. Even where safety policies exist, safety in developing countries tends
to depend on personal initiative, and safety practices often deteriorate when
a strong advocate for safety is promoted, retires, or loses authority.
In some cases, government regulations are targeted at the chemical or
manufacturing industries, and many of them are concerned primarily with
waste management. However, government agencies tasked to institute and
implement the regulations often lack the resources and trained enforcement
staff needed to be effective. Most agencies can barely police industry, let
alone private and academic laboratories. In addition, the regulations ap-
propriate for large-scale industrial operations are not readily adaptable to
academic laboratories.
Institutional Implementation Strategies or Plans

In many developing countries where rules and regulations exist, univer-
sities and R&D institutions often fail to implement them. Part of the failure
stems from institutions copying policies verbatim from more developed
countries without seeking input from end users who work in the local en-
vironments. Working relations are also often poor between the government
enforcing agencies and private or state-run institutions. The planning and
implementation of safety rules demand a strong sense of responsibility, and
long-term commitment from leaders. Academic leaders in developing coun-
tries either are not aware of the importance of safety in the workplace or
do not have the means to implement safety rules fully. As discussed earlier,
academic leaders struggle to get essential funding to run their institutions;
after they have paid for salaries and supplies, little funding is available to
SUMMARY
provide the infrastructure and human resources needed to implement insti-

tutional safety plans.
General Safety Awareness and Trained Safety Personnel

Safety is not on the mainstream academic agenda in many developing
countries. It is hardly discussed in meetings of faculty members or man-
agers of chemical laboratories, and there are minimal safety instruction,
teaching, or training workshops for safety offices. Faculty and laboratory
managers who demonstrate consistently safe behavior typically go unno-
ticed. Furthermore, aside from a perfunctory orientation, there is almost no
formal safety training of students or staff members before they are allowed
to work in chemical laboratories. Laboratory safety is not a part of the
regular teaching curriculum, except in a few universities. It is more com-
mon to find training in content and pedagogy rather than safety. Notably,
in many chemistry conferences and congresses throughout the world, not
just in developing countries, there is little time devoted to safety topics. As
a result, there is a serious lack of appreciation for safe practices.
At the faculty level, the notion of academic freedom is often misused
to avoid compliance with safety regulations, and faculty members typically
cannot be forced to comply with safety rules. Although every chemistry
department has faculty members who were educated and trained in Western
universities that have higher safety standards, the effect of their training is
barely felt. Because safety has very low priority, there is hardly any safety
instruction, and there are few training workshops for safety officers for
this purpose.
Reporting Systems
Reporting of incidents (such as chemical spills, fires, and missing sup-
plies) is one of the most difficult components to implement in any safety
system. In developing countries, cultural barriers and fear of punitive ac-
tion, generally lead to failure of reporting incidents. This in turn results in
missed opportunities for lessons learned and continuous improvement in
safety. Further, the low numbers that are reported give an unwarranted im-
pression that there are no safety issues. The lack of reporting is commonly
based on inappropriate definitions. Incidents are “minor’’ if they do not in-
volve major burns or loss of an organ, or a life, and many are not reported.
There is no concept of reporting “near escape” incidents (commonly called
“near misses”); it is as though the incidents had never happened, so there
is no learning that can be shared. However, this is a pervasive problem
throughout the world, not just in developing countries.
Waste Disposal Systems

Many developing countries have no proper waste disposal facilities or
systems, or do not know how to implement waste disposal cost-effectively,
especially for laboratory chemicals. Organic solvents are disposed of by
being poured into the municipal drain system, and solid wastes are gener-
ally dumped into garbage spaces or burned in open spaces. Some countries
prohibit incinerating organic solvents, but do not provide alternative dis-
posal systems, treatment of chemical waste onsite is rare, and there are no
specialized waste disposal companies.
In a few institutions, however, waste water from chemical laboratories
is collected and treated in campus facilities and recycled for irrigation.
Where national regulatory authority exists for working with radioisotopes,
government agencies typically collect and dispose of radioactive waste from
laboratories. Most developing countries do not have similar arrangements
for disposal of other hazardous chemicals.
External Help and Support

In most developing countries, external help is not always available
when it is needed. Fire departments and ambulances may come on call,
but they do not always have adequate manpower and equipment or the
proper training to handle hazardous chemical emergencies. Further compli-
cations arise due to lack of proper emergency preparedness in coordination
with academic institutions, especially for specialized situations involving
hazardous chemicals. Therefore, institutions are often left to make their
own arrangements to handle or not handle emergencies. In some instances
universities have their own fire trucks, ambulances, and medical emergency
centers, but this is uncommon.
Similarly, regulatory agencies equivalent to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency or U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
where they exist, may not have jurisdiction over laboratory-scale opera-
tions, or they are ineffective. As a result, there is no external audit of safety
practices of chemical laboratories.
Current Security Practices

On a positive note, most campuses in developing countries have strict
entry policies, probably better than most campuses in developed countries.
Students must possess valid identification, and vehicles are screened upon
entry and exit. Security guards are stationed at entry gates, and roving
guards patrol the buildings. However, the purpose is largely to maintain law
SUMMARY
and order on highly politicized campuses or to prevent theft of equipment,

not for security of chemical storage.
In teaching settings, access to chemical laboratories and storage areas
is often controlled by specialized permits and follows strict protocols for
working hours. In research settings, however, students sometimes work
alone at night, often without emergency contact information.
Increased international communications using e-mail and the Internet,
air travel, and telecommunications have also made scientists in all coun-
tries much more aware of international agreements, such as the Chemical
Weapons Convention, and of best practices for the secure use and storage of
chemicals, even on a laboratory scale. However, many chemists throughout
the world still do not know about such security practices, and currently
there are no certifications in international standards of security like those
for safety and environmental protection.
Many laboratories in developing countries have basic secure storage
of chemicals to prevent theft by outsiders. However, most are in need of
procedures to ensure that there is no diversion by individuals working in
laboratories or visitors, including friends and relatives. The barriers to and
needs for improving chemical security practices in developing countries are
listed here and described in detail below.
Barriers
Financial limitations
Bulk purchase of chemicals
Cultural challenges
Needs
Institutional security policies
Institutional security management plans, equipment, and services
General security awareness
Trained and motivated security personnel
Reporting systems
Barriers to Improving Security Practices
Financial Limitations
Secure storage of chemicals, especially COCs, requires stringent mea-
sures such as a separate building with lockable doors and an alarm system.
Such infrastructure is nonexistent in most developing countries, and all
chemicals, even organic solvents and peroxides, are generally stored in
small storage areas in laboratory buildings or at laboratory benches. Gas
10 PROMOTING CHEMICAL LABORATORY SAFETY AND SECURITY
cylinders are typically stored just outside laboratories, often on ledges that
are exposed to the elements.
Bulk Purchase of Chemicals

Most of the universities in the developing world are primarily teach-
ing institutions. Very few universities have active research programs and
research centers that require exotic and specialized chemicals. As a result,
only common chemicals are purchased and stored, often in inadequate
departmental facilities. Few universities have central storage facilities espe-
cially constructed for chemicals.
Common teaching laboratory chemicals are typically procured through
open bidding at competitive prices in bulk quantities whenever funds are
available. That creates a feast-or-famine situation in which it is often dif-
ficult to update inventory and ensure security. Inventory is usually main-
tained for the financial audit, not the benefit of professors or researchers.
The concept of just-in-time use is common in highly industrialized nations
but essentially unknown in developing countries. It is not unusual for pro-
curement of a single chemical to take as long as six months. Thus, large
quantities of bulk chemicals are routinely stored in academic institutions to
prevent shortages while the arrival of an order is awaited. Both the trans-
portation and storage of such large quantities presents a security challenge
for any institution.
Inventory control is generally in the form of log books or computer-
based inventory systems. Chemicals are issued through written requests
on prescribed forms, but there is no tracking of chemicals after they are
issued to individual laboratories. No record of their use and disposal is
kept. Bar codes and radio frequency identification tagging are available in
some developing countries but are not commonly used for keeping track of
where or how a chemical is used. Chemicals procured by individual faculty
members with project funds are often not recorded in the central inventory;
faculty members are expected to add them to the central inventory volun-
tarily but have little incentive to do so. This is also true for laboratories in
most developed countries.
Most inventory-tracking efforts are geared to the control of purchasing
and storage of chemicals and reagents. There is little tracking of substances
that are synthesized or isolated in research laboratories. For example,
toxins and other bioactive substances may be obtained from natural ter-
restrial and marine organisms, but there is often no reporting of them until
publication in a journal.
SUMMARY 11
Cultural Challenges
Differences in cultures in developing countries can also affect security
practices in the laboratory. Cultural challenges include excessive hierarchy
of power, too much trust in others, lack of a culture of sharing, lack of
accountability, hiding or not reporting security lapses, frequent visits to
the labs by friends and acquaintances, and not recognizing good security
practices of others.
Needs for Improving Laboratory Security Practices
Institutional Security Policies

Chemical facility security is rarely treated separately from general secu-
rity concerns. At both national and institutional levels, there are no plans
for security of chemical facilities and storage sites. Vulnerability assessments
are rare, and hidden dangers are poorly understood. In the absence of a
specialized security strategy, generic security measures are applied to chemi-
cal laboratory facilities.
In some cases, strict regulations are in place for the procurement of
chemicals that are identified as precursors in the manufacture of illicit
drugs. One such example is acetone, a very common laboratory solvent.
Academic institutions, suppliers, and distributors have to register and se-
cure a license from a drug enforcement agency before they can purchase
such chemicals. A similar setup is in place for explosive precursors, for
which a license must be obtained from law enforcement agencies. There are,
however, malpractices associated with licensing, such as use of an invalid
license, obtaining a license through illegal means, or bribing inspectors.
Like safety, security depends on personal initiative in many developing
countries. Once in a while an administrator who takes security seriously
comes along, but security concerns return to being unattended when he or
she moves out of the system.
Institutional Security Management Plans, Equipment, and Services

Even when a security plan does exist in a developing country, the plan
usually fails at the implementation stage. Strategies for implementing se-
curity plans are generally nonexistent. Concern about security rarely goes
beyond preventing ordinary theft by outsiders. Generic security practices
are usually implemented in developing countries; they often involve check
points at gates, roving patrols, and the stationing of security guards in every
building. Security aspects of management of chemicals that may serve as
building blocks for extremely hazardous materials that can be used against
the public have no priority. Part of the reason is a lack of information, and
part is a lack of conviction that such use could occur in one’s institution.
General Security Awareness

The importance of security is recognized in developing countries, but
the threat and danger arising from lack of security of chemical storage fa-
cilities is not properly understood. There is little knowledge regarding the
security of COCs on campuses in developing countries. Chemists may be
aware of the potential of dual-use chemicals, but top administrators have
little or no knowledge of the dangers posed by such chemicals.
Trained and Motivated Security Personnel

Proper security of chemical storage and facilities, especially those with
COCs, requires not only proper infrastructure but also adequately trained
and motivated staff. In most developing countries, chemical facilities are
guarded by security guards who are not informed about hazardous chemi-
cals and the risks posed by their theft and diversion. That is because there
is a widespread belief that diversion of chemicals for malevolent purposes
is highly unlikely. Security concerns do not rise beyond prevention of or-
dinary theft.
University staff members who are responsible for security of chemical
storage are often low-ranking employees who earn very low wages and have
little education. In some cases, security personnel have obtained restricted
chemicals and used them for illegal purposes. For example, theft of ethanol
from chemical stores is common throughout the world.
Reporting Systems
Lack of good security protocols may result in a failure to report lapses
in security. Cultural attitudes may result in an acceptance of the failure to
report problems. What constitutes a security breach or problem is often not
well defined nor widely disseminated. Persons at all levels of the laboratory
do not understand what a reportable incident is and how and to whom to
report it.
Current Educational Outreach

Efforts in Developing Countries
International, regional, and national organizations often act as conduits
for supplying chemical information, training, and professional guidance
to laboratories in developing countries. Such organizations as the Interna-
SUMMARY 13
tional Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have been engaged in
those kinds of outreach efforts for many years. The U.S. State Department
Chemical Security Engagement Program (CSP) is one of the most active and
well-funded programs in place today; it conducts its activities in conjunc-
tion with many partnering organizations (including IUPAC and the OPCW)
throughout the world.
Because CSP is still in its infancy and is seeking to increase its impact,
the Department of State called on the National Academies to assist in
the CSP’s efforts to promote chemical safety and security in developing
countries. In this report, the committee examines the dual-use risks posed
by toxic industrial chemicals and other hazardous chemicals and provides
guidance on a baseline of practices in the handling and storage of hazardous
chemicals required to promote safety and security in their use on a labora-
tory scale in developing countries. In its second task, the committee will be
producing educational materials for CSP training.
The U.S. Chemical Security Engagement Program

In 2007 the Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction in the U.S. Depart-
ment of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation initi-
ated the CSP at Sandia National Laboratories as a component of the Global
Threat Reduction programs. These programs are “aimed at reducing the
threat posed by terrorist organizations or states of concern seeking to ac-
quire weapons of mass destruction expertise, materials and equipment.”10
As explained by the State Department official at the first committee
meeting, at the forefront of the CSP are the goals of engaging chemical
professionals in academia and industry, raising awareness about the threat
of chemical dual-use, and fostering national and regional improvement in
chemical safety and security. The program also wishes to identify chemical
safety and security gaps, promote chemical safety and security best prac-
tices, and establish cadres of chemical safety and security officers through
training workshops and other outreach efforts.11
The CSP engages with countries that are active producers or exporters
of industrial chemicals or have growing chemistry capabilities and indus-
See Appendix A for the full statement of task.

10 See http://www.csp-state.net/ (accessed October 29, 2009).
11 The educational materials being produced by the committee for CSP to use in its training
activities will be delivered separately. They will be based on material generated by this current
study (mainly Chapters 3 and 4 and Appendixes F and G) and derived from the forthcoming
revised edition of Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management of Chemi-
cal Hazards. The educational materials will be distributed in print and electronic format, and
will be translated into Arabic, French, and Indonesian.
trial and regional security concerns. CSP is currently working with the
following countries: Afghanistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the
Philippines in South and Southeast Asia and Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan,
Morocco, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen in the Middle East and North
Africa. The CSP partners with organizations in those countries and others
at the international level (shown in Box S-1).
In academia the CSP seeks to develop and implement training activities
to reinforce best practices in chemical security and safety in chemistry cur-
ricula. As discussed earlier, universities have unique risks that can include
lack of safe practices, presence of COCs, improper management and stor-
age of chemicals, and lack of enforcement of safety rules. Through its train-
ing activities, the CSP hopes to prepare laboratories in developing countries
to avoid the consequences of chemical mismanagement, such as bodily
BOX S-1
Current Chemical Security Engagement Program Partners,
March 2009
Host governments
Universities
Chemistry professionals
Regional chemical organizations
Arab Union of Chemists
Federation of Asian Chemical Societies
Federation of African Societies of Chemistry
National chemical organizations
American Chemical Society
Indonesian Chemical Society (Himpunan Kimia Indonesia)
Malaysian Institute of Chemistry (Institut Kimia Malaysia)
International chemical organizations
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
United Nations
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Chemical industry and industrial organizations
American Chemistry Council
Chemical Industries Council of Malaysia
Chemical Industries Association of the Philippines (Samahan sa
Pilipinas ng mga Industriyang Kimika)
SOURCE: “Program Overview and Discussion of Study Charge,” Presentation by Marie Ric-
ciardone, U.S. State Department, to the committee on March 2, 2009.
SUMMARY 15
injuries or expensive clean-up of laboratory waste. The CSP is currently

in the process of establishing chemical safety and security officer networks
that will develop modules for hands-on training, work with universities to
identify candidates for the networks, and offer a five-day train-the-trainer
course that focuses on fundamentals of chemical management and elements
of chemical safety and security.
The CSP is also partnering with chemical industrial organizations to
promote established best practices in chemical security, such as those re-
flected in the Responsible Care® Security Code and Responsible Care®
Management System.12 Chemical industry risks can include theft of unse-
cured chemicals and improper disposal of chemicals, in addition to many
of the risks that academia faces.
Key Findings and Recommendations

Developing countries have unique needs, and their safety and security
practices and attitudes vary considerably, both among developing countries
and between developing countries and developed countries. Many in the
international community are addressing safety and security in developing
countries, but much more attention is needed to better understand safety
and security practices and malpractices, and to strengthen and expand
outreach efforts. The CSP has undertaken a unique and valuable outreach
effort. There is clearly more to do and more opportunities than the program
at its current size can address.
The committee recommends that the CSP consider the three main ac-
tions outlined below. Chapters 2-4 each provide detailed guidance and are
summarized by Recommendations 1-3, respectively. People responsible for
implementing safety and security programs will need to read these chapters
in their entirety.
1. Recommendation 1: Build strong relationships (Chapter 2). The

CSP should continue to develop additional and stronger organizational
relationships and networks of chemical safety professionals. This includes
expanding existing relationships with the groups listed in Box S-1 and cre-
ating new ones with international groups such as the International Program
on Chemical Safety, U.N. organizations, and other regional and national
organizations. Additional considerations for enhancing safety and security
include forging private-public partnerships, building on existing certifica-
tion and training programs, and encouraging and promoting international
standards in chemical security and safety.
12 Formore information, see http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_responsiblecare/sec.

asp?CID=1298&DID=4841.
2. Recommendation 2: Establish management systems (Chapter 3).

The CSP should provide guidelines for establishing safety and security pro-
grams over the life cycle of a chemical, from planning and procurement to
ultimate use and final disposal. This should include systematically integrat-
ing safety and security into a research institution to anticipate and prevent
circumstances that might result in injury, illness, or adverse environmental
effects. A critical aspect of such guidelines being successfully implemented
is the commitment and support it should have from top leaders in the
institution.
3. Recommendation 3: Comply with rules, programs, and policies
(Chapter 4). The CSP should encourage institutions, organizations, and
industries in developing countries to develop clearly defined policies for
enforcing and complying with safety and security rules. The policies should
include establishing programs for regular inspections, a method for report-
ing safety and security incidents, investigations, follow-up, enforcement,
and systems for reward and recognition, which will require hiring and
maintaining the appropriate level of trained safety and security staff (as
outlined in Chapter 4). In addition, the CSP should assist laboratory man-
agers in developing countries with identifying noncompliant behaviors and
finding ways to address them directly through education and training.
1
Current Patterns of Procurement,

Use, and Distribution of Chemicals
in Developing Countries
After hearing from guest speakers from developing countries and review-
ing publicly available information on global procurement and distribution
of laboratory chemicals, the committee was not surprised to find wide
variation in developing countries. Many laboratory reagents take circuitous
routes to their final destinations. For example, a laboratory chemical may be
purchased from a U.S. chemical company, but the network of distribution
may include the movement of the chemical from a manufacturing country
(such as China) to the United States, then to a distributor in Europe, and
finally to a developing country such as the Philippines. At the same time,
some chemicals are also directly imported by developing countries from
places such as Europe, China, and Japan. In some cases, distributors in a
country may keep a stock of chemicals; in others, they obtain chemicals on
request. Importation and customs issues can delay delivery of chemicals. It
is not unusual for procurement of a single chemical to take as long as six
months. There are also concerns about quality; some distributors repackage
chemicals or obtain them from questionable sources. Transportation may
raise problems; piracy at sea and theft from ground transport constitute
risks.
Chemists and other scientists collectively use thousands of chemicals
in their laboratory work, but some chemicals pose a particular risk to the
general public if they are acquired by people who wish to inflict harm. Such
chemicals are commonly known as dual-use or multiple-use chemicals. In
this report, the committee has chosen to use the term chemicals of concern
(COCs), which includes chemicals listed by the Chemical Weapons Con-
vention, chemicals that have potential for mass destruction, explosives and
17
precursors of improvised explosive devices, and chemicals of high acute

toxicity (rated as Category 1 in the Globally Harmonized System of Clas-
sification and Labeling of Chemicals). Examples of COCs are provided in
Appendix D.
A committee review of the chemical supply chain in developing coun-
tries has uncovered the disturbing fact that essentially any chemical can be
obtained from suppliers by anyone without much effort. The manufacture,
importation, transport, storage, and sale of chemicals are poorly regulated.
Even the end-user certificates required for the purchase of some hazardous
chemicals can easily be obtained. Thus, academic laboratories and univer-
sity chemical storage are not the only places from which dual-use chemicals
can be obtained.
Chemical laboratory activities in universities, government agencies,
and private industry in developing countries are part of a global chemical
enterprise. The large-scale manufacture and distribution of commodity
and specialty chemicals for commercial purposes dominates the enterprise.
However, small-scale chemical laboratory research and teaching activities
present vulnerabilities for safety and security. They tend to operate inde-
pendently, have less government and regulatory oversight, and are more
accessible to the public. Characteristics of the global chemistry business
are presented in this chapter to provide context for understanding chemical
laboratory safety and security practices in developing countries. Safety and
security practices are intended to help laboratories carry out their primary
functions efficiently, safely, and securely, but improving safety and security
is often seen as inhibitory rather than enabling.
The Global Business of Chemistry

“Diverse” is the word that best describes the global chemical industry,
whose products are used to satisfy daily consumer needs and for applica-
tions as wide-ranging as crop protection, disease prevention, and energy
production. The chemical industry converts raw materials such as oil,
coal, gas, air, water, and minerals into a vast array of substances for use by
chemical companies, other industries, and consumers. The wide variety of
products range from commodity industrial chemicals used in making other
substances to specialty chemicals tailored for unique applications.
The chemical industry is reported to be one of the most regulated of
all industries. Nonetheless, there is a persistent lack of hazard information
about most chemical substances on the market and the products in which
OECD. Environmental Outlook for the Chemicals Industry 2001. http:/www.oecd.org/ehs
(accessed May 8, 2010). Paris: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,
2001.
CURRENT PATTERNS OF PROCUREMENT, USE, AND DISTRIBUTION 19
they are used. In the future this will change as a result of the European
Union REACH legislation, which will require hazard information on some
of the 30,000 chemicals that are available for sale in Europe. There is no
accurate account of the total number of chemicals on the market, but
one major global supplier of laboratory chemicals and equipment, Sigma
Aldrich, reported distributing about 130,000 chemical products (100,000
chemicals and 30,000 equipment products) to approximately 160 countries
worldwide in 2008.
The responsibility to provide this hazard information falls largely on
the chemical industry. However, although some of the largest industrial
firms in the world are chemical companies, a substantial number of chemi-
cals are produced by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). For
example, companies with fewer than 50 employees make 95 percent of
the 50,000 chemicals produced in the United States. Governments have
only limited interactions with SMEs, and these companies are often not
very involved in the discussions on chemical safety. That makes it difficult
to assess information related to chemical management and to implement
regulatory controls and measures in SMEs.
The difficulty in obtaining public data on the volume, distribution,
and use of chemicals by specific countries involved in the global chemical
enterprise is reflected in this chapter, in which most of the numbers are
derived from secondary sources and are largely aggregated according to
region. There is also little publicly available information on the volume
and distribution of chemicals used by academic and research laboratories,
especially those in developing countries. The analysis of supply and distri-
bution to academic laboratories in particular is therefore supplemented by
a bibliometric analysis of current chemical literature.
Registration,Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is a new

