Occupational safety requirements in the laboratory sector

Person holding laboratory bottle

For the Laboratory sector in addition to the

Minimum set of risk assessments

and the

Basic requirements for managers with regard to occupational health and safety

other industry-specific aspects.

These points are designed to help managers create a safe and supportive working environment in the industry.

Laboratory

 to ensure that

Introduction of an occupational health and safety organization with a sense of proportion:

  1. Informational discussions with laboratory managers to identify risk aspects
  2. Integration of occupational safety into the area of responsibility of the laboratory's management level
  3. Creating the hazardous substances register
  4. Processing the activity and hazardous substance-related risk assessment
  5. Implementation of necessary protective measures 

Each manager in the laboratory agrees a written definition of their support tasks in occupational health and safety. The following aspects are described in a practical and precise manner:

Laboratory-specific hazard analyses

If weak points in occupational health and safety are identified in the course of the risk assessment, the T-O-P principle must be adhered to.

T=Technical measures have absolute priority. Only if not available or not economically justifiable (for the time being) are ...

O=Organizational measures to be defined (example: reduce duration of exposure / professional qualification). If the activity or regulations such as safety data sheets require this, ...

P=Personal protective equipment PPE to be procured and worn (e.g. protective clothing/shoes, helmets, goggles, gloves, etc.). 

  1. List hazardous substances and document them in a register
  2. Describe work processes and activities
  3. Link activity and hazardous substances used, note protective measures
  4. Display documentation of the activity-related protective measures at the workplace 
  5. Create operating instructions for the prominent hazardous substances used
  6. Regularly oblige employees to comply with the protective measures

Occupational health screening for specific tasks

  1. Arrange for mandatory precautions in accordance with the list of hazardous substances in the annex to the ArbMedVV
  2. Compulsory care "Skin" (for details see here)
  3. Preventive care if an employee is interested (AMR 3.3).