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Role

Responsibility

Division directors

Division directors must ensure that:

• Division activities involving hazardous materials are conducted within the safety envelope and the scope of work identified in the Division Safety Plans as required by Integrated Environment, Safety, & Health Management Plan – Integrated Safety Management (ISM) System (PUB-3140).
• Resources are provided to line managers to identify, evaluate, and control chemical hazards associated with existing and proposed work performed within their division to ensure that ES&H programs can be integrated into day-to-day operations. This extends throughout the period of occupancy and when vacating or transferring Laboratory space.
• ES&H concerns reported by their employees are addressed.
• Accidents are thoroughly investigated and corrective action is taken to prevent recurrence.
• Violations of codes and safety standards identified by reviews or inspections are corrected in a timely manner.

Supervisors, managers, and work leads

Supervisors, managers, and work leads are required to:

• Integrate ES&H programs into resource planning, funding, prioritizing, planning, scheduling, and implementation of work conducted under their purview.
• Inform employees, contractors, students, and visitors about Berkeley Lab's EHS policies and procedures, and ensure that they are aware of the existence and availability of chemical hazard information and resources.
• Follow the ES&H Manual Safe Work Authorizations program to identify the hazards present in the work area and establish the necessary controls.
• Ensure that Activity Hazard Documents (AHDs) are completed for applicable operations.
• Ensure that employees complete a Job Hazards Analysis (JHA) and complete all required training.
• Provide specific training on the hazards and safety precautions related to each employee's assigned work.
• Ensure that exposure assessments are performed to identify chemical hazards and to select engineering controls and personal protective equipment.
• Re-evaluate PPE requirement whenever the work or the physical layout changes.
• Ensure that equipment and chemical containers are adequately labeled.
• Coordinate with the area safety leader to assure that the hazards associated with their operations are reflected in the entrance placard.
• Delineating reduced protection areas and food areas.
• Post work areas with a caution placard that depicts the hazards in the area.
• Ensure that Material Safety Data Sheets are provided to personnel upon request.
• Review applicable Lessons Learned information about chemicals prior to their procurement and use. This information is available from the EHS Lessons Learned Web page, and is automatically distributed to individuals based on how they answer their Job Hazards Analysis.
• Substitute chemicals with materials of lower hazard when practical.
• Limit the amount of hazardous materials procured, used, and stored to the minimum required.
• Maintain a current chemical inventory of the hazardous materials stored in the work area by using the Chemical Management System.
• Use the Hazard Management System (HMS) Database and update it regularly to identify locations where hazardous materials are used.
• Be aware of and approve the procurement of hazardous materials for use in the work area.
• Comply with Procurement & Property Management Department purchasing policies regarding the prohibitions/controls on restricted items.
• Adhere to Transportation guidelines regarding moving and transporting hazardous materials.
• Investigate accidents and near-misses involving hazardous materials.
• Ensure that corrective actions identified from accident investigations and laboratory/shop inspections are implemented.

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  Ensure that hazards in all laboratory and shop spaces are controlled. This extends throughout the period of occupancy and when vacating laboratory and shop space. When vacating an area, all hazardous materials must be removed, transferred to new ownership, or properly disposed of. Work areas must be cleaned prior to transfer of ownership. Additional guidance on transfer of ownership may be found in the CHSP Program, Work Process U, Decommissioning Equipment, Buildings, Laboratories and Shop Spaces.
• Ensure that hazardous waste is handled in accordance with the ES&H Manual Waste Management program.

Area safety leaders

An area safety leader is the individual assigned by the division controlling the technical area to coordinate safety issues within the area. The area safety leader will coordinate with supervisors, managers, and work leads to assure that the hazards associated with their operations are reflected in the entrance placard.

Employees, Workers, subcontractors, and affiliates

For purposes of safety, Berkeley Lab does not distinguish between career employees, subcontractors, and affiliates. All personnel are required to:

• Work safely by observing safety standards, guidelines, and procedures, and by using good judgment based on training and expertise.
• Know and comply with the personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements for technical areas, including the locations and limitations of reduced protection areas and food areas.
• Comply with the applicable PPE requirements.
• Inform others in the area of these requirements.
• Immediately report unsafe conditions or injuries to work leads in accordance with the ES&H Manual program, General ES&H Requirements, Responsibilities, and Work Practices.
• Be familiar with and follow emergency procedures.
• Complete a Job Hazards Analysis, follow the required controls, and attend required training.

Environment/Health/Safety (EHS) Division

The EHS Division is responsible for providing support and guidance for the development and implementation of the CHSP.
The EHS Division will:

• Provide the resources necessary for planning, developing, and implementing the CHSP.
• Provide administrative support for managing EHS training and information programs.
• Provide guidance to line managers for maintaining chemical inventories.
• Maintain the sitewide Chemical Management System.
• Maintain the Hazard Management System (HMS) Database.

EHS Chemical Hygiene and Safety Program Manager

The EHS Chemical Hygiene and Safety Program Manager will:

• Serve as the Laboratory's Chemical Hygiene Officer.
• Consult with the Laboratory community on the development and implementation of chemical hygiene and safety policies and practices.
• Develop and maintain the Chemical Hygiene and Safety Plan.
• Consult with the Procurement & Property Management Department and EHS Subject Matter Experts for identifying and maintaining a list of restricted items requiring review or approval prior to procurement.
• Maintain the Activity Hazard Document (AHD) database.
• Maintain chemical hygiene and safety information resources such as Material Safety Data Sheets and other online chemical safety databases and make them available to the Laboratory community.
• Develop, maintain and present Chemical Hygiene and SafetyTraining (EHS0 348).
• Consult with the EHS Training Group to develop and maintain online CHSP training.
• Develop and implement the Laboratory's Technical Assurance and Assessment Program for chemical hygiene and safety.
• Review the effectiveness of the CHSP annually.