European Community regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC 1907/2006) that entered
into force on June 1, 2007. See http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/reach_intro.
htm (accessed January 12, 2010).
Creating Differentiation Through Innovation. Sigma Aldrich Annual Report. 2008. http://
www.sigmaaldrich.com/site-level/corporate/annual-report-2009/arhome-2008.html (accessed
January 22, 2010) and 2008 Form 10-K filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission:
http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/90185/000119312509041007/d10k.htm (accessed
January 22, 2010).
OECD. Environmental Outlook for the Chemicals Industry 2001. http:/www.oecd.org/ehs
2001.
Chemical Supply
In 2008 the global chemical industry was a $3.7 trillion enterprise.
In the past, the United States and Western Europe were the top exporters
of chemicals to developing countries, but now they lag behind Asia-Pacific
countries, primarily because of production in China and India. Surpassing
U.S. and European output, the Asia region experienced an increase of 9.1
percent in its share of world chemical sales (Figure 1-1) from 1997 (17.0
percent) to 2007 (30.4 percent), a stark contrast with the decline in both
Europe (from 32.2 percent to 29.5 percent) and the countries adhering
to the North American Free Trade Agreement (from 28.0 percent to 22.2
percent).
Investment in new plants and equipment reflect a preference for the
Asia-Pacific region. The American Chemistry Council (ACC) reports a
growth in global capital investment from 2006 ($171 billion) through 2009
($237 billion), and the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan) accounted
for 56 percent of the gain in the period. In comparison, the United States
accounted for only 6 percent of the gain. The shift to the Asia-Pacific re-
gion is attributed largely to China’s increasing share of global chemicals
production.
According to the World Bank, developing countries are characterized
as having low- to lower-middle-income economic status, but they can vary
widely in socioeconomic standards and implementation of the rule of law,
and they are neither major consumers nor producers of chemicals in global
terms. Petrochemical commodities—polymers and fertilizers—are the main
products of the developing countries’ industries. However, it is predicted
that a shift in chemical production from developed countries making up
the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to
non-OECD countries will take place within the next 10 years. A number
of developing countries have the capability for increasing pharmaceuticals
production and many are investing in oil and gas, which are key drivers for
American Chemical Council. 2009. Guide to the Business of Chemistry. http://www.american

chemistry.com (accessed October 23, 2009).
CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council). 2009. Facts and Figures, Chapter 1: Pro-
file of the Chemical Industry. http://www.cefic.org/factsandfigures/ (accessed February 11,

2010).
American Chemical Council. 2009. Guide to the Business of Chemistry. http://www.american
chemistry.com (accessed October 23, 2009).

CEFIC (European Chemical Industry Council). 2009. Facts and Figures, Chapter 1: Pro-
file of the Chemical Industry. http://www.cefic.org/factsandfigures/ (accessed February 11,

2010).
See the World Bank country classifications: http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications
(accessed May 6, 2010).

35.0
1997
30.0
2007
25.0
Percentage Shares
20.0
15.0
10.0
5.0
0.0
EU27 Asia Japan NAFTA Others
Countries
Regions
Figure 1-1 Sales of chemicals by region where sold: 1997 vs. 2007.
NOTE: “Asia” does not include Japan.
SOURCE: Cefic.
the chemicals industries. Important developing-country producers include

India, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines.10
The production of agricultural chemicals is a focus of the chemical in-
dustry in developing countries. These countries accounted for 5 percent of
total world nitrogenous fertilizer production in 2002. Developing countries
also contributed about 4 percent to total world production of pesticides
(insecticides, fungicides, and disinfectants) in 1998, and about 5 percent in
2002.11 Although the current focus of the chemical market in Africa is on
meeting local needs, the proximity, particularly for North African nations,
to European markets has led to a greater focus on exporting. Morocco, for
10 OECD. Environmental Outlook for the Chemicals Industry 2001. http:/www.oecd.org/ehs
2001.
11 N. Manda and J. Mohamed-Katarere. 2006. Chemicals.
��
In Africa Environmental Out-
look-2: Our Environment, Our Wealth. Nairobi: United Nations Environmental Program.
http://www.unep.org/DEWA/Africa/docs/en/AEO2_Our_Environ_Our_Wealth.pdf (accessed
October 23, 2009).
60
Exports
50
Imports
Percentage Shares
40
30
20
10
0
European Asia NAFTA Rest of Latin Africa Oceania
Union Countries Europe America
Major Regions in World Chemicals
Figure 1-2 Regional shares of world exports and imports of chemicals, for
2007.
SOURCE: Cefic.
example, has two-thirds of the world’s reserve of phosphate rock and is a

leading producer of phosphoric acid.12
Chemical Distribution
Geographic Distribution
Patterns of distribution and customer identification are difficult to ob-
tain from public information. The information used in this chapter comes
primarily from the Cefic: European Chemical Industry Council and ACC
reports. As mentioned earlier, in terms of regional sales of chemicals (Figure
1-1), Asia (other than Japan) accounts for the largest share: 30.4 percent of
€1.82 trillion total world chemical sales in 2007.
Export and import figures (Figure 1-2) for 2007 still point to the Euro-
pean Union as the world leader, accounting for half the global trade.
The top 100 chemical distributors have their main stocking locations
in the United States and Canada with an average of 195 employees, and
12 K. Temsamani. 2009. Presentation at Meeting 3, Committee on Promoting Safe and Secure
Chemical Management in Developing Countries, The National Academies, Washington D.C.

(see Appendix C).
they import an average of 21 percent of the chemicals that they sell.13 In

2005 they had on average 11.8 stocking locations around the world, in-
cluding Europe (15 percent), Mexico (11 percent), Asia (9 percent), and
Latin America (7 percent). Those distributors had an average of 3.7 mil-
lion gallons of bulk storage capacity, an average of 377,000 square feet of
warehouse space, and used various transport methods including trucks,
vans, trailers, tankers, and railcars.
As distinct from distributors, suppliers also have a global presence.
Sigma-Aldrich for example has over 7,900 employees in 37 countries and
reported distribution of its total sales as 43 percent in Europe, 35 percent
in the United States, and 20 percent in Canada, Asia-Pacific, and Latin
America combined.14 There are also confirmed reports that Sigma-Aldrich
chemicals have reached Morocco, possibly through resellers.
The Responsible Care® Status Report 2008 published by the Interna-
tional Council of Chemical Associations lists 2,421 distribution “incidents”
(accidental chemical releases during transport of goods by various means)
in 26 (out of 53) countries in 2006. The report showed a general decline
in the number of incidents since 2001, when there were 3,827 incidents
reported. In the same period, there was a 15 percent increase in materials
distributed.15
Sector Distribution
Most chemical sales are to such industries as paints and coatings,
cosmetics and personal care, foods and beverages, adhesives and sealants,
and soaps and detergents.16 Specific data that would clarify the overall dis-
tribution of chemicals to academic and research laboratories are not avail-
able. Inferences can be derived from information gleaned from corporate
reports of chemical suppliers. For example, in 2008, academic laboratories,
government agencies, and nongovernment organizations accounted for 26
percent of Sigma-Aldrich’s customers; pharmaceutical companies (35 per-
13 S. Avery. 2006. The Top 100 Chemical Distributors: Demand remains strong despite high
prices. http://www.purchasing.com/article/219264-The_Top_100_Chemical_Distributors_
Demand_remains_strong_despite_high_prices.php (accessed October 30, 2009).
14 Creating Differentiation Through Innovation. Sigma Aldrich Annual Report. 2008. http://
www.sigmaaldrich.com/site-level/corporate/annual-report-2009/arhome-2008.html (accessed
January 22, 2010) and 2008 Form 10-K filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission
January 22, 2010).
15 International Council of Chemical Associations. 2009. Responsible Care Status Report
2008. http://www.responsiblecare.org/filebank/Status%20Report%2001_05.pdf (accessed

January 26, 2010).
16 American Chemical Council. 2009. Guide to the Business of Chemistry. http://www.
americanchemistry.com (accessed October 23, 2009).

cent), chemical industries (31 percent), and hospitals and commercial labo-
ratories (8 percent) complete the list. Sigma-Aldrich’s reported $2.2 billion
in sales and a net income of $342 million in 2008 but did not report the
corresponding quantities of chemicals sold.
Customer Screening
Increased sales in non-European markets have been bolstered by on-
line transactions. For example, Web-based sales accounted for 42 percent
of all Sigma-Aldrich Research sales in 2008.17 The trend is illustrated by
the emergence of e-commerce portals of major suppliers and distributors.
Products can be ordered online, but although all requests are supposed to
be reviewed to verify membership in an organization, registering an online
profile does not require such information as the organization’s name and
address. The process does typically require proof of an established relation-
ship with a local distribution branch through an existing account number.
Such processes are part of the chemical industry’s steps to improve
chemical safety and security. Responsible Care® is the chemical industry’s
global, voluntary initiative aimed at improving the health, safety, and en-
vironmental effects of the industry’s products and processes. According to
an interaction during a recent seminar on chemical safety and security, it
was stated that although large industries have established protocols (Figure
1-3), local distributors and middlemen have the ultimate responsibility for
customer screening.18,19 At the same time, middlemen may skirt laws, have
control over the market prices, hoard or adulterate chemicals, and carry
out other malpractices.
The problem, especially in developing countries, is that distributors
cannot ensure that their customers will not resell the purchased chemicals.
Chemicals are widely traded, even in hardware stores and grocery stores,
and regulations for the control of biological, radioactive, and nuclear mate-
rials are often inappropriate for chemicals.20 For example, a local reseller in
17 Creating Differentiation Through Innovation. Sigma Aldrich Annual Report. 2008. http://
www.sigmaaldrich.com/site-level/corporate/annual-report-2009/arhome-2008.html. (accessed
January 22, 2010) and 2008 Form 10-K filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission
January 22, 2010).
18 T. Cromwell. 2009. Leveraging the Relationship between Chemical Safety and Chemical
Security to Reduce Terrorism Threats. Presentation given at Asia Pacific Seminar on Chemical
Safety and Security to Counter Terrorism, Canberra, Australia.
19 R. Batungbacal. 2009. Asia Pacific Seminar on Chemical Safety and Security to Counter
Terrorism, Canberra, Australia. Personal communication.

20 R. Mathews. 2009. Lessons Learned from Nuclear, Biological, and Radiological Experi-
ences. Presentation given at Asia Pacific Seminar on Chemical Safety and Security to Counter
Terrorism, Canberra, Australia.
Figure 1-3 Information/cyber security.

SOURCE: Courtesy of The Dow Chemical Company © 2006.
the Philippines replaces chemical labels, using generic names to avoid regu-
lations on end-user certificates and Materials Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs),
and sells the products to the general public. In such a case, the identity and
responsibility of the eventual customer can no longer be ascertained by the
distributor, let alone by a supplier who is practicing Responsible Care®.
In the case of the release of the nerve agent sarin in the subway of To-
kyo, Japan, on March 20, 1995, the Aum Shinrikyo cult responsible for the
attack set up a dummy company to purchase the chemical precursors used
in the production of the toxin. The facility where the sarin was synthesized
escaped zoning and environmental authorities and was discovered only
during the investigation of the incident.21
Vigilant suppliers can thwart malicious intentions from the very be-
ginning. For example, an alert employee of a distributor in the Northern
Territory of Australia, informed law-enforcement authorities when clients
21 N. Aoki. 2009. Sarin Gas Attacks. Presentation given at Asia Pacific Seminar on Chemical
Safety and Security to Counter Terrorism, Canberra, Australia. See also www.cdc.gov/ncidod/
eid/vol5no4/olson.htm (accessed October 23, 2009).
in Sydney ordered nitric acid, sulfuric acid, glycerin, and other chemicals.22
The clients intended to synthesize 40 kg of nitroglycerin to blow up and
steal from ATMs and bank safes.23 Distributors, in general, are watchful
for suspicious customer behavior, including excessive payments for rapid
delivery, use of cash payments instead of charges to a corporate account,
delivery to post office boxes, orders for unusual quantities, and insistence
on unmarked packaging.24
Laboratory-scale Use of Chemicals

In the absence of publicly available data on the distribution of chemi-
cals (especially COCs) to academic and research laboratories, the committee
analyzed articles in scholarly journals to gain some insight into the patterns
of use and distribution of laboratory chemicals in developing countries.
The search (using the Web of Science database) was conducted for four
countries where the Chemical Security Engagement Program is engaged:
Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and the Philippines. It was limited to articles
published in 2008 and articles whose correspondence addresses were only
in those countries. An initial refinement specified fields of chemistry, for ex-
ample, multidisciplinary, medicinal, physical, inorganic. A list of chemicals
was compiled by using the keywords and abstracts of the articles.
Pakistan is by far the most prolific publisher of the four countries
with 412 articles compared with 166 from Malaysia, 10 from Indonesia,
and 5 from the Philippines. Of the papers from Pakistan and Malaysia,
44 (11 percent) and 11 (6.5 percent), respectively, dealt with COCs. One
of the articles from Pakistan used trinitrotoluene, and many articles in-
volved heavy metals and some pesticides, although most of the chemicals
written about were common organic solvents such as acetone, listed in
Table D-5, “Chemicals Used in Clandestine Production of Illicit Drugs,” in
Appendix D.
22 V. Otieno-Aligo. 2009. Application of Forensic Chemistry to Criminal Offences Involving

the Use of Chemical Agents. Presentation given at Asia Pacific Seminar on Chemical Safety
and Security to Counter Terrorism, Canberra, Australia.
23 G. Jones. 2007. Police Arrest Bomb Plotters Ahead of APEC. http://www.dailytelegraph.
com.au/news/nsw-act/sydney-bomb-plotters-seized/story-e6freuzi-1111114284160.
24 M. Donnan. 2009. Strengthening Chemical Security: An industry perspective. Presenta-
tion given at Asia Pacific Seminar on Chemical Safety and Security to Counter Terrorism,
Canberra, Australia.
2
Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security

Outreach in Developing Countries

Many national and international chemical societies have a strong interest in

chemical safety and security, and some already have internal committees for
safety in place. Those societies in developing countries share many concerns
regarding safety and security in laboratories with more developed countries.
They all attempt to develop materials to promote safety but often in isola-
tion from other chemical societies. The U.S. Chemical Security Engagement
Program (CSP) plays an important role in fostering interactions with and
between chemical organizations that focus on safety and security issues.
The first CSP outreach was a security and safety workshop held in
2007 at the 12th Asian Chemical Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in
partnership with the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
(IUPAC), the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS), and the Ma-
laysian Institute of Chemistry (Institut Kimia Malaysia). Since then, the CSP
has partnered with many other organizations at the international, regional,
national, and local level to conduct similar workshops and training sessions
in additional countries, including the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Jor-
dan, and Egypt. There are, however, ways the CSP might expand and build
on the work of current partner organizations, and build new relationships
to better leverage its current outreach. This chapter discusses some of the
current CSP partners and outreach efforts, recommends opportunities for
expanding those relationships and fostering new ones, and some potential
new approaches to outreach in developing countries.
27
Expanding CURRENT CSP Partnerships
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry

IUPAC is a global organization of more than 50 national adhering or-
ganizations (NAOs), and additional associate NAOs, associated organiza-
tions, company associates, and affiliated members. Typically the different
adhering organizations are national scientific or chemical societies, such as
the Chemical Society of Ethiopia and the Chemical Society of Pakistan. In
the United States, however, the NAO is the U.S. National Academy of Sci-
ences. The strategic goals of IUPAC include providing leadership in address-
ing global issues in the chemical sciences, emphasizing the needs of chemists
in developing countries, and using its global network to contribute to the
advancement of chemistry education, which aligns well with CSP efforts to
engage chemical professionals on laboratory safety and security.
Safety Training Program

The IUPAC project most directly related to outreach with respect to
chemical laboratory safety and security is the Safety Training Program.
This unique program enables experts from developing countries to learn
about safety and environmental protective measures by visiting and work-
ing in chemical plants of IUPAC company associates in the industrialized
world. Safety Training Program trainees are (1) professional scientists and
engineers who are working at supervisory or managerial levels in chemical
companies, government or scientific institutions, or universities; (2) engaged
in aspects of safety, security, or environmental protection or in the teaching
of these fields; and (3) are influential in their workplaces and their home
countries.
Trainees spend two to four weeks in intensive “shadowing” of health,
safety, and environmental professionals in their host companies, learning
state-of-the-art techniques and practices and participating in meetings and
decision-making functions. They write reports on their training and plans
for implementation of new initiatives at home, and have the opportunity
to participate in regular Safety Training Program workshops at IUPAC
congresses. In the workshops, trainees share best practices, present their
work, and hear invited speakers on topics of concern in health, safety, and
the environment. In the future, the CSP could collaborate with the Safety
Training Program to make these workshops more than presentations and
For more information, see http://www.iupac.org (accessed October 26, 2009).

For more information, see http://www.iupac.org/standing/coci/safety-program.html (ac-
cessed October 26, 2009).
OUTREACH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES 29
provide training in exhibiting and demonstrating equipment for safety and

security.
Educational Resources on the Web

IUPAC has a variety of resources on its Web site that are relevant to lab-
oratory safety and security, including teaching modules and other resources
on toxicology, environmental monitoring, and its collaboration with the
U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the
Global Microscience Project.
The IUPAC project Multiple Uses of Chemicals, in conjunction with
the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), has
developed educational material for chemists and chemistry teachers about
the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The materials are available on
the Internet, and discuss beneficial uses of chemicals, and possible misuses
of chemicals, including the production of chemical weapons.
The International Year of Chemistry in 2011

The International Year of Chemistry (IYC) in 2011 came about through
a partnership between IUPAC and UNESCO. Regional, national, and local
chemical societies; organizations; teaching and research institutions; gov-
ernments; and industry will collaborate in a series of events to celebrate the
accomplishments and future of chemistry during IYC 2011.
While issues of safety and security are not included in the specific
goals of IYC 2011 celebrations, the increased attention that will be given
to chemistry topics during IYC 2011 provides an excellent opportunity for
outreach on chemical laboratory safety and security, including the misuses
of chemicals.
IUPAC Partners
Members of IUPAC are representatives of many other organizations,
some of which could facilitate the development of an organizational net-
work focused on safety and security. The fellows of the IUPAC Safety
Training Program can be approached to assist in dissemination and use of
For more information, see http://www.iupac.org/divisions/VII/VII.C.2/index.html (accessed
October 26, 2009).

For more information, see http://www.iupac.org/publications/ci/2002/2403/smallscale
chemistry.html (accessed October 26, 2009).

Alastair Hay, co-chair of the project, presented to the committee on June 4, 2009.
For more information, see http://multiple.kcvs.ca/ (accessed October 26, 2009).
For more information, see http://www.chemistry2011.org (accessed October 26, 2009).
educational materials. The fellows were chosen for their ability to interact
effectively in their places of employment, their scientific societies, and local,
regional and national governments to improve health, safety, and environ-
mental practices in their home countries.
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

The OPCW is the implementing body for the CWC, which underlies
the outreach efforts of the CSP. There are 188 nations (98 percent of the
global population) that have joined the OPCW. The OPCW maintains a
Web site with a list of scheduled chemicals, an important resource for
instructors and other persons responsible for maintaining laboratory safety
and security. OPCW provides funding for its officers to speak at important
conferences to introduce the OPCW and CWC to encourage involvement
by the chemical community. The OPCW also provides grants for instrumen-
tation and research to foster the peaceful applications of chemistry.
OPCW has collaborated with IUPAC to hold two workshops on the
CWC. The workshops have helped to supply OPCW with information on
new and emerging science and technology related to the synthesis of mul-
tiple-use chemical materials and to the detection, analysis, and destruction
of chemical weapons. In addition, as mentioned earlier, OPCW has part-
nered with IUPAC on chemical education and outreach aimed at informing
students about chemical weapons and the CWC.10
American Chemical Society

The American Chemical Society (ACS) is the world’s largest scientific
society, with more than 154,000 members, 19,000 of whom are in over
100 countries outside the United States. ACS sponsors or promotes many
international activities, such as joint conferences with chemical societies
in other countries. For example, the International Chemical Congress of
Pacific Basin Societies (PacifiChem) is a weeklong scientific meeting, held
every five years in conjunction with ACS counterparts in Australia, Canada,
Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and China. ACS activities are driven largely by
members through its committees, two of which are described below.
For more information, see http://www.opcw.org/ (accessed October 26, 2009).

For more information, see https://apps.opcw.org/cas/ (accessed October 26, 2009).
10 For more information, see http://www.iupac.org/web/ins/2005-028-1-050 (accessed Oc-
tober 26, 2009).

