ABSTRACT
The most important ingredient in the mixture, the one that gels to form a viable safety program, is the mindset of the water and wastewater laboratory workers. Safety rules intended for the environmental laboratory should, at a minimum, consist of a compilation of general safety rules, as well as rules pertaining to personal hygiene, glassware safety, and housekeeping safety. These rules are limited in number for two reasons: the smaller the number of safety rules, the more likely they are to be known and observed by all lab workers; and limiting the lab safety rules to a small number allows them to be displayed on a single sheet of paper or posterboard. Occupational Safety and Health Administrations Laboratory Standard is a performance standard. During the process of establishing a laboratory safety and health program, it is important for the lab's safety officer and the chemical hygiene officer to review the pertinent safety and health recordkeeping requirements.