EHS industrial hygienists

EHS industrial hygienists will:

• Support the Chemical Hygiene and Safety Program Manager in implementing the provisions of this plan.
• Assist work leads in performing and documenting hazard assessments for existing and planned operations, including Laboratory moves and decommissioning.
• Provide guidance for establishing administrative, work practice, personal protective equipment, and engineering controls. This includes writing hazard assessments for respirator protection and providing input for Activity Hazard Documents.
• Serve as subject matter experts and serve as program managers in their assigned areas.
• Perform and document exposure monitoring to determine employee exposures to hazardous materials and to evaluate the adequacy of controls. This includes notifying affected employees of monitoring results.
• Review the procurement and use of restricted items and other hazardous materials to assist work leads in developing controls.
• Provide Health Services with employee exposure monitoring data and medical referrals.
• Upon request, assist line managers in developing and providing hazard-specific training.
• Carry out the Mercury Thermometer Exchange Program.

EHS Health Services

EHS Health Services will provide:

• Medical consultation and examinations for individuals who are exposed or potentially exposed to hazardous materials
• Consultation to women of child-bearing age with respect to reproductive toxins

Fire Department

The Fire Department will:

• Respond to spills and other emergencies involving hazardous materials.
• Provide Fire Extinguisher Training (EHS0520, EHS0522, and EHS0531).

EHS Waste Management Group

• Assists Transportation Services by transporting previously opened containers of hazardous materials.
• Removes time-sensitive materials (such as peroxide-forming chemicals) from work areas upon request and ensures that they are tested and disposed of properly.

EHS Occupational Safety Group

• Establishes processes so that the following hazard communication information is conveyed to construction and non-construction subcontractors:
  
  • The Berkeley Lab hazard communication program is described in The CHSP.
  • The CHSP describes the Laboratory's hazardous material labeling system and links to its Material Safety Data Sheet database.
  • The CHSP may be accessed from the Laboratory's A-Z Index.

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EHS Training Group

• Assists the Chemical Hygiene and Safety Program Manager in developing and maintaining online Chemical Hygiene and Safety Training (EHS0348), refresher courses and tests.
• Provides support for administering CHSP Training.

Safety Review Committee

The Safety Review Committee reports to and advises the Associate Laboratory Director for Operations on matters of environment, safety, and health. In this capacity, the Committee acts as a resource to the EHS Division Director by reviewing and recommending methods and/or policies addressing special safety issues.

Procurement & Property Management Department

The Procurement Department will:

• Maintain a Restricted Items List and a Procurement Item Categories List in consultation with the EHS Division.
• Ensure that requesters, preparers, and buyers adhere to the Laboratory's hazardous material procurement procedures.
• Notify EHS of Restricted Item purchases.
• Obtain EHS approval for purchases of restricted items that require EHS approval.
• Provide the EHS Industrial Hygiene Group with hazardous material procurement reports upon request.

Facilities Division

The Facilities Division will:

• Coordinate Laboratory demolition, construction, and renovation activities with EHS to ensure that proper design review and approval are performed and that work areas and equipment meet current requirements, specifications, standards, and codes.
• Adhere to applicable design criteria and standards as defined by the Laboratory's ES&H Standards Set Facilities specifications, and facility installation details.
• Coordinate with current space occupants to ensure that all chemicals, radiological material, and wastes are removed and that all visible residues are cleaned before demolition, construction, or renovation activities are initiated. Specific requirements are delineated in the CHSP Program Work Process U, Decommissioning and Cleaning of Laboratory Space.
• Ensure that newly installed or refurbished laboratory control and emergency equipment (e.g., ventilation systems, detectors, shutoff devices, and emergency eyewash and safety showers) are designed, installed, commissioned, and function-tested in accordance with applicable codes and guidance provided by the EHS Division.
• Maintain a proactive preventive maintenance program to ensure that laboratory control and emergency equipment (e.g., ventilation systems, detectors, shutoff devices, and emergency eyewash and safety showers) are in proper operating condition in accordance with applicable codes and guidance provided by the EHS Division.
• Inform on-site construction/equipment contractors of the presence and identity of hazardous materials in their immediate work areas.
• Notify building occupants of testing, demolition, construction, and renovation activities and their related hazards prior to initiation.
• Provide project oversight to ensure that contractors are employing applicable ES&H controls. This includes but is not limited to ensuring that contractors:
  
  • Provide the Laboratory with a Health and Safety Plan for all activities conducted on site.
  • Provide the Laboratory with MSDSs for all hazardous materials brought on site. This provision must also be included in the contractor's health and safety plan.

Technical Area

Technical areas include laboratories, shops, workrooms, and similar areas where non-administrative activities are performed.  For the purpose of the Chemical Hygiene and Safety Plan, "non-administrative" refers to activities that involve a chemical hazard.  Offices and conference rooms are generally not "technical" areas. 

Transportation Services

Transportation Services will:

• Ensure that hazardous materials are transported in accordance with federal, state, and local requirements as delineated in the ES&H Manual Transporting and Shipping Hazardous Materials program.
• Ensure that all hazardous materials received at Berkeley Lab are safely delivered to requesters. NOTE: Time-sensitive materials such as overnight shipments that require refrigeration will be promptly delivered to recipients.
• Transport hazardous materials associated with laboratory moves and relocations.
• Move and relocate equipment for requesters.
• Provide guidance to Laboratory personnel for off-site shipment of hazardous materials in accordance with Department of Transportation requirements.
• Ensure the proper storage and handling of chemicals awaiting delivery.
• Request guidance from EHS for items requiring special handling.
• Ensure that contractors who provide moving or transportation services are familiar with the hazards of the materials they must handle.