ACS Committee on International Activities

The ACS Committee on International Activities (IAC), supported by
the staff in the Office of International Activities, helps scientists and en-
gineers worldwide to communicate and collaborate. The IAC is active
in conferences, symposia, and workshops around the globe; other work
includes facilitating visas for travel to the United States, providing interna-
tional news to the scientific community, and operating a free online network
for scientists in a number of languages. Laboratory safety and security are
not topics of strong interest for this committee, but this could change with
increased expressions of interest from ACS members.
ACS Committee on Chemical Safety

The prime responsibility of the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety
(CCS) is the encouragement of safe practices in chemical activities. The
CCS serves as a resource for chemical professionals mainly in the United
States in providing advice and counsel on the handling of chemicals, and it
seeks to ensure safe facilities, designs, and operations by calling attention
to potential hazards and stimulating education in safe chemical practices.
The CCS also provides advice to other ACS units on matters related to
chemical safety and health. A variety of publications are available free on
its Web site.11
ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety

The ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety (CHAS) is an inter-
national organization with about 1,300 members dedicated to advancing
health and safety in the chemical enterprise.12 CHAS provides technical
programming at ACS national and regional meetings, produces its own
journal (Journal of Chemical Health and Safety), and has an active Listserv
to benefit members worldwide who have questions about safety issues. It
has members in a number of developing countries who occasionally post
questions on the Listserv.
Safety materials produced by ACS and its committees and divisions
are available in English and sometimes in other languages. For example,
the publication Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories (SACL) is used
widely abroad; the Spanish translation is used in South and Central Amer-
ica. The CCS also has several members who have engaged in safety training
11 For more information, see http://membership.acs.org/C/CCS (accessed October 26,

2009).
12 For more information, see http://membership.acs.org/c/chas/default.htm (accessed October
26, 2009).
in developing countries; however, their initiatives are not tied directly to the
CCS or CHAS. In addition, the CCS has recently appointed a liaison to the
IAC; this may provide for future collaboration between the committees on
chemical safety practices internationally.
Other ACS Opportunities

ACS has the potential to play more of a leadership role in developing
better communication on safety and security between chemical societies
throughout the world. ACS has enormous resources, especially its strong
volunteer committees that could be expanded to facilitate worldwide com-
munication between chemical organizations.
The ACS and IUPAC are especially valuable partners for CSP in helping
to create networks of chemical safety professionals, inasmuch as each or-
ganization has a global reach and effective contacts with national chemical
societies and related organizations around the world.
Regional Organizations
Regional organizations, such as the Arab Union of Chemists, Federa-
tion of Asian Chemical Societies, and the Federation of African Societies of
Chemistry (FASC), are key CSP partners in outreach to developing coun-
tries. For example, the president of FASC, Temechegen Engida, spoke to the
committee on his collaboration with the Pan African Chemistry Network
to conduct a recent survey of students and instructors at his university and
other institutions in Africa. Clear indications for the need for improvements
in instruction, equipment, procedures, and infrastructure were found. As
a result, FASC plans a series of major events across Africa in 2011, in
conjunction with IYC 2011, to promote safe practices and applications
of chemistry in laboratories, chemical production, and end uses. Major
resource needs were also identified, including funding, communication
infrastructure, trained personnel, and institutions willing to commit to the
regional efforts.
The American Chemistry Council

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is the trade association for the
U.S. chemical industry and has global influence because of the international
nature of the chemical industry. ACC is well known for its Responsible
Care® program,13 which is a global initiative established in 1988 focused
13 Formore information, see http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_responsiblecare/sec.

asp?CID=1298&DID=4841 (accessed October 27, 2009).
on advancing safe and secure management of chemical products and pro-

cesses. Currently, 53 national chemical industry associations participate in
the program. In 2001, the Responsible Care® Security Code (RCSC) was
added to the program. The RCSC requires member companies to conduct
comprehensive security vulnerability assessments, implement security en-
hancements, and obtain independent verification that those enhancements
have been made. It also requires companies to create security management
systems, which are documented to provide quality control and assurances.
All the details of the RCSC are posted on the ACC Web site and are publicly
available, including detailed guidance for implementing it. The tools on
the Web site are excellent resources for any facility, including an academic
laboratory that intends to assess security risks and implement a robust
facility security program.
Many ACC members are large multinational corporations, and they
implement the Responsible Care program globally. Such companies also
provide outreach and training for local universities and smaller laborato-
ries. The ACC has worked to support the CSP in numerous parts of the
world—including Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indone-
sia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates—over the last three
years. It works with local chemical associations to facilitate the develop-
ment of safety and security practices tailored to local needs. In addition, the
ACC led the development of a safety and security workshop in conjunction
with the 10th anniversary of OPCW.
potential New Organizational Relationships and

approaches to outreach in developing countries
The CSP is partnering with many organizations, but there is a need
to continue to develop new organizational relationships and to create net-
works of chemical safety professionals. This section offers guidance on new
organizations that the CSP could partner with and new approaches that the
CSP could use to better leverage its outreach.
International Organizations
Among notable organizations that are capable of outreach to develop-
ing countries with respect to chemical laboratory safety and security are
the International Program on Chemical Safety (IPCS)14 and such U.N.
organizations as UNESCO. The IPCS INCHEM program, in collaboration
with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, provides
14 For more information, see http://www.inchem.org/ or http://www.who.int/ipcs/en/ (ac-

cessed October 26, 2009).
resources such as health and safety guides and international chemical safety
information cards.15 UNESCO16 has been a sponsor of the IUPAC Safety
Training Program, has regional offices throughout the world, and has a
long record of support for educational initiatives in the sciences, such as
the Global Microscience Project. As mentioned earlier, UNESCO is also a
partner with IUPAC in the IYC 2011.
The Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management
(SAICM)17 is another initiative, and is implemented through the U.N. En-
vironment Programme and the World Health Organization. It is a global
policy framework for fostering the sound management of chemicals. The
SAICM supports the achievement of the goal agreed on at the 2002 Johan-
nesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development: to ensure that by
2020, chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimize substantial
adverse effects on the environment and human health. It particularly targets
the developing world. The SAICM is still in its formative stages, but it may
be useful to monitor its work to judge whether it can play a greater role in
promoting safe and secure laboratory practices.
The U.N. Industrial Development Organization18 manages a network
of cleaner production centers throughout the developing world that have re-
sponsibilities beyond chemical production and research; they have influence
in their regions with respect to regulations, policy, and training. The centers
can be contacted to explore the possibility of collaborating on laboratory
safety and security training and education.
The International Organization for Chemical Sciences in Development
(IOCD) is a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization that supports the sci-
ences in developing countries, with a focus on Africa.19 The IOCD believes
that increased international collaboration will improve the chemical sci-
ences, and in turn, the health and economic status of developing countries.
The organization supports symposia, international research sabbaticals,
and workshops in laboratory techniques.
15 For more information, see http://www.inchem.org/pages/icsc.html or http://www.cdc.gov/
niosh/ipcs/icstart.html (accessed October 26, 2009).

16 For more information, see http://portal.unesco.org/science/en/ev.php-URL_
ID=5572&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html (accessed October 26,
2009).
17 For more information, see www.saicm.org (accessed October 26, 2009).
18 For more information, see www.unido.org (accessed October 26, 2009).
19 For more information, see www.iocd.org/vision_mission.shtml (accessed October 26,
2009).
Regional and National Organizations

The CSP can play a much greater role in building capacity in develop-
ing countries for chemical laboratory safety and security by conducting
training programs in collaboration with local or regional chemical societ-
ies. Training in developing countries should be arranged with local partner
organizations to establish local ownership of the initiatives. The CSP should
initiate some programs that focus on motivating institutional leadership.
Establishing such relationships with regional and national organizations
would enable CSP to increase its impact through organization of more
regional conferences.
Developed countries in Asia have the potential to serve as excellent
regional partners in reaching out to nearby developing countries. For ex-
ample, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, largely through
India’s national laboratories, has conducted training programs for young
scientists in the fundamentals of laboratory health and safety and labora-
tory design. The Indian Ministry of Science and Technology also has a
Task Force on Green Chemistry, whose mandate includes workshops and
interactive sessions for industrial scientists on chemical safety and security.
Neither the Indian Chemical Society nor the Chemical Research Society of
India has committees on safety and security.
The Chemical Society of Japan (CSJ) has a committee on environment
and safety issues, some of whose activities are related to chemical and labo-
ratory safety. The CSJ holds an annual two-day seminar, “Chemical Safety
Schooling,” in which 70 to 90 representatives of industry and institutes
participate. The seminar covers potential risks posed by handling chemicals,
preventive measures, and official regulations. During its annual meetings,
the committee also conducts a symposium related to laboratory safety. In
these symposia, information is shared on recent changes in regulations,
laboratory incidents and their analysis, improvements, and examples of
teaching materials. A visit to a large chemical company is made to observe
safety and environmental facilities in a modern industrial laboratory.
Pakistan has two professional chemistry organizations, the Chemical
Society of Pakistan and the National Core Group in Chemistry (NCGC),
which are both generously funded by the government of Pakistan. The
NCGC has an extensive training program in chemical laboratory safety that
includes the training of chemists and research scholars and the publication
of laboratory safety handbooks and pictorial booklets. The Ministry of
Environment of Pakistan regularly conducts stakeholder consultations and
workshops on the implementation of the SAICM in Pakistan.
Another useful resource is alumni associations of U.S. and European
universities. For example, members of the alumni association of the United
Kingdom’s Imperial College or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
alumni association could be approached to find volunteers who could be an

advocate for chemical laboratory safety and security. These groups could
hold citywide university seminars, workshops, and exhibits in collaboration
with the CSP and experts from developed countries, institutes, and vendors
of safety equipment.
Professional Organizations
Three safety-related professional organizations in the United States
could be beneficial partners in outreach to developing countries. They can
be approached to provide forums for networking, administering compre-
hensive education programs, and serving as a bridge between scientists and
chemical safety officers. Similar organizations that provide comparable
information exist in many other countries, such as the British Occupational
Hygiene Society.
• The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA)20 is an orga-

nization of professionals dedicated to the anticipation, recognition, evalu-
ation, and control of safety, health, and environmental factors that arise in
the workplace and could result in injury, illness, or impairment or affect
the well-being of workers and members of the community. The AIHA In-
ternational Affairs Committee addresses such international issues as con-
tinuing education, membership, publications, laboratory accreditation, and
humanitarian outreach. AIHA works to establish associations and graduate
programs in industrial hygiene in developing countries, and it sponsors
symposia, roundtables, and forums on international occupational hygiene
issues. It also establishes informational Web sites and Listservs. AIHA has
local chapters outside the United States, including a particularly active one
in the Middle East Arabian Gulf region.
• The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)21 is a profes-
sional safety organization that serves safety, health, and environmental
professionals around the globe. ASSE provides technical information and
global and local networking and cooperates with numerous safety, health,
and environmental organizations worldwide. ASSE has members in over 64
countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Australia, Nigeria, Papua-New
Guinea, the United Kingdom, Ecuador, and Egypt.
• The Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Asso-
ciation (CSHEMA)22 “provides information sharing opportunities, continu-
ing education, and professional fellowship to people with environmental
20 For more information, see www.aiha.org (accessed October 26, 2009).

21 For more information, see www.asse.org (accessed October 26, 2009).
22 For more information, see www.cshema.org (accessed October 26, 2009).
health and safety responsibilities in the education and research communi-

ties.” CSHEMA’s vision is to have “excellent health, safety, and environ-
mental protection understood and integrated into teaching, research, and
service throughout the educational and research communities.” Member-
ship in CSHEMA is on an institutional basis. Membership fees are based
on the number of employees working in the institution’s health and safety
group. Fees are waived for colleges and universities in developing nations.
CSHEMA presents “webinars” on emerging issues, holds regional confer-
ences, and has an annual international conference on campus health and
safety. The CSHEMA Forum provides for online networking, sharing of
training materials, posting questions, and other opportunities for collabo-
ration among individuals interested in health, safety, and environmental
protection.
U.S. Government Agencies

Many agencies in the United States engage in activities that could bene-
fit the CSP. For example, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH) provides materials and information of interest to persons
working on improving chemical laboratory safety and security practices,
such as School Chemistry Laboratory Safety Guide.23 A primary focus of
its efforts is dual-use chemicals, and its Web site provides information and
resources on chemical safety, evaluation of workplace hazards, and train-
ing. Another example is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Through its rules on Good Laboratory Practices and Good Manufacturing
Practices,24 the FDA oversees the safety, traceability of production, quality
assurance, and others aspects of U.S. pharmaceutical companies operating
inside and outside the United States.
Additional considerations for Enhancing

safety and security training
Private-Public Partnerships
The entire chemical industry is increasingly affected by global condi-
tions. The United Nations, the European Union (EU), and several countries
have enacted laws or developed guidance related to the safe and secure
management of chemicals. Their initiatives have a global impact. A no-
23 For more information, see http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-107/pdfs/2007-107.pdf

(accessed January 22, 2010).
24 See the FDA website for more information: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/Guidance
ComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/ucm064971.htm (accessed January 26, 2010).

table example is the EU chemical law REACH (Registration, Evaluation,

Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical Substances), which requires
companies that wish to do business in the EU to submit chemical informa-
tion and assessments.25
In response to REACH and other initiatives with a global impact,
the private sector has sought to improve communication and coordina-
tion within the industry and with government agencies and academia.
The global chemical industry is interconnected through the International
Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), which serves as the “world-wide
voice of the chemical industry, representing chemical manufacturers and
producers all over the world.” ICCA members—over 50 national chemical
manufacturing associations—also adhere to the Responsible Care program.
A key element of Responsible Care is the establishment of partnerships and
alliances, among global and regional institutions and at the local level. An
example of a successful private-public partnership mentioned earlier in this
chapter is ACC’s support of the CSP.
Companies that care about safety and security are always looking for
well-trained employees. That presents an opportunity for academic institu-
tions to foster strong safety and security practices and build relationships
with industry to ensure employment of their students, and enhance the
culture of safety and security compliance within academic laboratories.
In addition, industry and trade organizations in developing nations
(such as the Chemical Industries Association of the Philippines and the
Plastics and Chemicals Industries in Australia) can help the CSP coordinate
with universities and professional societies in their regions to harmonize
safety and security controls.
Certification and Training Programs

The CSP may wish to take advantage of existing training programs for
chemical safety professionals, such as the following:
• The Certified Safety Professional Program of the Board of Certified

Safety Professionals (BCSP) in Savoy, Illinois, is designed to recognize the
qualifications and experience of safety professionals.26 Applicants must ap-
ply to BCSP and be approved to sit for examinations. Requirements include
a college degree (bachelor’s in any field or associate’s in a safety-related
field) and professional employment in which the primary function is safety
25 See the European Chemicals Agency Web site for more information about implementation
of REACH: http://echa.europa.eu/home_en.asp (accessed January 22, 2010).

26 For more information, see www.bcsp.org (accessed October 26, 2009).
(prevention of harm to humans and the environment). Examinations are

offered in the United States and abroad.
• The National Registry of Certified Chemists-Certified Chemical
Hygiene Officer (CHO) program is designed primarily for those who are
responsible for laboratory safety in their institutions or organizations.27
Because U.S. regulations require the appointment of a CHO for a labora-
tory facility to comply with requirements of the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration,28 the program is designed largely for U.S. labora-
tory personnel; however, it can be taken by others. Requirements include
education and experience in chemical safety.
• The American Board of Industrial Hygiene-Certified Industrial
Hygienist (CIH) Program is designed for professionals who are involved
in ensuring the health and well-being of workers and their communities.
Typically, they are involved in evaluating the health effects of chemicals
in a workplace or community. Most CIHs are in the United States and
Canada. The certification is focused on the science and art of recognition,
evaluation, and control of safety, health, and environmental factors in the
workplace that may result in injury, illness, or impairment, or otherwise
affect the well-being of workers and members of the surrounding commu-
nity. The technical knowledge tested includes: basic sciences; occupational
diseases, toxicology, and health hazards; and work environments, principles
of investigation methods, ethics, risk communication, guidelines, and stan-
dards. CIH certification also means that the professionals have skills in
data management and integration, emergency response, hazard evaluation
(instrumentation, sampling methods and techniques, and analytical chem-
istry), and hazard control (engineering, personal protective equipment, and
administration).
International Standards
The ISO (International Organization for Standardization)29 develops
and publishes international standards on scientific and technical issues in
industry. Many institutions in developing countries are increasingly seeking
to attain certification in international laboratory standards set by ISO, such
as the Quality Management Systems standard (ISO 9001) and the general
requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories
27 For more information, see the NRCC website at www.nrcc6.org (accessed October 26,
2009).
28 Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories. 29 CFR 1910.1450.
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=standards&p_id=10106
(accessed January 22, 2010).
29 For more information, see http://www.iso.org/iso/home.htm (accessed October 26,
2009).
(ISO 17025). ISO 9001, for example, sets out eight principles that help
guide institutional policies and practices:
Principle 1: Customer focus;

Principle 2: Leadership;
Principle 3: Involvement of people;
Principle 4: Process approach;
Principle 5: System approach to management;
Principle 6: Continual improvement;
Principle 7: Factual approach to decision making; and
Principle 8: Mutually beneficial supplier relationships.
Security is not addressed in any of the standards focused on chemi-

cal laboratory operations. The CSP and partnering organizations, such as
IUPAC and ACS, should press the ISO to develop new standards that ad-
dress chemical security, which could raise awareness and drive adoption of
chemical laboratory security practices in developing countries.
3
Guidelines for Establishing a Chemical

Laboratory Safety and Security Program
Establishing a culture of safety requires sustained commitment to high stan-

dards at all levels—from top institutional leaders to laboratory personnel.
As developing countries establish safety and security programs, it is impor-
tant for them to consider the entire life cycle of chemicals—from planning,
procurement, and security to ultimate use and final disposal. This chapter
recommends a framework for systematically integrating safety and security
into a research institution to anticipate and prevent circumstances that
might result in injury, illness, or adverse environmental effects. The way the
individual elements of the framework are applied will depend on the size of
the institution, the nature of its activities, and the hazards and conditions
specific to its operations. Chapter 4 provides further guidance in enhancing
compliance with safety and security policies, programs, and rules.
Whose Job Is It?

Responsibility for Chemical
Laboratory Safety and Security
Individuals in an institution have various roles and responsibilities
for establishing and maintaining safe and secure practices. Setting a good
example is the best way for people at all levels to demonstrate their
commitment.
41
Leaders
Responsibility for safety and security rests ultimately with the head of
the institution and its operating units. In some cases, there may be legal
obligations and large personal fines or prison sentences if they do not pro-
vide a secure and safe working environment. Leadership by those in charge
ensures that an effective safety and security program is embraced by all;
even a well-conceived program will be treated casually by workers if it is
neglected by top management.
Safety Officers
To establish and support a unified effort for safety management and to
provide guidance to people at all levels, each institution should have at least
one designated safety officer. The safety officer should be equipped with the
knowledge, responsibility, and authority to develop and enforce an effective
safety and security management system.
Environmental Health and Safety Office

Some larger institutions also have an environmental health and safety
office staffed by experts in chemical safety, engineering, occupational medi-
cine, fire safety, toxicology, and other fields. Such an office assists in es-
tablishing policies and promoting laboratory safety standards, and often
handles hazardous waste issues, accident reviews, inspections and audits,
compliance monitoring, training, recordkeeping, and emergency response.
Chemical Laboratory Managers and Instructors

Direct responsibility for the management of a chemical laboratory
safety program typically rests with the chemical safety officer (CSO) and
a laboratory manager. In coursework, laboratory instructors carry direct
responsibility for actions taken by students. Instructors are responsible for
promoting a culture of safety and for teaching the skills that students and
other workers need if they are to handle chemicals safely.
Students and Workers

Although they are influenced by and depend on attitudes of and guid-
ance by those in leadership or management positions, students and other
laboratory workers who actually do the work are responsible for working
safely.
GUIDELINES 43
10 steps to Establish an Effective chemical

Laboratory Safety and Security Program
The most critical aspect of establishing a strong safety and security pro-
gram is the commitment and support it should have from the top leaders in
the institution. If the leaders facilitate the establishment of this program and
hold their managers responsible and accountable, a culture of compliance
can be achieved.
1. Establish an institutional safety and security oversight committee

and designate a chemical safety officer. The top institutional leader (such
as the president or chancellor of a university or the director of a research
center or agency) should establish a committee to provide oversight for
chemical safety and security. The committee should report directly to the
top leaders and receive the necessary financial and administrative support.
The institution should also define CSO responsibilities and authority and
appoint at least one CSO. Each CSO should be part of the Safety and Se-
curity Oversight Committee.
For a CSO to be effective, he or she will need to be given dedicated
time, resources, and the necessary authority to carry out his or her respon-
sibilities. CSOs should have direct access, when necessary, to the senior
authorities who are ultimately accountable to the public.
2. Develop a chemical safety and security policy. Institutional leaders

should implement a formal policy to define, document, and endorse the
program, and the policy should integrate safety and security into the entire
life cycle of all laboratory chemicals. A formal policy statement establishes
expectations and communicates the institution’s intent. The policy should
state how the institution will
• prevent or mitigate human and economic losses arising from ac-

cidents, adverse occupational exposures, and environmental events;
• build safety and security considerations into all phases of operations;
• achieve and maintain compliance with laws and regulations; and
• improve performance continually.
The policy statement should be communicated and made readily ac-

cessible to all employees and should be reviewed and revised by top man-
agement as often as necessary. An example of a policy statement can be
found in Appendix E. In developing a chemical safety and security policy,
laboratory management should establish a credible and strong compliance
program, complete with accountability and consequences for noncompli-
ance (see Chapter 4). Management should also communicate a commitment

to safety and security to all laboratory personnel regularly.
3. Implement administrative controls and processes for performance

measurement. Administrative controls are an institution’s specific rules and
procedures for safe and secure practices, and they establish the responsibili-
ties of the personnel involved.
CSOs should develop general safety rules, laboratory housekeeping pro-
cedures, manuals for use of materials and equipment, and other documents
to communicate rules and expectations to all laboratory personnel. Those
documents should clearly define the individual responsibilities of students
and other laboratory workers, laboratory managers, institutional leaders,
contractors, emergency service providers, and visitors to the laboratory.
The business of conducting experiments changes continually: attri-
tion in staff members and students, change in regulations, and evolution
of technologies. As a result, evaluating the safety and security aspects of
chemistry laboratory operations should be part of everyday activities, in ad-
dition to and separate from regular formal performance measurements and
reviews. For example, beginning all department and group meetings with a
safety moment is one way to highlight the importance of safety. Adminis-
trative controls should provide mechanisms for managing and responding
to change, such as new procedures, technologies, legal requirements, staff,
and institutional changes.
In addition to performance measurements by those working in the
laboratory, periodic audits by knowledgeable people independent of the
location or activity should be arranged to enable a deeper and more critical
appraisal. Top management should review the management system and its
formal policy regularly.
4. Identify and address particularly hazardous situations. Manag-

ers, principal investigators, lead researchers, team leaders, and supervisors
should take active roles in managing the safety and security of their labora-
tories. An initial status review to assess the scope, adequacy, and implemen-
tation of safety procedures will provide a foundation on which to build a
robust safety and security program and will help in setting priorities among
efforts to improve safety and security. A risk-based evaluation should be
performed to determine the adequacy of existing control measures, to set
priorities among needs, and to incorporate corrective actions according to
importance and available resources.
To begin the process of ensuring effective management of chemicals,
laboratory management should establish a list of all the chemicals in the
laboratory, especially the chemicals of concern (COCs). COCs are highly
hazardous chemicals or chemicals that are potential precursors of highly
GUIDELINES 45
hazardous materials. Typically, the list would include chemicals listed by

the Chemical Weapons Convention, chemicals that have potential for mass
destruction, explosives and precursors of improvised explosive devices, and
chemicals of high acute toxicity (rated as Category 1 in the Globally Har-
monized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals). Examples of
COCs are provided in Appendix D.
5. Evaluate facilities and address weaknesses. The role of physical ac-

cess control in improving security of chemicals, equipment, and occupants
of buildings in which chemicals are stored and used should be addressed
specifically. This will require development of a comprehensive security vul-
nerability assessment and policy setting (see “Guidelines for Facility Access
and Use” later in this chapter).
6. Establish procedures for chemical handling and management.

Chemical management is a critical component of a laboratory program.
Safety and security should be integrated into the entire life cycle of a chemi-
cal, including procurement, storage and inventory, use and handling, and
transport and disposal. The overall process is described in more detail later
in this chapter (see “Procedures for Managing and Working with Chemicals
of Concern”). It should include procedures for screening of COCs as part
of the normal procurement process. An inventory process to track use of
a chemical until it is completely consumed or finally disposed of should be
established. For example, when chemicals are received, their identities and
quantities are entered into the inventory system. The inventory and record-
keeping system can be important in order to
• ensure the security of chemicals through accountability of chemical

usage;
• provide a resource to consult for possible sharing of chemicals;
• provide information that allows managers to know when to reor-
der chemicals;
• provide the location of hazards in the laboratories for emergency
responders;
• determine future needs and uses of chemicals; and
• minimize excess inventory and chemical waste.
An important part of any process is accountability for chemical use and

adherence to procedures. Managers should consider ways to recognize and
reward those who follow best practices while handling and working with
chemicals. Alternatively, managers may need to consider tools for enforce-
ment of the practices when investigators bypass the system.
7. Use personal protective equipment and engineering controls. En-

gineering measures, such as a laboratory hood, local exhaust ventilation,
and a glove box are the primary methods for controlling hazards in the
chemical laboratory. Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety
glasses, goggles, and face shields are used to supplement engineering con-
trols. Laboratory management should not allow an experiment to proceed
if inadequate hazard control measures (engineering or PPE) are unavailable.
More detailed guidance on procedures for chemical handling and manage-
ment are provided in the section “Special Concerns” later in this chapter.
8. Plan for emergencies. Laboratories, like all other workplaces, ex-

perience unplanned incidents and emergencies. Laboratories should make
plans to handle emergencies and implement the plans by purchasing and
maintaining emergency equipment and supplies, such as fire extinguishers,
eye washes, safety showers, and spill kits. The use of a COC may warrant
development of special plans, such as antidotes for unintentional exposures
(for example, atropine for organophosphorous agents). Some COCs may
be pyrophoric (ignite spontaneously) and require special fire-extinguishing
methods. Emergency response preparedness should involve local emergency
response organizations, such as fire departments, to ensure that they have
the equipment to assist in the event of an emergency. Prudent Practices
in the Laboratory or other safety manual should be referred to for more
information.
9. Identify and address barriers to safety compliance. Compliance

with good safety and security practices involves having people act in accor-
dance with established institutional policies and procedures. Each country
faces challenges in implementing effective safety and security practices and
complying with them. Local culture often presents barriers to compliance,
and efforts are needed to address and overcome the barriers, as discussed
in detail in Chapter 4.
10. Train, communicate, mentor. A comprehensive process that man-

ages the entire life cycle of a chemical in the laboratory would result in
responsible management of the safety and security aspects of that chemical.
The CSO is responsible for ensuring that proper processes are established
and communicated to all, but it takes a strong commitment by top lead-
ers in the institution to create the best safety and security systems and to
establish a culture that ensures the well-being of personnel and the public.
National Research Council. Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Manage-
ment of Chemical Hazards, Revised Edition. Washington, D.C.: The National Academies
Press, in press.
GUIDELINES 47
Accordingly, top leaders are ultimately accountable for chemical safety and
security. See the section on “Guidance on Assigning Responsibility and Ac-
countability” for more information.
SPECIAL CONCERNS
Security of Chemicals
Chemists and other scientists collectively use thousands of chemicals in
their laboratory work, but COCs pose a particular risk to the general public
if they are acquired by people who wish to inflict harm. Some COCs can
be used as precursors to make potentially deadly chemical agents or illicit
drugs. Other chemicals have hazardous properties that can pose risks to
laboratory personnel, especially if they are unaware of the properties. The
United Nations has developed a system, the Globally Harmonized System
for Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, for classifying chemicals ac-
cording to their hazardous properties. In that system the most hazardous
chemicals make up Hazard Class 1; these COCs should be kept secure from
theft or diversion, and there are laboratory security measures that can help
to prevent such diversions.
Security begins with the individual, and prudent security practices
for laboratories should include a system that limits access to authorized
personnel who have a need to work in the laboratory. Authorized person-
nel should be approved to work in a particular area and have access and
authority to use COCs by someone in the institution. Authorized personnel
should be given access through keys or card keys and may have identifi-
cation badges. The issuance of keys or card keys should be subject to an
established process in which laboratory personnel sign for keys and turn
them in when they leave the program. Keys should be of a type that is not
readily duplicated.
In the academic community, security measures can pose a challenge.
Teaching laboratories generally have few types and small amounts of chemi-
cals, and the chemicals are not likely to be COCs; however, many teaching
laboratories might have a wide range of solvents, some of which are COCs.
In general, more hazardous chemicals are used in advanced laboratories,
especially research laboratories, and there should be greater attention to
limiting access to those laboratories. Separating advanced research labora-
tories from other laboratories will make security much easier. In commer-
cial and government institutions in some countries, it is common to conduct
background checks of personnel who will work in research laboratories
and have access to COCs. It is not as common in academic institutions,
particularly for students. It takes vigilance on the part of those who work
in the laboratories to look for suspicious activity or unexplained missing

COCs or to detect security breaches.
Physical security is an important part of any security program. When
given proper instructions and training, security guards can play a key role
in preventing access to areas where COCs are used or stored. Door locks,
of either the normal key type or the more expensive electronic type, are
necessary where COCs are being used or stored. Other physical security
measures include locked cabinets, locked storage areas, locked drawers, and
perhaps alarm systems. Any extraordinary laboratory security measures
should be commensurate with the potential risks and should be imposed in
a manner that does not hamper research or safety unreasonably.
The effectiveness of a security program is closely related to the expecta-
tions established by management. All laboratory personnel should be en-
couraged to question the presence of unfamiliar people in laboratories and
to report suspicious activity immediately. Locking laboratory doors when
laboratories are unoccupied should become routine. COCs that are not be-
ing used should be secured. Laboratory managers should establish a policy
that prohibits all unauthorized use of laboratory materials and facilities,
and that violations will be subject to a penalty.
A training program in laboratory security should set out the expecta-
tions of management and the need to maintain a safe and secure laboratory
environment. Training should be conducted periodically and especially for
new personnel. Laboratories should be inspected routinely for compliance
with security measures. Personnel working in laboratories should follow all
established security procedures, and there should be a protocol for report-
ing security breaches or security concerns.
Guidelines for Facility Access and Use

Conducting a security vulnerability assessment (SVA) and develop-
ing and writing a site security plan as described below are meant to be in
conjunction with establishing an effective safety and security program (see
Step 5 above).
Many of the ideas for this section are based on the National Institute of Justice document
A Method to Assess the Vulnerability of U.S. Chemical Facilities (November 2002). Other
documents that were useful are the state of South Carolina’s Best Practices: Workplace Se-
curity (February 2003), the Occupational Safety and Health Agency’s Compliance Policy for
Emergency Action Plans and Fire Prevention Plans (July 2002), the National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health’s Guidance for Protecting Building Environments from Air-
borne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks (May 2002), and the U.S. Department of
Justice’s Using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design in Problem-Solving, by Di-
ane Zahm (August 2007). Organizations identified in Chapter 2 may offer further resources.
GUIDELINES 49
Developing a Comprehensive Security Vulnerability Assessment

An SVA may include an entire campus or specific facilities on a campus
and it involves a series of comprehensive investigations and an integrated
analysis. The purpose of an SVA is to catalog potential security risks to a
laboratory, determine the magnitude of the risks, and assess the adequacy
of systems that are in place. An SVA helps in determining the security plan-
ning needs of a facility. An SVA should include an asset evaluation, threat
assessment, site survey and analysis, and physical vulnerability survey.
Asset Evaluation
This investigation identifies and quantifies valuable assets—such as equip-
ment, instruments, libraries, and documents—that should be protected from
accidental loss or damage and from theft or destruction by persons who intend
to do harm or by natural disasters. Information should be included about
sources of replacement and alternative resources on campus or elsewhere that
could permit continuity of operations.
Threat Assessment
This identifies possible types of threats to the institution and specific
facilities from the generic to site-specific threats, from natural disasters to
terrorist attacks. To the extent possible, a threat assessment should describe
the adversarial groups or individuals, their ideological and economic mo-
tivations, members and supporters, leadership and organizational charac-
teristics, record of illegal or disruptive activities, preferred mode of action,
and potential capabilities to attack a target, what they typically want to
communicate to the public, and how they prefer to do it. Institutions must
to be careful to adhere to laws that protect personal privacy within their
country. Possibilities of attack or action against the institution and its facili-
ties should be detailed. The consequences of natural disasters—including
wind, water, fire, earthquake, and multifocal events such as those that occur
during cyclones, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic
eruptions—should be estimated. Scenarios (best case and worst case) should
be generated to derive a measure of the potential severity of an event, natu-
ral or malicious. Chapter 4 of Prudent Practices in the Laboratory and the
American Chemical Society’s SVA provide more complete explanations of
this process.
Site Survey and Analysis

This part of an SVA is specific to the physical facilities covered by the
security and facility access policy. Up-to-date drawings of campus features,
vehicular traffic, pedestrian circulation, site and terrain, and buildings are
critical resources for this investigation. Walk-throughs of specific buildings
that use or store chemicals, and a tour of the entire site or campus, should
be conducted. These inspections should be documented with photographs
or videos of specific conditions.
Building enclosure integrity with regard to weather and physical intru-
sion are important to investigate in all areas, on all sides, and on roof and
subsurface extensions, including tunnels and utility routes and entry points
into buildings. Locations of air intakes for mechanical and natural ventila-
tion and locations and conditions of storage elements for chemicals and
other hazardous materials are important to analyze.
The site survey and analysis should include a vehicular traffic plan that
highlights areas for material deliveries, truck routes, parking, and building
entries and exits. The site analysis should address traffic patterns of vehicles
and pedestrians over 24-hour periods on normal workdays and weekends,
physical protection and security features, building uses, and which persons
are allowed access. Such a comprehensive review is necessary to permit an
accurate survey of physical vulnerability and to put into place operational
procedures for detection, delay, and assessment systems to protect physical
assets and to protect operations on the campus or in a facility that could
be interrupted or sabotaged.
Physical Vulnerability Survey

A vulnerability survey includes several kinds of investigation, within
the limits of local legal frameworks.
1. Identifying potential targets and gaining access to those targets.

2. Identifying and rating potential threat(s) based on historical con-
text; for example, threats that have previously been acted upon have more
significance than potential threats without historical motive or intent. This
pertains to both natural factors, such as the likelihood of flood, and mali-
cious action.
3. Identifying personnel, contract employees, vendors, contractors,
and visitors who may have personal problems or conflicts with the institu-
tion and who may also be able to identify internal physical facility vulner-
abilities and obtain access to facilities.
GUIDELINES 51
Various data should be considered in a vulnerability survey.
• Which potential targets are clearly recognizable with little or no

knowledge.
• Which potential facility targets store chemicals.
• The quantities, concentrations, and hazards of the chemicals that
could be involved in each potential target.
• The potential for offsite release or illegal use of the chemicals.
• Physical protection measures that are in place to mitigate the harm
that could result from a chemical release or spill.
A matrix or other analytical tool should be devised to estimate the

severity of effects of each undesired event identified in the scenarios devel-
oped in the threat analysis. The severity level will contribute to the overall
risk analysis. Worst-case scenarios should be used for events (natural or
malicious) for estimating
• how many people would be affected;

• what the monetary loss of property would be;
• how much money and time would be needed to acquire replace-
ment facilities;
• what the loss of productivity and the period of shut-down and
recovery would be; and
• what value in public trust, support, and image would be lost.
Develop a Site Security Plan

A comprehensive site security plan integrates all the information gained
in the analyses, surveys, and investigations mentioned above. It addresses
workplace security guidelines and an emergency response plan that provides
a physical protection strategy to detect, delay, and respond quickly and
effectively to interrupt, neutralize, or mitigate malicious-intent threats and
natural disasters. Methods in the public domain (such as Responsible Care,
CEFIC, IUPAC, and ISO) outline many approaches to developing a plan
that meets the goals of the security and access control policy. Tactics and a
wide variety of technologies are well documented to provide in-depth pro-
tection and to minimize consequences of failure of security components.
Institutions may consider applying concepts of crime prevention
through environmental design. Building location and properly placed en-
tryways, windows, lighting, shrubbery, and other physical features can help
deter criminal activity, and are cost-effective, systemic improvements that
do not depend solely on technology. The security and access control policy
should be the basis of the site security plan.
Procedures for Managing and Working

with Chemicals of Concern
Procuring Laboratory Chemicals

Laboratory management should establish a system for authorizing pro-
curement of a COC that considers all the acceptable ways that COCs may
be obtained in laboratories—such as purchase order, credit card order, online
purchase, donation, sharing, exchanging. The system should require that the
CSO be notified of orders of COCs and, if necessary (for example, when there
is an unusual supplier or material that has not been purchased previously),
the CSO’s approval should be obtained. The CSO should be notified when
the chemical is received, and the CSO or a designated alternate should check
the order and enter the amount in an accountability log. The CSO or desig-
nated alternate should maintain an inventory accountability log for COCs,
from procurement to disposal. The log should be kept in a secure location
where everyone can read it but only the CSO or a designated alternate can
edit it. If a centralized log for the department is not adequate, each laboratory
or group should keep its own log. The log could be an automated system,
spreadsheet, or a manual list of all COCs in the laboratory. The important
aspects are that it be diligently maintained and that compliance be enforced;
otherwise the effort will be wasted. The log should identify each chemical
to avoid ambiguity (for example, by using the Chemical Abstract Service
registry number) and should indicate use and current inventory. The CSO or
designated alternate should review the logs regularly, for example, monthly.
An example of an inventory accountability log is provided in Appendix F.
Storing Laboratory Chemicals

Chemicals should be stored safely and securely on the basis of risks and
hazards, as outlined in Prudent Practices in the Laboratory. Access to the
storage area should be limited to persons approved by the laboratory man-
ager or supervisor and the CSO. The list of authorized persons should be
posted at the storage facility and communicated to all laboratory personnel.
It is important to maintain an appropriate level of security (for example,
door locks, lock boxes) for all chemicals, especially COCs (as discussed
earlier). Laboratory managers should remind users that COCs should be
secured when not in use. There should be a requirement that unwanted or
unneeded chemicals are returned to the storage area at the end of a proj-
ect or process. Experience indicates that the CSO needs to reinforce this
requirement regularly.
GUIDELINES 53
BOX 3-1
Five Questions for Laboratory Safety and Security
1. What are the hazards? For example, health hazards, flammability,

reactivity, and physical hazards.
2. What is the worst thing that could happen? For example, personal
exposure, spills, fire, uncontrolled reaction, and electric shock.
3. What can be done to prevent this from happening? For example,
substitution, guarding, change in environmental conditions, and modifica-
tion of a procedure.
4. What can be done to protect from these hazards? For example,
ventilation, gloves, eye and face protection, and protective clothing.
5. What should be done if something goes wrong? For example, spill
control, fire extinguisher, safety shower, and eyewash.
Safely Using Laboratory Chemicals

There are established ways to manage the safe use of COCs and other
hazardous chemicals. The critical elements of safe work with COCs de-
scribed below are known to most health and safety professionals. Box 3-1
provides a useful checklist for use of any hazardous chemical. It can be
posted in the laboratory or given to laboratory workers. The first step in
ensuring safety is to conduct hazard evaluations to understand the nature
and severity of the risks being posed by the chemicals being used. Once
the risks are determined, the best available measures to control and man-
age them should be selected. Those measures include developing a specific
safety plan or safe operating procedures (SOPs) for the particular intended
use of the chemicals. It is critical to ensure that all who will handle chemi-
cals are knowledgeable about the hazards and safe handling procedures,
especially COCs. It is equally important to ensure that users follow estab-
lished safety procedures during their work. Hence, communication of the
safety procedures to all users is essential, and a suitable process for that
should be developed. Users of extremely hazardous chemicals may require
additional training.
Unexpected incidents or events during handling of COCs or other
hazardous materials are almost inevitable, so a system that requires and
encourages the reporting of all incidents, concerns, or problems (even if
minor) should be established. Such a system allows reviews and continuous
improvement of the processes and systems that are in place.
Hazard Evaluation
The risks posed by use of a chemical can depend on the quantity
used. The larger the quantity of a COC being used, the more serious the
hazard; reducing the quantity being used (or stored) reduces the hazard.
The CSO or designated alternate should evaluate the hazards posed by
the chemicals in the quantities procured and used. The hazard evalua-
tion should consider the routes of potential exposure: eye contact, skin
contact, inhalation, injection, and ingestion (can be substantially reduced
by prohibiting eating and drinking in the laboratory). It should take into
account physical hazards and health hazards. Physical hazards can include
flammable or explosive chemicals, high-vacuum or high-pressure systems,
hot equipment or devices, cryogenic materials, radioactive materials, and
corrosive acids or bases. Combinations of chemicals that result in extreme
exothermic (heat-releasing) reactions can result in explosions if not prop-
erly controlled. Health hazards include acutely toxic chemicals, sensitizers
(allergens), chemicals that cause chronic toxicity (such as carcinogens), and
reproductive toxicants. Particular handling practices and procedures should
be developed for laboratory hazards (see the hazard assessment checklist
in Appendix F).
Hazard Control and Management

In all laboratory experiments and procedures, it is important that
hazards be controlled or managed primarily by engineering measures, such
as a laboratory hood, local exhaust ventilation, or a glove box. Ventilated
enclosures can often be used for weighing chemicals. Best practices also
include having a laboratory under negative pressure with respect to the
adjacent hallway so that hazardous chemical vapors are kept in the labora-
tory. In same cases, such as with the use of radioactive materials, personal
hand, foot, or full-body monitors may be needed to control the spread of
material into areas outside controlled laboratory facilities.
Another method of controlling and managing hazardous chemical op-
erations could be the use of smaller-scale experiments or procedures that
use micro-scale or mini-scale laboratory equipment. That reduces the quan-
tities of chemicals and thus reduces risk.
Although the primary methods of control are engineering methods,
personal protective equipment (PPE) should supplement them. Eye and
face protection (safety glasses, goggles, and face shields) are essential in any
laboratory in which chemicals are handled. Protective gloves are important
if chemicals can come into contact with skin. Gloves should be selected for
the particular chemicals being used, recognizing that no single kind of glove
protects against all hazards. Laboratory coats and aprons provide addi-
GUIDELINES 55
tional protection for the body from chemical exposure. Protective footwear
may be needed in some laboratories.
Respirators are a last resort for controlling a hazard and preventing
exposure. They should not be used unless all other methods of control are
inadequate. Respirators should be properly selected, should be correctly
fitted to a person’s face, and a person using a respirator should be aware of
its uses and limitations. It is essential that all respirator users receive train-
ing in respiratory protection and that respirator users must work in teams
of at least two workers.
If the hazard control measures (engineering or PPE) are not adequate
to prevent exposure and provide an acceptable level of safety, laboratory
management should not permit the experiment or procedure in question,
and should explore whether a safe substitute for COCs can be identified.
Safety Plans for Chemical Use

Safety plans or SOPs should be developed to document the hazards
posed by and controls for COCs. SOPs can have a variety of formats, in-
cluding postings, documentation in laboratory notebooks, forms, binders,
and digital collections of plans. The objective is to document hazards and
control and disposal methods in a manner that ensures that those who have
access to the materials will understand how to use them safely. An example
of a form for a safety plan is provided in Appendix F.
Incident Reporting
A process for reporting and investigating incidents should be estab-
lished. It should emphasize free exchange of information without penalty
to the people who report an incident. The objective is to (1) maintain a
culture in which people feel comfortable sharing information about prob-
lems they have encountered and about their concerns and (2) promote the
understanding that laboratory workers’ personal safety is paramount.
Disposing of Laboratory Chemicals

The end of the life cycle of a chemical is its consumption in a labora-
tory procedure or its disposal. The CSO or designated alternate should
develop a program to ensure safe and environmentally responsible disposal
of chemicals, especially COCs.
For more information, see the OSHA Respiratory Protection Standard: http://www.osha.
gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=12716&p_table=standards (accessed January

26, 2010).
Before procuring chemicals, experimenters should ensure that disposal

facilities that will manage them are available or that there is a laboratory
SOP for rendering them safe for drain or solid-waste disposal. Procedures
for handling waste from the time it is produced to its ultimate treatment
or disposal need to be developed. Laboratory managers should ensure that
laboratory workers know how to collect waste safely and the type of con-
tainers to use. Laboratory workers should be given guidance on how, how
much, and where to store waste in the laboratory as it is collected, including
methods to prevent spills and accidental releases. Keeping containers sealed
when they are not in use and using secondary containment, such as trays
or bins, in the event of a spill, are best practices.
Procedures for removing chemical waste from the laboratory for stor-
age in a facility or area dedicated for that purpose or for removal by a
qualified chemical waste vender need to be formulated. A process whereby
laboratory managers notify the CSO or waste manager that they have
chemical waste for removal should be established.
Depending on the location of the facility, there may be regulations or
guidance on recordkeeping for chemical waste. Records of disposal—in-
cluding disposal date, quantity disposed of, and disposal method—should
be maintained. The records should be kept indefinitely or as long as speci-
fied in regulations.
Guidance on Assigning Responsibility and Accountability

The following are examples of how responsibility and accountability
for chemicals may be assigned. The needs and management style of an in-
stitution should be considered in determining its appropriate management
structure.
Responsibilities of Chemical Safety and Security Oversight Committees

The Chemical Safety and Security Oversight Committee, appointed
by the top leader of the institution, is responsible for the following broad
elements:
• developing and maintaining safety and security policy initiatives;

• adequately budgeting and allocating resources for the chemical
safety and security program;
• making inquiries as appropriate regarding incidents, accidents, and
breaches of safety and security;
• making recommendations to top leaders regarding recognition of
best practices and disciplinary actions as appropriate; and
• providing necessary support to the chemical safety officers (CSOs).
GUIDELINES 57
Responsibilities of Chemical Safety Officers

CSOs are responsible for the following broad elements:
• developing and implementing an integrated safety and security

program for the life cycle of the chemicals of concern (COCs) on the basis
of the guidelines established in the present report and discussed in more
detail in Prudent Practices in the Laboratory;
• establishing a training program that ensures that laboratory man-
agers, supervisors, and workers receive training appropriate for their duties
and for the materials they will use regularly, reviewing and approving the
content of the training, and maintaining training records and periodically
auditing them to ensure that all who should be trained are being trained;
• developing a laboratory inspection program that reviews laboratory
facilities, SOPs, and worker preparedness; keeping records of the inspec-
tions and sharing the results with laboratory managers and senior manage-
ment; and tracking resolution of issues identified during inspections;
• periodically auditing all aspects of the safety and security program
and reporting findings to senior management, including recommendations
for improvements; and
• developing a program for managing incidents, including spills,
injuries, and near misses.
More specifically, CSOs or designated alternates are responsible for
• executing the established policies regarding laboratory COCs and

ensuring compliance with applicable regulations as required;
• assisting in procurement, storage, use, and waste disposal at the
laboratory level, including providing training for how to develop appropri-
ate SOPs;
• operating, if required, a waste management program for wastes to
be disposed of outside the laboratory, including receipt of wastes, transpor-
tation, and final disposal of material by commercial venders;
• logging orders of COCs;
• receiving and inventorying on purchase receipts;
• disposing of laboratory COCs;
• auditing inventory logs and cabinet security at least once a year;
• investigating incidents involving COCs;
• suspending authorizations to use laboratory COCs in cases of non-
compliance; and
• maintaining complete records of program operations in a form
suitable for inspection that can readily be retrieved and distributed.
Responsibilities of Laboratory Managers or Supervisors

Each laboratory should designate a manager or supervisor. In many
cases, the person may be the principal investigator. Laboratory managers
and supervisors play an important role in the safety and security program
and will be the key connection between the laboratory and the CSO. Re-
sponsibilities include at least
• ensuring that laboratory workers receive training in general chemi-

cal safety and security;
• ensuring that laboratory workers understand how to work with
COCs safely and providing chemical-specific and procedure-specific train-
ing as needed, including developing and reviewing SOPs;
• providing laboratory workers with appropriate engineering con-
trols and PPE needed to work safely with COCs;
• ensuring that the laboratory has the appropriate level of security
for COCs;
• setting expectations for safety and security and including safety and
security components in performance appraisals; and
• reviewing and approving work with COCs.
Responsibilities of Local Laboratory Safety Committees

Local laboratory safety committees are composed of managers of labo-
ratories, laboratory workers (or their selected representatives), CSOs, and
perhaps security officers. Responsibilities include
• reviewing and discussing current safety issues;

• reviewing safety incidents;
• planning safety training;
• providing representation for laboratory workers; and
• making recommendations for safety improvements.
Responsibility of Laboratory Workers

All the people who work in a laboratory—whether paid or unpaid, stu-
dent or employee—are responsible for following all the safety and security
protocols for their own protection and the protection of their fellow work-
ers. All laboratory workers are responsible for at least the following:
• attending laboratory safety training;

• reviewing and following written procedures;
GUIDELINES 59
• ensuring, before working with a chemical or procedure the first

time, that all the hazards and procedures needed for safety and security are
understood by either reviewing or developing and approving SOPs;
• asking a supervisor or a CSO for help if unsure about the
hazards;
• using engineering controls and PPE, as appropriate;
• reporting all incidents, security issues, and potential chemical ex-
posures to a laboratory supervisor; and
• documenting specific operating procedures for working with COCs
and amending procedures as needed.
4
Compliance with Safety and Security

Rules, Programs, and Policies
Establishing rules, programs, and policies for laboratory safety and security
is of no value if organizational leaders do not enforce them and if labo-
ratory managers and workers do not follow them. Incentives are needed
to ensure that laboratories operate safely and securely and comply with
established organization rules, programs, and policies. In its outreach to
top institutional leaders, the U.S. Department of State Chemical Security
Engagement Program (CSP) should encourage institutions to develop a
system of compliance with safety and security rules, programs, and poli-
cies. Organizations also need to identify the barriers to chemical laboratory
safety and security in their cultures and find ways to overcome them. This
chapter recommends a system for addressing the barriers to and fostering
compliance with good laboratory safety and security practices.
components of a good compliance System

The major components of a compliance system are regular inspections,
reporting, incident investigation, follow-up, enforcement, and recognition
and reward. The system should emphasize fact finding, not fault finding.
That applies to all the safety and security programs and policies described
in Chapter 3. Initiation and maintenance of an effective compliance system
are important to:
• give organization leaders useful information about the effectiveness

of safety and security systems and about needs for improvements;
61
• give designated safety and security personnel authority to collect

incident reports and report incidents to higher authorities for action;
• discern patterns of unsafe behavior and facilities (based on statistics
from reports and inspections), find methods to improve safety and security,
and initiates new rules and regulations to protect workers and students;
• increase awareness of safety issues in the organization so that a
culture of improved safety and security is encouraged;
• give current information to safety officers so that training of all
laboratory workers can be improved and specific guidance can be given to
individual workers; and
• give information to laboratory leaders so that they can learn how
to use, test, and procure appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE)
and other types of equipment to improve safety.
Inspections
There should be a program for regular inspections of all science and
engineering, safety and security practices, and facilities. Conducting an
inspection is just the first step; issues found should be resolved to achieve a
safer and more secure status. Written communication and documentation
of inspections and of resolution issues are essential (see Appendix G for
sample inspection checklist).
Conducting inspections also gives chemical safety officers (CSOs) op-
portunities to notice and reward best practices and to communicate them
to the larger scientific community. Leaders of the organization may want to
authorize CSOs to recommend individuals or groups for special recognition
and even material reward.
Reporting
A process for incident reporting and investigation should be established,
with an emphasis on free exchange of information without penalty to the
persons who report an incident (see Appendix G for a sample incident
report form). The objectives are to maintain a culture in which people feel
comfortable in sharing information about problems they have encountered
and promote an understanding that laboratory workers’ personal safety is
paramount.
Complex hierarchical systems in developing countries sometimes sup-
press individual responsibility. An organizational support system and a
fundamental change in the behavior of individuals are essential to enable
effective reporting of accidents, incidents, and lapses. The greatest challenge
is to reduce resistance to reporting problems.
Scientific leaders and administrators should regard the reporting sys-
COMPLIANCE WITH RULES, PROGRAMS, AND POLICIES 63
tem as a method of furthering education and training of valuable skilled

workers and students, not as a means of justifying punitive actions. That
requires a fundamental cultural change in organizations to conduct bold
and open discussion among employees, students, and leaders. Credibility is
established by actions. If an organization’s leaders use accident or incident
reports as the basis of punitive actions against particular employees, the
reporting system will never take root and foster the culture of safety.
Building a culture of safety involves not only increasing recognition of
specific potential hazards but also helping workers and students to make
better, safer choices in their actions. They should have confidence in the
fairness and objectivity of their organization’s leaders.
Enforcement
Both positive and negative feedback is necessary to ensure the proper
enforcement of safety and security rules and regulations. The reporting
system should delineate consequences of not reporting incidents and not
complying with safety and security rules. Establishing rewards for individu-
als and groups that display consistently safe behavior would reinforce the
desired behavior. Workers and students should be encouraged to speak up
when they witness incidents, lapses in abiding by safety rules, or outright
violations. Such laboratory incidents as sink fires, chemical-hood fires,
chemical spills, waste disposal accidents, and safety shower activations need
to be reported to a CSO and the laboratory supervisor. They should not be
considered trivial even if there is no immediate consequence, such as a call
to a fire department or a trip to a hospital emergency room.
Safety Incidents
Laboratory supervisors are responsible for reporting safety incidents
in their laboratories. A form should be filled out that indicates clearly the
name of the person involved, the name of the department, the date and
time of the incident, and details of the factors that contributed to it. Penal-
ties for not reporting should be severe enough to discourage hiding safety
incidents.
Security Breaches
All security breaches, small or large, need to be reported in writing, to
the concerned authorities. That requires an atmosphere of openness and
confidence in the rules and in the leaders. Reporting security breaches helps
to improve security systems. People who report security breaches immedi-
ately should be rewarded.
Suspicious Activity
All personnel should be trained to look out for suspicious activities
or persons. They should learn to report such activities in a timely manner.
Persons who do so should receive special recognition from organizational
leaders.
Best Practices
The laboratory community should be encouraged to report outcomes
of inspections. As mentioned earlier, positive recognition of good practices
during an inspection constitutes effective encouragement of a culture of
safety.
Protection for Those Who Report Incidents

Clearly written rules should be established to protect those who wit-
ness and report a safety or security incident or suspicious activity. Most
of the time witnesses do not come forward to make a report because they
try to avoid conflict with others. The rules of the organization should pro-
vide complete protection from retribution and anonymity to witnesses, if
required.
Reporting Methods to Consider

The reporting form should be easy and quick to complete (see Appen-
dix G for a sample incident report form). Taking an hour or two to fill in a
tedious form may discourage workers and students from using the reporting
system. As part of their basic and continuing safety training, all workers
and students need instruction on when and how to fill out the form. The
designated safety committee for the organization should establish proce-
dures to receive reports and take appropriate action in a timely fashion.
Anonymous filing of incident reports should be considered. There should
be a secure place, a designated third party, or a Web site for filing reports
of incidents, so that people who are reporting questionable safety actions
are assured of confidentiality.
The purpose of filing incident forms is not to attribute blame but to
make it possible for the CSO, scientific leaders, and administrators to ad-
dress basic safety problems and to add to or modify the rules for laboratory
safety and security.
Investigations
An investigation should be used to establish the facts of an incident,
determine the cause of a problem, and recommend improvements. All in-
cidents should be investigated, but the depth of each investigation is deter-
mined by the seriousness of the incident, according to a process established
by the safety committee. For example, a minor incident may require only
a call or short interview with an individual or group. The findings of all
investigations should be in writing.
Approaches to fostering compliance

Changing behaviors and fostering a culture of compliance are challeng-
ing. Local social and cultural barriers may inhibit a laboratory manager,
laboratory personnel, students, and others from complying with the best
safety and security practices. This section discusses approaches that can
be implemented to change noncompliant behaviors and improve labora-
tory safety and security. In addition to what is written here, a laboratory
manager will need to utilize educational tools to foster compliance. For
example, case studies can be developed and used to train laboratory per-
sonnel. An example case study “Ensuring the Use of Safety Measures in the
Laboratory” is provided in Appendix G.
Setting Organizational Safety Rules, Policies, and Implementation

Strategy
Good compliance requires clear rules, policies, and processes that have
been agreed on by organizational leaders, safety and security officers, and
laboratory managers. It is also critical for compliance and administration
that key stakeholders in the organization also agree to a clear, direct strat-
egy for implementing rules. Rules need to be approved by the highest fo-
rums, such as a board of governors or trustees, if they are to have legitimacy
and be legally binding. Rules need to be printed and circulated as official
organizational documents from the office of the chancellor or president.
Dealing with Limited Financial Resources

Maintaining and improving a system require sustained financial sup-
port. However, increasing safety does not have to be expensive. Strong
leadership can lead to changes in personal behavior that can result in im-
proved chemical safety and security. Changing personal behavior can be an
effective and inexpensive way to improve chemical safety and security.
Addressing Climate Control

In some developing countries, heat and humidity are excessive dur-
ing most of the year and mechanical ventilation and air conditioning are
unavailable. Appropriate actions should be taken to keep people comfort-
able while they comply with safety practices and rules. For example, one
university in the Philippines made it possible to work in humid conditions
by purchasing antifog chemical splash goggles for laboratory workers.
Providing Training and Education

People require training to become aware of potential hazards. No
one should be allowed to work in chemical laboratories without adequate
training in laboratory standard operating procedures. Laboratory personnel
should be comfortable asking safety and security officers for expert advice
on what to do, before they proceed with risky actions. Safety and security
officers should have updated and adequate knowledge to guide others. In
developing countries, those officers can be sent to civil defense organiza-
tions or other public agencies for training. Scientific leaders, safety and
security officers, and others in authority need to be careful when writing di-
rections and instructions they distribute. Material that is distributed should
be checked for accuracy and thoroughness. Sloppy, offhand, or ill-informed
instructions can be harmful.
Encouraging Rest and Well-being

Working while physically or mentally tired is one of the most common
causes of laboratory accidents, near-miss incidents, and lapses of security.
Workers and students need to look out for each other and encourage ill or
exhausted coworkers to leave the laboratory and get rest or sleep so that
they will be able to meet the stress and effort of work. The organization
should support workers and students in participating in interesting, extra-
curricular activities on a regular basis to reduce mental stress and achieve a
more balanced life. Happy, rested workers make an organization productive
and safe.
Enforcing Consequences of Risky Behavior

Rules for safe behavior and penalties for their violation should be widely
publicized, in advance, to make everyone aware of them. If people know
that negligent or deliberately risky behavior in laboratories or breaches in
security will have no consequences, they will have little incentive to change
their habits. Consequences of safety or security violations could include
publicity of the violations, restrictions on use of laboratory facilities and
equipment, monetary fines, withdrawal of financial support, or job termina-

tion. Consequences should be proportional to the severity of the violations.
To promote compliance with rules, leaders also need to reward people who
have consistently taken safe actions and behaved responsibly. A reward
might be monetary or simply favorable recognition.
Relieving Time Pressures and Avoiding Shortcuts

Trying to do laboratory or experimental processes too fast can lead to
mistakes and accidents or incidents. Shortcuts in standard operating pro-
cedures can compromise safety. Supervisors and laboratory leaders need
to be mindful of the time required to complete assigned work and of the
risks and consequences that can ensue if they reduce time without adding
workers. In designing experiments, supervisors should consult with work-
ers to validate the proper allocation of time required for every step of an
experiment. Adequate time is needed to do things the right way. Additional
education and training may be required to give people incentives to avoid
dangerous shortcuts. Every person in a laboratory should learn about the
consequences of shortcuts and be made aware of the penalties for taking
them. Coworkers should learn to encourage one another to work safely.
Taking Special Safety Precautions for Women

Women require additional safety measures to protect their reproductive
health. For example, certain chemicals are reproductive toxins that women
should not handle. Organizational leaders should ensure that female labora-
tory personnel are provided with the appropriate guidelines, training, and
equipment needed for their safety and security.
In addition, cultural or religious traditions could keep men from giv-
ing women physical assistance that they need in emergencies. In case of
such situations, laboratory safety offices and security offices should hire
women.
Accommodating Social, Ethnic, and Religious Differences

Discrimination against groups and against persons of low social status
happens globally. Institutions should have clearly defined policies with re-
gard to fair treatment of all workers. Lower-status workers in particular are
often involved in cleaning and other potentially hazardous jobs, but have
little or no education in chemistry. They should be provided with adequate
PPE and training to avoid harm to their health in the line of duty. Scientific
leaders and administrators need to become role models for equitable, ob-
jective, and humane treatment of all workers and students. In some cases,
leaders may be legally obligated to take such measures. Large personal fines
or even prison sentences may be implemented if leaders do not provide a

safe and secure working environment for students and staff.
Accommodating Propriety in Dress and Behavior

All laboratory members should be educated about and kept aware of
the need to wear proper clothing and protective equipment. They should
have ready access to proper clothing for the laboratory such as lab coats
and gloves even if they prefer to wear traditional clothing outside. Feelings
and traditional standards of propriety may discourage persons, particularly
women, who have been splashed with caustic chemicals or other hazard-
ous materials in the laboratory from immediately removing contaminated
clothing to reduce chemical burns and from going to and using emergency
safety showers properly. It may be necessary for educational institutions to
provide laboratory sessions for female students that are separated in time
and possibly location from those for male students, or to specially design
personal protective clothing and equipment that can accommodate fitting
under or over traditional attire.
Confronting Coworkers or Superiors

Laboratory workers may witness safety or security breaches but be
fearful of or apprehensive about confronting coworkers and authorities.
These are normal feelings and reactions that should be countered by pro-
viding anonymity for informants, if possible, by protecting informants and
by preventing reprisals.
Proper handling of such a situation depends heavily on having clear,
agreed rules and an objective, fair, well-publicized, and understood strategy
for investigating incidents and administering the consequences of breaking
or disregarding the rules. The messenger should not be blamed but rather
thanked for rendering a valuable service. Please refer to earlier section on
protection for those who report incidents.
Looking Out for Coworkers

A person’s sense of survival or concern for the well-being of others can
be complicated. Specific rules or strong guidance may be needed for train-
ing workers on when and how to help others and one’s self in emergencies,
and even more importantly, on when to cooperate with others to prevent
accidents and emergencies. All laboratory workers and students should also
receive adequate education on the importance of both wearing PPE and
training in its proper use; these are critical for compliance with laboratory
safety rules.
A
Statement of Task
An ad hoc committee of the National Research Council will undertake the

following tasks:
1). It will produce materials (as noted below) providing guidance on

a baseline of practices required to promote safety and security in their
handling and use of toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and other hazardous
chemicals on the laboratory scale in the developing world. It will:
• Consider current safety and security practices in these countries

based on information from the Department of State Chemical Security En-
gagement Program, and other organizations such as the International Union
of Pure and Applied Chemistry, and the American Chemical Society Com-
mittee on International Affairs. Use this information to determine practices
most needed and/or most readily employed in developing economies.
• Based on information found in Prudent Practices in the Labo-
ratory: Safe Handling and Disposal of Chemical (NAP, 1995), produce
materials (booklets, CDs, or other media) that outline basic steps, feasible
in developing economies, to improve chemical management best practices,
including enhanced safety and security in the use, storage, and disposal of
hazardous chemicals. This should include consideration of training and
other “culture of safety” issues.
2). It will examine the dual risks—in particular, the risk posed by theft
and diversion of relatively small amounts of chemicals from laboratory
settings—posed by TICs and other hazardous chemicals in developing
69
70 APPENDIX A
countries, particularly in regions where terrorism is on the rise. In its final

report, it will provide guidance on a baseline of practices required to pro-
mote good chemical management practices to ensure safety and security
in their handling and use in laboratories in developing world. Specifically,
this study will:
• Examine current patterns of use and distribution of chemicals in

the developing world, especially countries where terrorism is of particular
concern, describing, in general terms, the types and levels of laboratory
activities and their geographic distribution.
• Examine current safety and security practices and attitudes in
laboratories based on information from the Department of State Chemi-
cal Security Engagement Program, international organizations such as the
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, organizations such as
the American Chemical Society Division of International Affairs and the
American Chemistry Council, and members of the chemical community
operating abroad, including both academic and industrial practitioners.
Identify practices that provide the greatest opportunity to improve safety
and security and/or practices most amenable to readily-employed mitigation
techniques.
• Examine on-going efforts to engage chemical professionals (scien-
tists, technicians and engineers) from the developing world with the inter-
national R&D community in order to improve best practices in chemical
safety and security.
• Recommend basic steps, feasible in developing economies, to pro-
vide enhanced safety and security in the use, storage, and disposal of
hazardous chemicals. This should include consideration of training op-
portunities to engage chemical professionals from developing countries in
activities to improve best practices in chemical safety and security and de-
velopment of long-term relationships that could foster improved security.
B
Meeting Agenda
Meeting 1
March 2, 2009
Washington, D.C.
10:00 a.m. Welcome and Introductions
Ned Heindel, Chair
Chemical Security Engagement Program
10:15 a.m. Program Overview and Discussion of Study Charge

Marie Ricciardone, U.S. Department of State
11:15 a.m. CSP Chemical Safety and Security Training

Nancy Jackson, Sandia National Laboratories
12:15 p.m. Lunch
1:15 p.m. CSP Training Materials

Nancy Jackson, Sandia National Laboratories
2:15 p.m. Discussion of Proposed Educational Materials with

Guests
3:15 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. Closed Session
71
72 APPENDIX B
March 3, 2009
CLOSED SESSION
Meeting 2
April 27-28, 2009
Washington, D.C.
Closed Session
Meeting 3
June 4, 2009
Washington, D.C.
8:15 a.m. Welcome and Introductions

Ned Heindel, Chair
8:30 a.m. (video conference) Dr. Mohammad El-Khateeb, Chairman,

Department of Chemistry, Jordan University of Science
and Technology
9:30 a.m. Dr. Temechegn Engida, President, Federation of African

Societies of Chemistry, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
10:30 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. Dr. Khalid Temsamani, National Coordinator, Materials

Science; Professor of Electro-Analytical Chemistry in the
Faculty of Sciences of Tetouan, University Abdelmalek
Essaadi, Morocco
11:45 a.m. Dr. Supawan Tantayanon, President, Thai Chemical

Society; Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Faculty of
Science, Chulalongkorn University.
12:15 p.m. Lunch

APPENDIX B 73
2:15 p.m. Dr. Richard W. Niemeier, Senior Scientist and Toxicolo-

gist, Associate Director of Science, Education and Infor-
mation Division, U.S. National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health
3:30 p.m. Dr. Alastair W.M. Hay, Professor of Environmental

Toxicology
University of Leeds, United Kingdom; Chair, IUPAC/
OPCW Multiple Uses of Chemistry Workgroup
4:30 p.m. Mr. Francisco Gomez, ACS Office of International

Activities
5:00 p.m. Closing Discussion
5:30 – 7:30 Dinner for Committee and Guests

p.m.
June 5, 2009
Closed SESSION
Meeting 4
July 16-17, 2009
Woods Hole, Massachusetts
CLOSED SESSION
C
Committee and
Guest Speaker Information
Committee MemberS
Ned D. Heindel (Chair) is H. S. Bunn Chair and Professor of Chemistry
at Lehigh University. He joined Lehigh University in 1966. Dr. Heindel’s
research has focused mainly on the preparation of radiopharmaceuticals
and synthesis of useful therapeutic drug candidates. He is working on
countermeasures for sulfur mustard vesicant. Dr. Heindel has 11 patents,
four of which have been licensed. In 1994 he served as the president of the
American Chemical Society. Dr. Heindel earned his B.S. at Lebanon Valley
College in 1959 (chemistry and mathematics) and his Ph.D. at the Univer-
sity of Delaware in l963 (organic chemistry), and he held a postdoctoral
fellowship at Princeton University in l964 (medicinal chemistry).
Charles Barton is an independent consultant. His expertise includes cause–

effect and dose–response relationships. He was until recently a senior
scientist at XOMA (US) LLC, in Berkeley, California, where he oversaw
preclinical studies to determine the toxicity and safety of therapeutic mono-
clonal antibodies. Before joining XOMA, Dr. Barton was the state toxicolo-
gist for Iowa. He has served on the faculties of Iowa State University and
Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. Dr. Barton received his
Ph.D. in toxicology from the University of Louisiana. In addition to being
a board-certified toxicologist, he is certified in conducting public health
assessments, health education activities, and risk assessments; emergency
response to terrorism and emergency response incident command; and
hazardous waste operations and emergency response.
75
76 APPENDIX C
Janet S. Baum has focused her professional career on complex R&D facili-
ties for medical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and academic clients. Her
specialized expertise includes planning for animal facilities, molecular- and
cellular-biology laboratories, and biosafety laboratories (to level 4). Ms.
Baum works with researchers, scientists, facilities staff, health and safety
personnel, and administrators to understand “big picture” objectives, cre-
ate consensus, and develop project requirements through understanding
of scientific processes and functions. Ms. Baum teaches at the Harvard
University School of Public Health and Washington University in St. Louis.
She is widely published on laboratory health and safety guidelines. She is
the author or coauthor of 15 books and numerous articles.
Apurba Bhattacharya is associate professor of chemistry at Texas A&M

University-Kingsville. Recently he held the position of senior vice president
and head of global R&D in Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. in Hyderabad,
India. Dr. Bhattacharya joined the faculty of Texas A&M after many years
in the pharmaceutical industry, where he started his career with Merck &
Co. as a senior research chemist in process R&D. Later he joined Hoechst,
where he rose to lead chemist of the Innovator Group. He then held
the position of group leader in central process research at Bristol Myers
Squibb until joining the faculty of Texas A&M in 1999. During his time
in industry, Dr. Bhattacharya developed the synthesis of Propecia™ (hair
growth drug) and Proscar™ (for benign prostatic hypertrophy). He worked
on chiral Robinson annulation, and the synthesis of S-ibuprofen, D-p-hy-
droxyphenyl glycine, cromolyn sodium, alkyl indanones, quinazolinones,
amphoteric copolymer, and MRI imaging agents. Dr. Bhattacharya’s cur-
rent research interests include designing environmentally benign, waste-free
chemistry with emphasis on current industrial synthesis and processes using
homogeneous and heterogeneous catalyst systems and asymmetric synthe-
sis, and chiral phase-transfer catalysis. Dr. Bhattacharya received his Ph.D.
in organic chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin in 1982; his
M.S. in chemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India,
in 1976; and his B.S. in chemistry from Calcutta University, India, in 1974.
Dr. Bhattacharya’s contributions have extended to numerous newspaper
articles, 90 refereed publications, and 26 patents.
Charles P. Casey (member, National Academy of Sciences) is Homer B.

Adkins Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-
Madison. His research lies at the interface of organometallic chemistry
and homogeneous catalysis; his group studies the mechanisms of homoge-
neously catalyzed reactions. He received his B.S. from St. Louis University
and his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
APPENDIX C 77
Mark C. Cesa is a senior research associate for INEOS USA LLC. He re-
ceived a Ph.D. (1979) and an M.S. (1977) in organic chemistry from the
University of Wisconsin-Madison and an A.B. in chemistry from Princeton
University (1974). Dr. Cesa is a past chair of the U.S. National Committee
for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). He is
chair of the IUPAC Committee on Chemistry and Industry, which conducts
the Safety Training Program sponsored by IUPAC, the U.N. Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the U.N. International
Development Organization (UNIDO). The program allows safety experts
from developing countries to learn more about safety and environmental
protective measures by visiting and working in plants of IUPAC company
associates in the industrialized world. IUPAC, UNESCO, and UNIDO
established and have maintained the Safety Training Program to promote
interactions between developed countries and the developing world to dis-
seminate state-of-the-art knowledge on safety and environmental protection
in chemical production.
M. Iqbal Choudhary is the director of the International Center for Chemical

and Biological Sciences and the Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medi-
cine and Drug Research, University of Karachi, Pakistan. Dr. Choudhary
obtained his Ph.D. from the H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry in 1987
and his M.Sc. in 1983 from the University of Karachi, Pakistan, also in
organic chemistry. He received his B.Sc. from the University of Karachi in
chemistry, biochemistry, and botany. Dr. Choudhary is involved in academic
projects, including a survey of medicinal plants in Pakistan; environmental
monitoring; and capacity building in science and technology in Pakistan.
Dr. Choudhary is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, London;
the American Chemical Society; the International Union of Pure and Ap-
plied Chemistry; the American Society of Pharmacology; the New York
Academy of Sciences; and the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies. He
was awarded the Tamgha-E-Imtiaz in 1998, the Sitara-E-Imtiaz in 2001,
and the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2006, all by the president of Pakistan. He was
also awarded the Abdussalam Prize in Chemistry in 1990 and the Young
Chemist Award of TWAS, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing
World in 1994. Dr. Choudhary was elected a fellow of the Islamic Academy
of Sciences in 2002.
Robert H. Hill is a program manager with Battelle in Atlanta, GA, where

he manages several contracts with the Centers for Disease Control and Pre-
vention (CDC). Formerly Dr. Hill worked in or managed laboratories for
30 years, and he has more than 30 years of experience in occupational and
environmental health at CDC. Dr. Hill has served as member-at-large, chair
of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Chemical Health and
78 APPENDIX C
Safety and is an active member of the ACS Executive Committee. He also

serves as liaison to the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety. He has served
as member of the Board of Editors of the Journal of Chemical Health and
Safety since 2000. He served as the ACS representative member and later
president of the National Registry of Certified Chemists. Dr. Hill received
his Ph.D. in chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his B.S.
in chemistry from Georgia State University. He received the Howard Faw-
cett Award for outstanding achievements in chemical health and safety.
Robin Izzo is the associate director for laboratory safety in the Princeton
University Office of Environmental Health and Safety. She has more than
20 years of experience in laboratory safety, having held positions at the
University of Vermont and Harvard University before her 16-year tenure
at Princeton. Ms. Izzo was instrumental in working with the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) in developing proposed rule making to
make compliance with chemical waste regulations more relevant to colleges
and universities. Ms. Izzo is the chair of the coordinating committee for
the EPA College and University Sector Strategy, coordinating the efforts of
six national and international organizations to develop a framework for
environmental compliance and sustainability programs at colleges and uni-
versities. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Campus Safety
Health and Environmental Management Association. Ms. Izzo holds a B.S.
in mathematics from the University of Vermont and an M.S. in environmen-
tal sciences from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Patrick J. Y. Lim is professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry

in the University of San Carlos in Cebu City, Philippines. Through an
Australian Development Cooperation scholarship, he completed his Ph.D.
in chemistry (2000) at the University of Melbourne under the supervision
of Charles G. Young. His doctoral work investigated novel reactions of
metal and sulfur compounds with activated alkynes and produced five
publications in such journals as Inorganic Chemistry and Organometallics.
On returning to the Philippines, he rose in the ranks of the department,
becoming chair in 2004. He was recently appointed editor of The Philip-
pine Scientist, a multidisciplinary ISI journal published by the university.
He serves as an accreditor of the Philippines Accrediting Association of
Schools, Colleges and Universities and sits on the Philippine Commission
on Higher Education’s Technical Committee for Chemistry.
Russell W. Phifer is the principal of WC Environmental, LLC. He has over

25 years of experience in environmental health and safety (EH&S). His
background includes management of health and safety at Superfund sites,
training of chemists in safety, and consulting on environmental health and
APPENDIX C 79
safety issues for laboratory and industrial facilities. Mr. Phifer has received
professional certification from a variety of professional organizations, and
is an Occupational Safety and Health Administration authorized trainer. He
has served in numerous capacities for the American Chemical Society (ACS)
and is immediate past chair of the ACS Committee on Chemical Safety, and
chair of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety. Mr. Phifer has
served actively with the ACS Laboratory Chemical and Waste Management
Task Force since 1981, including six years as chair. He is a member of the
Board of Editors of the Journal of Chemical Health and Safety. He cur-
rently serves as a member of the National Research Council’s Committee
on Prudent Practices for the Handling and Disposal of Chemicals.
Mildred Solomon is vice president of the Education Development Center

Inc. (EDC), an international nonprofit R&D organization of more than
1,200 professional staff, and associate clinical professor of medical ethics
and anaesthesia at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Solomon directs the EDC
Center for Applied Ethics, an interdisciplinary group of social scientists
engaged in a variety of studies focusing on values questions in medicine
and health care and on health system quality improvement. At Harvard, she
directs the medical school’s Fellowship in Medical Ethics, a program aimed
at building the bioethics capacity of Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals.
An expert in ethics education and behavioral change, Dr. Solomon has more
than 30 years experience in researching, designing, and evaluating educa-
tion and quality improvement programs for health professionals, health
care organizations, and the public, particularly in medical uncertainty, in
which values questions pose policy and practice challenges. She received her
B.A. from Smith College and her doctorate from Harvard University.
James M. Solyst, a principal consultant with ENVIRON, has more than

25 years of experience in advising businesses and policy leaders on the ap-
plication of science in decision making and communicating science to key
audiences, including regulatory and legislative bodies. Mr. Solyst is expe-
rienced in product stewardship, global chemical management, emergency
response, and corporate responsibility. He has assisted U.S. governors with
initiatives and incidents through the National Governors Association and
chemical companies responding to emerging science through the American
Chemistry Council. He has also worked on international initiatives, includ-
ing REACH, the U.N. Environmental Programme’s Strategic Approach to
International Chemicals Management, and the harmonization of global
product stewardship programs. Mr. Solyst is a member of the American
Chemical Society Committee on Environmental Improvement, and he is an
external affiliate of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Risk Sci-
ences and Public Policy Institute. He received his M.S. in city and regional
80 APPENDIX C
planning from Ohio State University and his B.A. from the University of
Maryland.
Usha Wright is executive vice president and co-general counsel for O’Brien
& Gere, an environmental engineering and consulting firm in New York.
She has extensive international industry experience in chemical safety. In
2008 she retired as senior vice president for global workforce strategy at
ITT Corporation, a position she had held since 2005. From 1993 to 2005
Ms. Wright was vice president and associate general counsel for ITT, with
responsibility for environment, safety, and health (ES&H). Before join-
ing ITT, she was executive director of environmental health and safety at
Ciba Geigy Pharmaceuticals from 1977 to 1993. Ms. Wright has a B.S. in
chemistry from Rutgers University, an M.S. from the University of North
Carolina, and a J.D. from Rutgers University. She is a Certified Industrial
Hygienist and a Certified Safety Professional. She is on the board of the
Environmental Law Institute, where she is involved in conducting training
in ES&H compliance in various academic institutions in India. She is also
on the board of SHARE (shareafrica.org), a nongovernmental organization
working in western Kenya.
Guest SpeakerS
Mohammad El-Khateeb is the chairman of the Chemistry Department of
the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Irbid. He has held this
position since 2007, and he joined the department in 1996. Dr. El-Khateeb
served as the vice dean of the Faculty of Science and Arts at the university
from 2002 to 2004. He received a B.S. (1988) and an M.S. (1990) in chem-
istry from Yarmouk University in Irbid, Jordan, and a Ph.D. in inorganic
and organometallic chemistry from McGill University in Montreal, Canada,
in 1996. He has received numerous awards, including the 2008 Abdul
Hameed Shoman Award for Young Arab Researchers in chemistry and the
2004–2005 Alexander von Humboldt Scholarship at the Friedrich Schiller
University of Jena in Germany. He serves as the treasurer of the Jordanian
Chemical Society.
Temechegn Engida received a B.S. in chemistry (1988) and an M.A. in

chemical education (1993) from Addis Ababa University. He received a
Ph.D. in chemical education from the University of Muenster in Germany in
2000, specializing in structural chemistry education (with emphasis on the
structures of solids). Since earning his B.S., Dr. Temechegn has been lectur-
ing at Addis Ababa University and advising students working in chemical
education at the undergraduate, master’s, and Ph.D. levels. He has been
APPENDIX C 81
researching and publishing articles on chemical education. From August

2004 to February 2007, he served as the vice president of the Chemical
Society of Ethiopia. During that time, he played a key role in initiating
and founding the Federation of African Societies of Chemistry (FASC) in
February 2006. He is now leading FASC as its founding president. He also
works for the UNESCO-International Institute for Capacity Building in
Africa, based in Addis Ababa.
Francisco Gomez works in the American Chemical Society (ACS) Office of

International Activities. He is responsible for developing and implementing
international alliance and partnership opportunities for ACS and fostering
existing ones. Before joining ACS, Mr. Gomez worked as a consultant at
G&G Consulting, advising Latin American clients on strategic planning
and the development of programs aimed at maximizing organizational ef-
fectiveness. Before joining G&G, Mr. Gomez served as district manager for
Healthcare Services Group Inc., where he was responsible for all aspects of
operations, including financial control, business development, operations,
client relations, regulatory compliance, and human capital. Mr. Gomez
holds a B.S. in business administration from Marshall University with a
concentration in management and economics and an M.B.A. from the
Kogod School of Business of American University with a concentration in
international business. A native of Colombia, he is fluent in Spanish and
has considerable knowledge of developing countries, having studied and
worked in Latin America.
Alastair Hay is a professor of environmental toxicology at the University

of Leeds. He has a B.S. in chemistry (1969) and a Ph.D. in biochemistry
(1973) from London University. Most of his research is on the effects of
chemicals on health, and he has published many papers and articles in the
scientific and medical press. Since 1989, Dr. Hay has been a member of a
number of U.K. government committees that have made recommendations
on the regulation of chemicals and occupational exposure standards. Dr.
Hay has also worked on issues related to chemical and biologic warfare
for some 30 years. Much of his work has dealt with the need for workable
and international treaties that prevent the use of warfare with chemical
or biologic agents. Dr. Hay recently chaired a small international working
group under the auspices of the International Union of Pure and Applied
Chemistry and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
that prepared educational material for chemists on the multiple uses of
chemicals, chemical warfare, and codes of conduct. Dr. Hay is a partner
in a project coordinated by Environment Canada to produce protocols for
cleaning surfaces after chemical- or biologic-agent contamination.
82 APPENDIX C
Richard W. Niemeier is a toxicologist who has worked at the National In-

stitute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for 33 years. His expe-
rience includes work with the International Programme on Chemical Safety
of the World Health Organization (WHO) over the last 22 years to produce
more than 1,600 international chemical safety cards. He was instrumental
in bringing the message of control banding from the U.K. Health and
Safety Executive to NIOSH and the United States. Dr. Niemeier serves as
a deputy manager for a segment of the WHO Global Collaborating Centre
Network. The network has worked with South America and Mozambique
in taking the control banding concept to developing countries by using the
WHO toolkit. In addition, he was a member and chair of a subcommittee
of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Scientific Working Group on the Fo-
rensic Analysis of Chemical Terrorism. For the last 11 years, Dr. Niemeier
has been a member of the EPA Federal Advisory Committee on Acute Expo-
sure Guideline Levels, and he was recently appointed to the EPA Integrated
Risk Information System Federal Standing Science Committee.
Supawan Tantayanon is the director of the Technopreneurship and Inno-

vation Management and associate professor of chemistry in the Faculty of
Science at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. She first joined the chem-
istry department as an instructor in 1975. She is also an affiliate associate
professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Worcester
Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Tantayanon’s interests and expertise include re-
search in organic and polymer synthesis, green chemistry, alternative energy,
and educational topics in chemical safety, green chemistry, and small-scale
chemistry. She received a B.S. in chemistry (1973) from Chulalongkorn Uni-
versity and an M.S. in organic chemistry (1975) from Mahidol University,
Thailand. She received a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Worcester Poly-
technic Institute in 1982 and a diploma in polymer science from Ferrara
University, Italy, in 1993. Dr. Tantayanon has held numerous national and
international positions, including being the president of the Pacific Polymer
Federation in 2002–2003, president of the Polymer Society of Thailand in
1997–2003, director of the Green Chemistry Institute in Thailand since
2002, and president of the Chemical Society of Thailand since 2007. Dr.
Tantayanon is the 2009 president-elect of the Federation of Asian Chemi-
cal Societies.
Khalid R. Temsamani is the national coordinator for materials science and

professor of electroanalytic chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences of Tet-
ouan, University of Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Morocco. He received his Ph.D.
in chemistry in 1988 from the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium. He
is certified in immunology and cancerology (1987). In 2008 he became di-
rector of the Materials and Interfacial Systems Laboratory. Dr. Temsamani
APPENDIX C 83
is the representative of Morocco to the U.S. National Science Foundation

and he recently joined Morocco’s National Biosecurity Council and the
MENA Region Core Group for Biosafety and Biosecurity. He is an adviser
on biosafety, biosecurity, and science ethics and served as a consultant to
the U.S. National Academies to conduct a study of Morocco’s capabilities
in biosafety and biosecurity. He has supervised more than 15 graduate re-
search works and is author of 32 research papers and 74 international and
national communications.
D
Examples of Chemicals of Concern
The following Tables (D-1 through D-5) are examples of the types of
chemicals that a laboratory would include in an inventory of Chemicals of
Concern (COCs).
Table D-1 Chemical Weapons and Chemical Weapons Precursorsa:

CAS
Registry
Chemical of Concern Synonym Numberb
1,4-Bis(2-chloroethylthio)-n- 142868-93-7
butane
Bis(2-chloroethylthio)methane 63869-13-6
Bis(2-chloroethylthiomethyl)ether 63918-90-1
pentane
propane
2-Chloroethylchloro-methylsulfide 2625-76-5
Chlorosarin O-Isopropyl 1445-76-7

methylphosphonochloridate
Chlorosoman O-Pinacolyl 7040-57-5
methylphosphonochloridate
continued
85
86 APPENDIX D
Table D-1 Continued

CAS
Registry
Chemical of Concern Synonym Numberb
DF Methyl phosphonyl difluoride 676-99-3
Ethyl phosphonyl difluoride 753-98-0
HN1 (nitrogen mustard-1) Bis(2-chloroethyl)ethylamine 538-07-8
HN2 (nitrogen mustard-2) Bis(2-chloroethyl)methylamine 51-75-2
HN3 (nitrogen mustard-3) Tris(2-chloroethyl)amine 555-77-1
Isopropylphosphonyl difluoride 677-42-9
Lewisite 1 2-Chlorovinyldichloroarsine 541-25-3
Lewisite 2 Bis(2-chlorovinyl)chloroarsine 40334-69-8
Lewisite 3 Tris(2-chlorovinyl)arsine 40334-70-1
Sulfur mustard (mustard gas (H)) Bis(2-chloroethyl)sulfide 505-60-2
O-Mustard (T) Bis(2-chloroethylthioethyl)ether 63918-89-8
Propylphosphonyl difluoride 690-14-2
QL O-Ethyl-O-2-diisopropylaminoethyl 57856-11-8
methylphosphonite
Sarin O-Isopropyl 107-44-8
methylphosphonofluoridate
Sesquimustard 1,2-Bis(2-chloroethylthio)ethane 3563-36-8
Soman O-Pinacolyl 96-64-0

Tabun O-Ethyl-N,N- 77-81-6
dimethylphosphoramido-cyanidate
VX O-Ethyl-S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl 50782-69-9
methyl phosphonothiolate
NOTE: Toxic chemicals with few or no legitimate uses, developed or used primarily for
military purposes.
aU.S. Chemical Weapons Convention Schedule 1; see http://www.cwc.gov/ (accessed October
28, 2009).
bSee Chemical Abstract Service web site www.cas.org (accessed October 28, 2009).
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Homeland Security list of Chemicals of Interest (6 CFR Part 27
Appendix to Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards; Final Rule; November 20, 2007).
APPENDIX D 87
Table D-2 Explosives and Improvised Explosive Device Precursors

CAS
Registry
Chemical of Concern Synonym Number
Aluminum (powder) 7429-90-5
Ammonium nitrate 6484-52-2
Ammonium perchlorate 7790-98-9
Ammonium picrate 131-74-8
Barium azide 18810-58-7
Diazodinitrophenol 87-31-0
Diethyleneglycol dinitrate 693-21-0
Dingu Dinitroglycoluril 55510-04-8
Dinitrophenol 25550-58-7
Dinitroresorcinol 519-44-8
Dipicryl sulfide 2217-06-3
Dipicrylamine [or] Hexyl Hexanitrodiphenylamine 131-73-7
Guanyl nitrosaminoguanylidene
hydrazine
Hexanitrostilbene 20062-22-0
Hexolite Hexotol 121-82-4
HMX Cyclotetramethylene-tetranitramine 2691-41-0
Hydrogen peroxide (concentration 7722-84-1
of at least 35%)
Lead azide 13424-46-9
Lead styphnate Lead trinitroresorcinate 15245-44-0
Magnesium (powder) 7439-95-4
Mercury fulminate 628-86-4
Nitrobenzene 98-95-3
5-Nitrobenzotriazol 2338-12-7
Nitrocellulose (not filters) 9004-70-0
Nitroglycerine 55-63-0
Nitromannite Mannitol hexanitrate, wetted 15825-70-4
Nitromethane 75-52-5
Nitrostarch 9056-38-6
Nitrotriazolone 932-64-9
Octolite 57607-37-1
Octonal 78413-87-3
Pentolite 8066-33-9
PETN Pentaerythritol tetranitrate 78-11-5
continued
88 APPENDIX D
Table D-2 Continued

CAS
Registry
Phosphorus 7723-14-0
Potassium chlorate 3811-04-9
Potassium nitrate 7757-79-1
Potassium perchlorate 7778-74-7
Potassium permanganate 7722-64-7
RDX Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine 121-82-4
RDX and HMX mixtures 121-82-4
Sodium azide 26628-22-8
Sodium chlorate 7775-09-9
Sodium nitrate 7631-99-4
Tetranitroaniline 53014-37-2
Tetrazene Guanyl nitrosaminoguanyltetrazene 109-27-3
1H-Tetrazole 288-94-8
TNT Trinitrotoluene 118-96-7
Torpex Hexotonal 67713-16-0
Trinitroaniline 26952-42-1
Trinitroanisole 606-35-9
Trinitrobenzene 99-35-4
Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid 2508-19-2
Trinitrobenzoic acid 129-66-8
Trinitrochlorobenzene 88-88-0
Trinitrofluorenone 129-79-3
Trinitro-m-cresol 602-99-3
Trinitronaphthalene 55810-17-8
Trinitrophenetole 4732-14-3
Trinitrophenol Picric acid 88-89-1
Trinitroresorcinol 82-71-3
Tritonal 54413-15-9
APPENDIX D 89
Table D-3 Weapons of Mass Effect Agents and Precursors

CAS
Registry
Arsine 7784-42-1
Boron tribromide 10294-33-4
Boron trichloride Borane, trichloro 10294-34-5
Boron trifluoride Borane, trifluoro 7637-07-2
Bromine chloride 13863-41-7
Bromine trifluoride 7787-71-5
Dinitrophenol 25550-58-7
Dinitroresorcinol 519-44-8
Carbonyl fluoride 353-50-4
Chlorine pentafluoride 13637-63-3
Chlorine trifluoride 7790-91-2
Cyanogen Ethanedinitrile 460-19-5
Cyanogen chloride 506-77-4
Diborane 19287-45-7
Dichlorosilane Silane, dichloro- 4109-96-0
Dinitrogen tetroxide 10544-72-6
Fluorine 7782-41-4
Germane 7782-65-2
Germanium tetrafluoride 7783-58-6
Hexafluoroacetone 684-16-2
Hydrogen bromide (anhydrous) 10035-10-6
Hydrogen chloride (anhydrous) 7647-01-0
Hydrogen cyanide Hydrocyanic acid 74-90-8
Hydrogen fluoride (anhydrous) 7664-39-3
Hydrogen iodide, anhydrous 10034-85-2
Hydrogen selenide 7783-07-5
Hydrogen sulfide 7783-06-4
Methyl mercaptan Methanethiol 74-93-1
Methylchlorosilane 993-00-0
Nitric oxide Nitrogen oxide (NO) 10102-43-9
Nitrogen trioxide 10544-73-7
Nitrosyl chloride 2696-92-6
Oxygen difluoride 7783-41-7
Perchloryl fluoride 7616-94-6
continued
90 APPENDIX D
Table D-3 Continued

CAS
Registry
Carbonic dichloride or 75-44-5
Phosgene carbonyldichloride
Phosphine 7803-51-2
Phosphorus trichloride 7719-12-2
Selenium hexafluoride 7783-79-1
Silicon tetrafluoride 7783-61-1
Stibine 7803-52-3
Sulfur dioxide (anhydrous) 7446-09-5
Sulfur tetrafluoride Sulfur fluoride (SF4), (T-4)- 7783-60-0
Tellurium hexafluoride 7783-80-4
Titanium tetrachloride Titanium chloride (TiCl4) (T-4)- 7550-45-0
Trifluoroacetyl chloride 354-32-5
Tungsten hexafluoride 7783-82-6
APPENDIX D 91
TABLE D-4 Examples of Acutely Hazardous Chemicals (Globally

Harmonized System Category 1)
CAS
Registry
Acrolein 2-Propenal or acrylaldehyde 107-02-8
2-Aminopyridine 462-08-8
Arsenic pentafluoride gas 784-36-3
Arsine gas 7784-42-1
Benzyl chloride 100-44-7
Boron trifluoride Borane, trifluoro 7637-07-2
Bromine 7726-95-6
Chlorine 7782-50-5
Chorine dioxide Chlorine oxide (ClO2) 10049-04-4
Chlorine trifluoride 7790-91-2
Cyanogen chloride 506-77-4
Decaborane 17702-41-9
Diazomethane 334-88-3
Diborane 19287-45-7
Dichloroacetylene 79-36-7
Dimethylmercury 593-74-8
Dimethyl sulfate 77-78-1
Dimethyl sulfide 75-18-3
Ethylene chlorohydrin 107-07-3
Ethylene fluorohydrin 371-62-0
Fluorine 7681-49-4
2-Fluoroethanol 371-62-0
Hexamethylene diiosocyanate 822-06-0
Hydrogen cyanide Hydrocyanic acid 74-90-8
Hydrogen fluoride 7664-39-3
Iron pentacarbonyl Iron carbonyl (Fe (CO)5), (Tb5-11)- 13463-40-6
Isopropyl formate 625-55-8
Methacryloyl chloride 920-46-7
Methyl acrylonitrile 2-Propenenitrile, 2-methyl- 126-98-7
Methyl chloroformate Carbonochloridic acid, methyl ester 79-22-1
Methylene biphenyl isocyanate 101-68-9
Methyl fluoroacetate 453-18-9
Methyl fluorosulfate 421-20-5
Methyl hydrazine Hydrazine, methyl- 60-34-4
continued
92 APPENDIX D
Table D-4 Continued

CAS
Registry
Methyl mercury and other organic ---
forms
Methyl trichlorosilane 75-79-6
Methyl vinyl ketone 78-94-4
Nickel carbonyl 13463-39-3
Nitrogen dioxide 10102-44-0
Nitrogen tetroxide 10544-72-6
Nitrogen trioxide 10544-73-7
Osmium tetroxide 20816-12-0
Oxygen difluoride 7783-41-7
Pentaborane 19624-22-7
Perchloromethlyl mercaptan Methanesulfenyl chloride, trichloro- 594-42-3
Phosgene Carbonic dichloride or carbonyl 75-45-5
dichloride
Phosphine 1498-40-4
Phosphorus oxychloride Phosphoryl chloride 10025-87-3
Phosphorus pentafluoride 7641-19-0
Phosphorus trichloride 7719-12-2
Sarin O-Isopropyl 107-44-8
Selenium hexafluoride 7783-79-1
Silicon tetrafluoride 7783-61-1
Sodium azide 26628-22-8
Sodium cyanide (and other 143-33-9
cyanide salts)
Stibine 10025-91-9
Sulfur monochloride 10025-67-9
Sulfur pentafluoride 10546-01-7
Sulfur tetrafluoride Sulfur fluoride (SF4), (T-4)- 7783-60-0
Sulfuryl chloride 7791-25-5
Tellurium hexafluoride 7783-80-4
Tetramethyl succinonitrile 3333-52-6
Tetranitromethane Methane, tetranitro- 509-14-8
Thionyl chloride 7719-09-7
Toluene-2,4-diisocyanate 584-84-9
Trichloro(chlormethyl)silane 1558-25-4
Trimethyltin chloride 1066-45-1
APPENDIX D 93
Table D-5 Chemicals Used in Clandestine Production of Illicit Drugs

Chemical of Concern Target Product
Acetic acid Phenyl-2-propanone (P-2-P)/cocaine
Acetic anhydride Heroin/P-2-P/methaqualone
Acetone Cocaine/heroin/others
Acetyl chloride Heroin
N-Acetylanthranilic acid Methaqualone
Ammonium formate Amphetamines
Ammonium hydroxide Cocaine/others
Anthranilic acid Methaqualone
Benzaldehyde Amphetamines
Benzene Cocaine
Benzyl chloride Methamphetamine
Benzyl cyanide Methamphetamine
2-Butanone (methyl ethyl ketone) Cocaine
Butyl acetate Cocaine
N-Butyl alcohol Cocaine
Calcium carbonate Cocaine/others
Calcium oxide/hydroxide Cocaine/others
Chloroform Cocaine/others
Cyclohexanone Phencyclidine (PCP)
Diacetone alcohol Cocaine
Diethylamine Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)
Ephedrine Methamphetamine
Ergometrine (ergonovine) LSD
Ergotamine LSD
Ethyl acetate Cocaine
Ethyl alcohol Cocaine/others
Ethyl amine Ethy lamphetamine/3,4-methylenedioxy-N-
ethylamphetamine (MDE)
Ethyl ether Cocaine/heroin/others
N-Ethy1ephedrine Ethylamphetamine/MDE
N-Ethylpseudoephedrine Amphetamines
Formamide Cocaine
Hexane Methamphetamine
Hydriodic (hydriotic) acid Cocaine/heroin/others
Hydrochloric acid Cocaine
Isopropyl alcohol Cocaine
Isosafrole Cocaine
Kerosene LSD
Lysergic acid Cocaine
Methyl alcohol Methamphetamine/3,4-
Methylamine methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)
Methylene chloride Cocaine/heroin/others
3,4-Methylenedioxyphenyl- 3,4-MethyIenedioxyamphetamine
2-propanone (MDA)/MDMA/MDE
N-Methylephedrine Amphetamines
N-Methylpseudoephedrine Amphetamines
continued
94 APPENDIX D
Table D-5 Continued

Chemical of Concern Target Product
Nitroethane Amphetamines
Norpseudoephedrine 4-Methylaminorex
Petroleum ether Cocaine/others
Phenylacetic acid Phenyl-2-propanone
Phenylpropanolamine Amphetamines/4-methylaminorex
1-Phenyl-2-propanone Amphetamines/methamphetamine
Piperidine PCP
Piperonal MDA/MDMA/MDE
Potassium carbonate Cocaine
Potassium permanganate Cocaine
Propionic anhydride Fentanyl analogues
Pseudoephedrine Methamphetamine
Pyridine Heroin
Safrole MDA/MDMA/MDE
Sodium acetate P-2-P
Sodium bicarbonate Cocaine/others
Sodium carbonate Cocaine/others
Sodium cyanide PCP
Sodium hydroxide Cocaine/others
Sodium suifate Cocaine/others
Sulfuric acid Cocaine/others
Toluene Cocaine
o-Toluidine Methaqualone
Xylenes Cocaine
Note: Organizations may opt not to treat the commonly used chemicals on this list as COCs
(e.g., acetone).
SOURCE: Severick, James. 1993. Precursor and Essential Chemicals in Illicit Drug Produc-
tion: Approaches to Enforcement, National Institute of Justice. http://www.popcenter.org/
problems/meth_labs/PDFs/Sevick_1993.pdf (accessed July 2009).
E
Sample Safety, Health, and

Environment Policy Statement
This university is committed to providing a safe and healthful environment

for its employees, students, and visitors and to managing the university in
an environmentally sensitive and responsible manner. We further recognize
an obligation to demonstrate safety and environmental leadership by main-
taining the highest standards and by serving as an example to our students
and to the community at large.
The university will strive to improve our safety and environmental per-
formance continuously by adhering to the following policy objectives:
• Developing and improving programs and procedures to ensure

compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
• Ensuring that personnel are properly trained and provided with
appropriate safety and emergency equipment.
• Taking appropriate action to minimize hazards or change condi-
tions that endanger health, safety, or the environment.
• Considering safety and environmental factors in all operating deci-
sions, including those related to planning and acquisition.
• Engaging in sound reuse and recycling practices and exploring fea-
sible opportunities to minimize the amount and toxicity of waste generated.
• Using energy efficiently throughout our operations.
• Encouraging personal accountability and emphasizing compliance
with standards and conformity with university policies and best practices
during employee training and in performance reviews.
• Communicating our desire to improve our performance continu-
95
96 APPENDIX E
ously and fostering the expectation that every employee, student, and
contractor on university premises will follow this policy and report any
environmental, health, or safety concern to university management.
• Monitoring our progress through periodic evaluations.
Adopted [date] by Safety, Health and Environment Management Committee

F
Sample Forms for Chemical

Handling and Management
The forms in this appendix are to be used in conjunction with the guide-
lines for establishing a chemical laboratory safety and security program
described in Chapter 3.
Sample Inventory Logs
97
Table F-1 Spreadsheet for Laboratory or Building
98
Chemical Name and Container Responsible Allowable

Concentration Type Location Person Quantity Limits
Hydrogen peroxide, 60% Glass 213 Lab Bldg P. Jones 4L 10 L
Dichlorosilane, 100% Compressed gas 112 Lab Bldg R. Solli 11 lb 45 lb
TABLE F-2 Container Inventory

Chemical Location Responsible Person Authorized Users
Soman 215 Lab Bldg P. Jones P. Jones
L. Martinez
K. Liu
Starting Quantity: 50 g Date Received: 3 June 2009
Date Amount Removed Removed by Quantity Remaining

4 June 2009 2g K. Liu 48 grams
5 June 2009 4g L. Martinez 44 grams
APPENDIX F 99
Laboratory Hazard Assessment Checklist
I. Pre-Operational Planning
[ ] Toxicity What is the level of toxicity? What are the
routes of exposure (inhalation, skin absorption,
ingestion, injection) and which of these are likely
under the conditions of use? What are the signs
and symptoms of overexposure?
[ ] Flammability Is the material flammable or explosive under the
conditions of use?
[ ] Warning Properties Can odor or irritation adequately warn of over-
exposure before it becomes dangerous?
[ ] Laboratory Equipment Is laboratory equipment in good condition?
Are machine guards or interlocks in place and
functioning?
[ ] Storage Precautions Does the material need isolated storage,
refrigeration or other special conditions for
storage?
[ ] Incompatible Materials Should certain materials be segregated (e.g.,
flammables and oxidizers)?
[ ] Reagent Stability Should materials be dated for disposal (e.g.,
ethers); should materials be kept refrigerated to
prolong shelf life?
[ ] Protective Clothing Is a lab apron or clothing made of resistant
material needed or is a lab coat adequate?
[ ] Gloves What glove material is needed? Are the right
type, thickness, glove length, and size available?
[ ] Eye Protection What type of eye protection is needed—safety
glasses for impact, chemical splash goggles for
chemicals? Is a face shield needed in combination
with the goggles?
[ ] Heat Sources Is heating needed? Is there an alternative to open
flames? Are heating mantles in good condition?
[ ] Electrical Equipment Is equipment grounded properly? Are electrical
cords insulated? Is ground fault circuit
interruption (GFCI) needed?
[ ] Vacuum/Pressure Systems Have connections been leak tested, hydrostatically
tested, properly vented, and traps installed when
necessary?
[ ] Ventilation/Containment Does the work need to be done in a chemical
hood, ventilated cabinet or a glove box to
provide the needed level of containment?
100 APPENDIX F
II. Experimental Scale & Design

[ ] Quantity Are there ways to minimize the amount of
materials used without affecting results (e.g.,
microscale)?
[ ] Ambient Conditions Are special conditions necessary to carry out the
reaction (e.g., cold room or dry box)?
[ ] Time Constraints Can the experiment be completed while lab
workers are present? If not, can the experiment
be safely run unattended or overnight?
III. Spill/Emergency Planning
[ ] Lab Personnel Are others in the laboratory aware of what you

are doing?
[ ] Fire Extinguishers Are special types required; are you aware of
their location and proper use (e.g., Class D for
metals)?
[ ] Emergency Response Do you have a response planned in the event of
a spill; would evacuation be necessary?
[ ] Spill Cleanup Are materials on hand to absorb/neutralize; is
the needed protective equipment on hand and
have you been trained on its use?
[ ] Safety Shower/ Are you aware of the locations
Eyewash Fountain and methods of operation?
IV. Waste Disposal
[ ] Method Is there an approved method for treating the

waste in the laboratory?
[ ] Labeling Are containers clearly, indelibly, and accurately
labeled as to the contents?
[ ] Segregation Are incompatible wastes kept segregated?
[ ] Containers Are suitable containers with adequate closures
available?
[ ] Recycling Is it feasible to safely recover/recycle used chemicals?
APPENDIX F 101
SAMPLE FORM FOR SAFETY PLAN
EmErgEncy PrEParEdnEss Plan for

Working With a chEmical
Name______________________________ Contact Information _________________________
Building ______________________________________________________________________
Supervisor _____________________________________________________________________
1. substancE information
A. Chemical name ____________________________________ CAS number _________________
B. Carcinogen Reproductive toxin High acute toxicity
C. Estimated rate of use (e.g., g/month) ________________________________________________
D. MSDS reviewed and readily available Yes No
2. hazards
Physical hazards
A. Flammable Yes No B. Corrosive Yes No
C. Reactive Yes No D. Temperature-sensitive Yes No
E. Stability (e.g., decomposes, forms peroxides, polymerizes, shelf-life concerns) Stable Unstable
F. Known incompatibilities ____________________________________________________________
health hazards
G. Significant routes of exposure
Inhalation hazard Yes No
Skin absorption Yes No
H. Sensitizer Yes No I. Medical consultation needed Yes No
3. ProcEdurE
A. Briefly describe how the material will be used _______ __________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
B. Vacuum system used Yes No

C. If yes, describe method for trapping effluents __________________________________________
[ 85 ]
102 APPENDIX F
4. ExPosurE controls
Ventilation, isolation
A. Chemical hood required Yes No
B. Glove box required Yes No
C. Vented gas cabinet required Yes No
5. PErsonal ProtEctiVE EquiPmEnt (PPE) (check all that apply)

Safety glasses Chemical-splash goggles Face shield
Gloves (type ______________) Lab coat Apron
Respirator
Other, please describe _______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
6. location, dEsignatEd arEa

A. Building _____________________________________ B. Room ________________________
C. Describe below the area where substance(s) will be used _________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
D. Location where substances will be stored ______________________________________________
E. Storage method, precautions
Refrigerator/freezer Hood
Special security (describe) Vented cabinet
Flammable liquid storage cabinet Other, describe ___________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. sPills and dEcontamination

A. Spill-control materials readily available Yes No
B. Require special decontamination procedures? If yes, describe. Yes No
__________________________________________________________________________________
8. WastE disPosal
A. In-lab neutralization Yes No
B. Used up in process (e.g., no waste) Yes No
C. Dispose of as hazardous waste Yes No
[ 86 ]
APPENDIX F 103
9. authorization
This person has demonstrated an understanding of the hazards of the listed substance and plans
to handle the substance in a manner that minimizes risk to health and property. He/she is authorized
to use the substance in the manner described.
___________________________________ __________________________________
Supervisor Chemical Safety and Security Officer
10. usE rEcord (to be completed after the material is used)

A. Describe how the material was disposed of:
B. Explain differences between initial planning and how material was actually used or handled.
C. Are less hazardous materials available to produce the same or better results? If so, describe.
D. Could the quantity or concentration used be reduced for safer handling without causing an unwanted
outcome? If so, describe.
E. List any recommendations for improving the health, safety or environmental impact of this process or
chemical in the future.
[ 87 ]
104 APPENDIX F
SAMPLE LABORATORY EMERGENCY INFORMATION SHEET
Laboratory EmErgEncy information ShEEt

Department Room Date
Manager Responsible for Lab Office Phone Home Phone
Alternate Contact Office Phone Home Phone
Alternate Contact Office Phone Home Phone
Emergency Coordinator:
Office Phone Home Phone
Building or Dept/School
IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, tell your laboratory manager and call ______________.

For fire, pull alarm; evacuate building; stay outside to meet with fire department official.
For hazardous vapors or gases, inform others to evacuate the area; close doors; call _____________.
For gases or vapors spreading to other areas, pull fire alarm; evacuate the building; WHEN IN DOUBT, GET OUT.
For injuries, call _______________ for ambulance.
For poison and other chemical toxicity information, call ____________.
For simple spills, call ______________ for cleanup advice.
Institutional Emergency Coordinator: Ambulance/Fire/Police/Spill:
Hospital Emergency Room: Poison Control Center:
LOCATION LOCATION
Nearest Fire Extinguisher: Nearest Fire Alarm:
Nearest Spill Control Material: Nearest Safety Shower:
LAB LAB LAB

BIOHAZARDS CHEMICALS RADIATION
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION
O Flammable
Biosafety Level 1 O Low O Laser
Liquid
O Air/Water
Biosafety Level 2 O O Irradiator
Reactive
O Toxics/ O Rad. Sealed
Biosafety Level 3 O
Carcinogens Source
O Conc. O Radioactive
Biosafety Level 4 O High
Acids/Bases Waste
Pathogens: O Gas Cylinders O Rad. Materials
O Strong
O Human O Other:
Oxidizers
O Animal O Waste Solvents
O Toxins O Other:
O Other: O Other:
Complete and post next to your laboratory door, with a second copy next to your phone.
[ 95 ]
G
Compliance Forms
105
106 APPENDIX G
Sample Inspection Checklist
insPEction chEcklist
Department, Group, or Laboratory: _________________________________________
Inspector:______________________________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________________________________
Building and room: ______________________________________________________
Laboratory supervisor: ___________________________________________________
lABoRAtoRY EnViRonMEnt
Work areas illuminated Y N NA
Storage of combustible materials minimized Y N NA
Aisles and passageways clear and unobstructed Y N NA
Trash removed promptly Y N NA
No evidence of food or drink in active laboratory areas Y N NA
Wet surfaces covered with nonslip materials Y N NA
Exits illuminated and unobstructed Y N NA
COMMENTS:
Other elements that the checklist can include
EMERGEncY EQUiPMEnt AnD PlAnninG

Fire extinguishers mounted and unobstructed Y N NA
Fire extinguishers fully charged with tamper indicators in place Y N NA
Fire extinguisher inspection up to date Y N NA
Eyewash unit and safety shower within 10 seconds of hazard Y N NA
Eyewash unit and safety shower inspection up to date Y N NA
Fire alarm pull stations unobstructed Y N NA
Spill control materials available and adequate for potential spills Y N NA
COMMENTS:
[ 89 ]
APPENDIX G 107
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

Personnel wearing appropriate eye and face protection Y N NA
Personnel wearing appropriate gloves Y N NA
Shoes appropriate to the hazard Y N NA
Clothing appropriate to the hazards posed in the laboratory Y N NA
COMMENTS:
SIGNS, LABELS, PLANS, AND POSTINGS

Emergency action plan available Y N NA
Material-safety data sheets accessible Y N NA
Chemical-hygiene plan available Y N NA
Contact sheet posted and up to date Y N NA
Telephones labeled with emergency number Y N NA
Building evacuation routes posted Y N NA
Ice-making machines labeled “Not for human consumption” Y N NA
Chemical refrigerators labeled “No food” Y N NA
Food refrigerators labeled “Food only—no chemicals” Y N NA
Lasers properly labeled Y N NA
High-voltage equipment properly labeled Y N NA
Emergency equipment labeled with highly visible signs Y N NA
COMMENTS:
ELECTRICAL HAZARDS
Flexible cords in good condition Y N NA
Cords not on surfaces where flammable liquids may pool Y N NA
Cover plates in place for outlets and switches Y N NA
Circuit-breaker panels unobstructed Y N NA
Multiplug adapters have overload protection Y N NA
No extension cords in use Y N NA
Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) used for wet areas Y N NA
Guards or covers in place for electrophoresis devices Y N NA
COMMENTS:
[ 90 ]
108 APPENDIX G

STORAGE
Heavy items on lower shelves Y N NA
Storage at least 18 in. below sprinkler heads Y N NA
Storage at least 24 in. below ceiling Y N NA
Means available to reach items stored above shoulder level Y N NA
Shelving adequate for loads imposed Y N NA
Chemicals stored by compatibility and hazard class Y N NA
Chemical containers clearly labeled with contents Y N NA
Corrosive chemical stored below eye level Y N NA
Materials with shelf-lives dated on receipt Y N NA
Secondary containment used near sinks and drains Y N NA
Waste containers sealed except during transfers Y N NA
Waste containers labeled with contents, “Hazardous Waste” Y N NA
Storage limited to less than 1 quart of acutely hazardous waste Y N NA
Storage limited to less than 55 gallons hazardous waste Y N NA
COMMENTS:
COMPRESSED GASES AND CRYOGENICS

Toxic, flammable, corrosive gases used in chemical-fume hood Y N NA
Stored upright, secured from tipping Y N NA
Regulator compatible with gas cylinder Y N NA
Cylinder carts used for transport Y N NA
Valve caps in place when not in use Y N NA
Empty or unused cylinders returned to supplier Y N NA
Gases and cryogenic liquids dispensed with good ventilation Y N NA
Cryogenic dewars vented or have pressure-relief devices Y N NA
Glass dewars shielded Y N NA
COMMENTS:
PRESSURE AND VACUUM SYSTEMS

Vacuum glassware in good condition Y N NA
Vacuum pressure-relief devices in place and inspected Y N NA
Glass vessels shielded or enclosed Y N NA
Temperature and pressure measuring devices in place where needed Y N NA
COMMENTS:
[ 91 ]
APPENDIX G 109

CHEMICAL HOODS AND VENTILATION
Each chemical fume hood tested within last year Y N NA
Sash closed when not in active use Y N NA
Chemical-fume hood vents (baffles) unobstructed Y N NA
Chemical-fume hood used with sash in appropriate position Y N NA
Chemical storage limited in actively used hood Y N NA
Chemicals and equipment at least 6 in. from the sash Y N NA
COMMENTS:
SECURITY
Doors to lab operate, close and lock properly Y N NA
Windows operate, close, and lock properly Y N NA
Alarm systems operating properly Y N NA
Keys and access cards kept in secure area out of sight Y N NA
COMMENTS:
TRAINING AND AWARENESS

Workers have attended all appropriate training Y N NA
Training has been documented Y N NA
Laboratory personnel know…

What to do in event of an emergency, such as fire or injury Y N NA
How to clean up chemical spills Y N NA
Location and contents of the chemical hygiene plan Y N NA
Chemical hygiene officer or safety manager Y N NA
What MSDSs are and where to find them and other safety info Y N NA
What type of personal protective equipment to use and when to use it Y N NA
What to do with chemical waste Y N NA
What are the most hazardous materials they use and what precautions to take Y N NA
Where and how to use safety showers and eyewash units Y N NA
To question unfamiliar visitors in the lab Y N NA
How and when to report injuries, illnesses, or incidents Y N NA
COMMENTS:
[ 92 ]
110 APPENDIX G
INCIDENT REPORT FORM
IncIdent RepoRt
Personal Data
Employee/Student Name Case No.
Employee/Student Phone No.
Employee/Student Dept. Investigation Date
Employee Supervisor Investigator Name
events Details
employee/student statement (Description of event—before, during, and after)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Work Related? Yes No Body Part Injured

Event Date/Time / Event Location (lab, corridor, stairs, outside, etc.)
Reported Inquiry Date/Time / Specific Location (building, floor, room, column)
Injury Severity Observation/Near Miss First Aid
Work Restrictions Lost Time Restrictions
Allergen Exposure Bitten By

Car/Truck/Motorized Vehicle
accident type Caught In/Between Contact with Chemical Contact with Hot Surface
Environmental Exposure Ergonomic Needle Stick
Pushing/Pulling Slip/Trip/Fall Struck Against
Struck By Twist/Turn Other
Device type Device Brand
Contaminated Sharp Involved
Needle Stick
[ 93 ]
APPENDIX G 111
INCIDENT REPORT FORM

Allergic Agent _________________________________________________________________________
Chemicals or Biohazards Involved__________________________________________________________
Equipment Involved / ID Number__________________________________________________________
DescriBe PossiBle causes
Equipment ____________________________________________________________________________
Tools / PPE____________________________________________________________________________
Environment __________________________________________________________________________
Procedure______________________________________________________________________________
Personnel______________________________________________________________________________
Other ________________________________________________________________________________
causal Factors
______________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
recoMMeNDatioNs
corrective actions/Preventative actions Person responsible Due Date
[ 94 ]
112 APPENDIX G
Example Classroom lesson For Laboratory Managers

Instructors’ Guide
In this Instructors’ Guide, there are 10 lessons [one example is provided
here] to be used in training laboratory staff, students, and volunteers. Each
lesson contains the following elements:
• An introduction that summarizes the content of the lesson and

provides ideas for teaching the content to training participants;
• Objectives, or concepts that all participants should master after
studying each lesson;
• One or more segments that describe a problematic situation in a
laboratory;
• Questions for participants to answer and discuss as a group; and
• Commentary on each question for Instructors to use in guiding
participants in their discussions.
The text and questions of each lesson should be handed out to partici-
pants if possible. The introduction and commentary for each lesson are for
use by the instructor only and should not be distributed to participants. The
introduction and commentary are available to help the instructor guide the
discussion, ask the appropriate questions, and make the experience useful
for all participants.
Lessons provide an effective method of teaching. Discussing lessons is
a way to involve participants in familiar and relevant issues. The purpose
of the lessons is to ask participants to consider the choices they face as they
attempt to promote a culture of safety and security in the laboratory.
Five of the lessons are directed toward laboratory managers or others
who supervise laboratories. The remaining four lessons are directed toward
people who work in the laboratories, including students and employees.
Discussion begins with participants thinking about what might be going on
in the minds of the fictional individuals featured in the cases. Every lesson
includes reflective questions that aim to encourage participants to consider
the following concerns: Could this happen in our laboratory? Does this
happen here? What strategies could we develop to deal with this issue in
our workplace?
Below are tips on how to successfully use lessons. The below guidance
is taken from Kenneth D. Pimple’s article “Using Case Studies in Teaching
Research Ethics.” Pimple says that you must:
Adapted from Pimple, Kenneth D., “Using Case Studies in Teaching Research Ethics”
(2007). Resources. Paper 293. http://www.ethicslibrary.org/resources/293.
APPENDIX G 113
• prepare in advance to lead the lesson discussion. Decide what goals to

accomplish, how to discuss the situations presented, and how much
time to spend on each lesson.
• set ground rules at the beginning of the session. Remind participants to
be open, honest, and respectful.
• offer participants broad strategies and tactics before discussing lessons.
Some of these tactics include:
ÿ thinking about immediate, near-future, and long-term steps to
take;
ÿ thinking about what might be going on in the minds of the fictional
people featured in the lesson;
ÿ considering strategies to deal with the problem in the laboratory;
and
ÿ taking a personal role in the problem—What would I do in this
situation?
For each lesson discussion, follow these suggested procedures:
• efore starting each lesson discussion, distribute copies of the lesson

B
to participants to make it easier for them to participate.
• Ask one of the participants to read the lesson aloud. This allows
participants to be engaged at an early stage.
• Give participants about five minutes to think about the lesson
individually, write down any thoughts they may have, and answer
the questions before discussing them aloud.
• After participants have been given time to work independently,
have them share short responses to the lesson. Then allow partici-
pants to discuss answers to the questions.
• As instructor, listen to the discussion without actively participating,
unless the discussion becomes disorderly or off-point.
The goal of instructors is to build trust and encourage honest reflec-

tion. Encourage participants to work independently or as a group to devise
concrete strategies for dealing with the issues presented in the lessons.
Strategies should include immediate steps and future steps.
At the end of each lesson, participants should recognize some of the
barriers that prevent laboratory personnel from behaving in a safe or secure
manner and should be able to list steps for overcoming those barriers. Only
by addressing barriers can laboratory personnel promote a culture of safety
and security. In addition, participants should leave the training session
feeling empowered to think creatively in response to safety issues. Finally,
it is important for all participants to leave the session understanding that
everyone is responsible for the safety and security of the laboratory, not
just certain individuals.
114 APPENDIX G
Lesson 1: Ensuring the Use of Safety Measures in the Laboratory
For Instructor
Overview: This lesson describes the challenges a new laboratory manager

faces in ensuring that staff uses appropriate personal protective equipment.
Objectives:
• Recognize the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Identify barriers to the safe and consistent use of PPE in laboratories
• Generate action steps that laboratory managers can use to encour-
age the use of PPE among laboratory workers and visitors
• Identify methods for convincing supervisors and other institutional
leaders of the importance of PPE and its regular use
• Recognize that there are many ways to encourage the adoption of
safe practices in a laboratory
Reasons for not wearing the goggles in this lesson could include
• cost and/or unavailability of goggles;

• a lack of habit;
• a lack of initial understanding of the importance of wearing protec-
tive equipment or of the hazards posed by the work;
• a sense of invincibility;
• a lack of confidence or respect in the new laboratory manager;
• a cultural acceptance of risk and destiny;
• feeling of resistance since the new laboratory manager is an outsider;
• workers wanting to rebel against the changes to traditional practices;
• possible anticipation of physical discomfort from wearing the goggles;
• laboratory manager’s supervisor’s attitude; and
• feeling of unattractiveness or detracting from their physical appearance.
There may also be many reasons why the women in the lab are even less
likely to use the goggles than the men. Perhaps the female workers believe
their tasks are less risky than the ones performed by the men. It is also pos-
sible that the women may feel that their health is less important than that
of the men in their laboratories and if so, perhaps they are choosing not to
diminish the supply of available goggles for their male colleagues.
APPENDIX G 115
Segment 1
A recent graduate of a well-respected institution is hired as a labora-
tory manager for a small chemical company. Soon after starting work, the
manager notices that many laboratory personnel do not have safety goggles.
To fix the problem, the manager orders pairs for everyone and invites the
staff to pick them up from central inventory. A few weeks later, the manager
notices that many pairs of goggles are still in storage. On a walk through
the labs to see what is going on, the manager notices that many of the
goggles are prominently displayed on laboratory shelves but still in boxes.
The manager also notices that many of the female employees have not even
picked up their goggles from central inventory.
1. Why would the laboratory personnel be reluctant to wear the

safety goggles?
Instructor: Encourage participants to share why there is a disregard
for safety and consider what could be influencing the workers’ ac-
tions. Please refer to the previous page for examples of why person-
nel may not be wearing goggles.
2. What should the lab manager do?
Instructor: Lead a discussion to find the best course of action.
Participants’ suggestions could include:
• hold a training session for all laboratory personnel that fo-
cuses on the importance of PPE and its regular use;
• post signs in the laboratory to remind personnel of the im-
portance of PPE, especially goggles, and its correct use;
• regularly remind personnel to use goggles, and check on their
proper use;
• distribute uncollected goggles to personnel; and
• praise and thank people for properly wearing PPE.
Segment 2
As an attempt to rectify the situation, the laboratory manager hands
out the remaining goggles to those who had neglected to pick them up and
reminds the staff of the importance of using safety goggles while working in
the lab. The manager is reassured by the fact that everyone agreed with him.
Nevertheless, when walking through the labs a few days later, the manager
notes again that many personnel still are not wearing their goggles.
3. What should the lab manager do now? List the strategies the
manager could use in the table below. Note the advantages and
disadvantages of each option.
116 APPENDIX G
I nstructor: Encourage participants to think about immediate, near-

term, and long-term strategies. An example is provided in the first
row of the table.
Strategies to
Barriers address barrier Advantages Disadvantages
goggles are remind demonstrates does not
uncomfortable personnel of the a consistent address the
to wear need for goggles culture of safety specific problem
to prevent eye in the lab of discomfort
injuries
4. What kind of help would the manager need? From whom?

Instructor: Help participants recognize that it is much harder to
make change alone. Some solutions could include seeking help
from peers, supervisors, or professional societies.
5. Would the situation be different if the laboratory manager were an
older, established researcher?
Instructor: Encourage participants to share what they would do if
the laboratory manager were an established, older researcher. Ask
questions to help participants understand the difficulties faced by
younger managers, such as: Do workers listen to older, more expe-
rienced managers more than someone who is younger and recently
graduated?
6. If the laboratory manager were a woman, would the situation be
different? How?
Instructor: Have participants discuss the impacts of having a fe-
male laboratory manager in their own laboratory. Encourage par-
ticipants to recognize any special challenges that a female manager
might have that a male manager might not face. Lead participants
to brainstorm ways that a female manager might overcome these
challenges.
Segment 3
After many weeks of work, the manager succeeds in getting the staff
to wear their goggles consistently. One day, as part of a review of the in-
stitution, the manager’s supervisor takes a tour of the laboratories. When
offered goggles before entering the laboratory, the supervisor waves them
off saying, “Oh, I will only be in there for a few minutes. I’m sure I’ll be
fine.”
APPENDIX G 117
1. What impact could the supervisor’s behavior have on the labora-

tory staff?
Instructor: Help participants recognize that the supervisor acts as
a role model. Not wearing goggles may undo the work put in by
the laboratory manager.
2. What should the laboratory manager do now?
Instructor: Ask participants to discuss the position the laboratory
manager is in. Lead the discussion with questions such as: What
is going through the manager’s head? Should the manager publicly
challenge the supervisor, or is it best for the manager to talk to the
supervisor in private?
Have participants write down all of the options available to the
laboratory manager and discuss them to find the best answer.
Suggestions could include discussing the situation in private with
the supervisor, trying to gently encourage the supervisor to wear
the goggles, pointing out that the entire laboratory staff wears
goggles regularly, or remind the supervisor that it is really im-
portant to set an example for others who look up to him or her.
Remind participants that the manager’s goal is to have the super-
visor support the manager and the culture of safety throughout
their institution.
3. How is this case relevant to your laboratory?
Instructor: Ask participants to draw from their own experiences.
Ask questions such as: Have you ever been in a situation similar to
this? What did you do?
4. Are safety goggles required in your laboratory at all times? Why or
why not?
Instructor: This is a reflective question for participants. Encourage
participants to think about reasons why they don’t wear goggles.
Ask: Are there times when it is not necessary to wear goggles? Then
discuss how to address this issue.
5. Does the staff in your laboratory comply with other similarly im-
portant safety measures? Why or why not?
Instructor: This question should be used for self-reflection. Ask
participants to write down answers for themselves only, as a way
to reflect on their performance as managers.
6. What strategies should laboratories put in place to better promote
a culture of safety?
Instructor: Write down participants’ suggestions on a board or
large piece of paper. Ideas could include training, signage, bet-
ter leadership compliance, or investment in PPE and other safety
equipment.
118 APPENDIX G
7. To better promote a culture of safety, what support will laboratory

managers need? From whom?
Instructor: Ask participants to think about what resources they will
need to successfully implement the strategies suggested in number 6
above. Encourage participants to seek help from supervisors, peers,
other institutions, and professional societies.
8. What is the best way to secure that support for a culture of
safety?
Instructor: The answer to this question will be dependent on each
individual institution. Some countries may not have ample re-
sources to implement all safety strategies.
For Participants
Segment 1
A recent graduate of a well-respected institution is hired as a labora-
tory manager for a small chemical company. Soon after starting work, the
manager notices that many laboratory personnel do not have safety goggles.
To fix the problem, the manager orders pairs for everyone and invites the
staff to pick them up from central inventory. A few weeks later, the manager
notices that many pairs of goggles are still in storage. On a walk through
the labs to see what is going on, the manager notices that many of the
goggles are prominently displayed on laboratory shelves but still in boxes.
The manager also notices that many of the female employees have not even
picked up their goggles from central inventory.
1. Why would the laboratory personnel be reluctant to wear the

safety goggles?
2. What should the lab manager do?
Segment 2
As an attempt to rectify the situation, the laboratory manager hands
out the remaining goggles to those who had neglected to pick them up and
reminds the staff of the importance of using safety goggles while working in
the lab. The manager is reassured by the fact that everyone agreed with him.
Nevertheless, when walking through the labs a few days later, the manager
notes again that many personnel still are not wearing their goggles.
APPENDIX G 119
1. What should the lab manager do now? In the table below, list the
strategies the manager could use. Note the advantages and disad-
vantages of each option.
Strategies to
Barriers address barrier Advantages Disadvantages
2. What kind of help would the manager need? From whom?
3. Would the situation be different if the laboratory manager were an

older, established researcher?
4. If the laboratory manager were a woman, would the situation be

different? How?
Segment 3
After many weeks of work, the manager succeeds in getting the staff
to wear their goggles consistently. One day, as part of a review of the in-
stitution, the manager’s supervisor takes a tour of the laboratories. When
offered goggles before entering the laboratory, the supervisor waves them
off saying, “Oh, I will only be in there for a few minutes. I’m sure I’ll be
fine.”
1. What impact could the supervisor’s behavior have on the labora-

tory staff?
2. What should the laboratory manager do now?
3. How is this case relevant to your laboratory?
4. Are safety goggles required in your laboratory at all times? Why or

why not?
5. Does the staff at your laboratory comply with other similar impor-
tant safety measures? Why or why not?
120 APPENDIX G
6. What strategies should laboratories put in place to better promote

a culture of safety?
7. To better promote a culture of safety, what support will laboratory

managers need? From whom?
8. What is the best way to secure that support for a culture of

safety?

Promoting Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security in Developing Countries

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Promoting Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security in Developing Countries

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Promoting Chemical Laboratory Safety

and Security in Developing Countries

Committee on Promoting Safe and Secure Chemical Management in

Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology

Division on Earth and Life Studies

International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-15041-5

Copyright 2010 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of

Ned D. Heindel (Chair) Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA

Ryan R. Dirkx, (Co-chair), Arkema, Inc., King of Prussia, Pennsylvania

Asad Abidi, University of California, Los Angeles

Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive com-

There is growing concern about the possible use of toxic industrial

• partnering with host governments, chemical professionals, and

The Department of State called on the National Academies to assist

See Appendix A for the full statement of task.

1. Examine the dual-use risks posed by toxic industrial chemicals and

Supawan Tantayanon, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

In addition, we thank Mohammad El-Khateeb of Jordan University of Sci-

The Committee on Promoting Safe and Secure

ACC American Chemistry Council

MSDS Materials Safety Data Sheet

Summary and Recommendations 1

1 Current Patterns of Procurement, Use, and Distribution of

2 Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security Outreach in

3 Guidelines for Establishing a Laboratory Chemicals Safety and

4 Compliance with Safety and Security Rules, Programs, and

International chemical security has historically focused on chemicals con-

hazards. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A 68(2005):857:876.

associated with covert chemical releases. Pediatric Emergency Care 22(2006):592-601.

1. chemicals likely targeted for theft or diversion

classifications (accessed May 6, 2010).

Current Safety and Security Practices

This section provides an overview of current chemical laboratory safety

Current Safety Practices

a generalization, and there is a wide variation in such activities and safety

Barriers to Improving Safety Practices

SeeInternational Organization of Standardization at http://www.iso.org/iso/home.htm (ac-

ship, which is a component in scientific methods and practice, is required

Needs for Improving Chemical Laboratory Safety Practices

Institutional Safety Policy and Rules

Institutional Implementation Strategies or Plans

provide the infrastructure and human resources needed to implement insti-

General Safety Awareness and Trained Safety Personnel

Waste Disposal Systems

External Help and Support

Current Security Practices

and order on highly politicized campuses or to prevent theft of equipment,

Barriers to Improving Security Practices

Bulk Purchase of Chemicals

Needs for Improving Laboratory Security Practices

Institutional Security Policies

Institutional Security Management Plans, Equipment, and Services

General Security Awareness

Trained and Motivated Security Personnel

Current Educational Outreach

The U.S. Chemical Security Engagement Program

See Appendix A for the full statement of task.

1 Current Patterns of Procurement, Use, and Distribution of

2 Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security Outreach in

3 Guidelines for Establishing a Laboratory Chemicals Safety and

4 Compliance with Safety and Security Rules, Programs, and