General Lab Information

Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS)

Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series (OHSAS)

The 18001 Standard OSH Management System

About OHSAS - An Occupational Safety and Health Management System establishes a systematic methodology for managing the Occupational Safety and Health risks of an organization's operations. BNL is using the Occupational Safety and Health Assessment Series (OHSAS) 18001 Standard as the basis for its OSH management system, coupled with the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001 environmental management system, which puts special emphasis on environmental compliance assurance, pollution prevention, and community outreach. These two management systems support the Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) at the Laboratory.

The OSH program establishes the framework and mechanisms for managing and controlling BNL activities while minimizing the risk to workers, guests and visitors. It has been designed to systematically mitigate Occupational Safety and Health hazards, monitor and communicate OSH performance, and continually improve OSH management.

The Basic Energy Sciences Directorate (BESD) manages the safety and health impact of their operations and activities by maintaining an Occupational Safety and Health Management System in conformance with the OHSAS Standard 18001. The purpose of BESD's OSH Management System is to assure that all activities associated with the Condensed Matter Physics and Material Sciences Department, Chemistry Department, and the Center for Functional Nanomaterials are conducted in conformance with BNL's OSH Management Plan and in line with the safety and health commitments set forth in BNL's Environmental, Safety, Security and Health Policy. This web site is intended to present key elements of BESD's OSH Management System.

Energy Sciences Directorate OHSAS

OSH Internal Documents

Area or Facility JRA# Description Hazards Priority Reasons/Controls
Facility-wide Issues (FRAs)
Walking NC-FRA-001 Normal movement throughout the Department and grounds Roadway accidents; falls on same level; being struck by object High Daily activity for nearly all workers. Sidewalks in poor condition (noted in safety day)
General Office Work NC-FRA-002 General office work throughout the Department. Repetitive motion; eye strain; being struck against object, tripping Medium Recent back and repetitive stress injuries, and frequency of performance increase risk. Previous accidents came from tripping.
Hazards in Mechanical & Service Locations NC-FRA-004 Auto restart of equipment Rotating Equipment, hot/cold surfaces Medium Potential exposures to a variety of equipment on tours/inspections
JOB / Area-specific Issues (JRAs)
Electron Microscopy NC-JRA-001 Use of TEMs, SEMs, Auger Microprobe Struck by object; ODH/toxicity concerns; overexertion, falls to lower level, Compressed gases. Low Hazard experienced daily by many workers. Controls have been effective.
Thermal Synthesis/Oven and Furnace Operation NC-JRA-002 Use of ovens and tube furnaces, to produce samples or novel compounds and nanostructures Contact with temperature; chemical toxicity; chemical sensitivity; chemical reaction; fire; electrical shock Medium Burn hazards are controlled by oven design and PPE; chemical hazards controlled by work in hood where relevant.
Work with chemicals in laboratories NC-JRA-003 Work with carcinogens, listed chemicals, peroxidizables, pyrophoric chemicals, oxidizers, etc. Chemical toxicity; chemical sensitivity; chemical reaction; fire Medium Work done in hoods as a control; additional controls for environmental and BNL special concerns where needed.
Compressed Gas Transportation & Use NC-JRA-004 Transporting gas cylinders in the facility, Storage and use throughout Department falling cylinder, release of pressure, inhalation exposure, Struck by object; ODH/toxicity concerns; overexertion Medium Daily activity. Potential problem of exposure, Used widely by all/; quantity and variety on hand raises concern level.
General Cryogenic Work NC-JRA-005 Filling dewars and cryostats with LN2 and LHe; Contact with temperature; ODH; being struck by object; falls to lower level Medium Large amounts used widely/PPE is used effectively, ODH concerns are addressed, Dewar integrity checks questioned.
Manual Lifting Objects < 30lbs. NC-JRA-006 Lifting by personnel without forklifts and other mechanical assistance Muscular and skeletal injury; being struck by dropped object; falls on same or lower level High Frequent activity for many workers.
Operation of Lasers in a Laboratory NC-JRA-007 Laser work for lithography Eye injury; chemical sensitivity High Laser exposure controlled by, PPE, and SOP.
Operation of Braun Controlled Atmosphere Glove Box NC-JRA-008 Anaerobic studies Compressed gases, toxicity Low Training
Manual Material Handling NC-JRA-009 Operation of overhead crane in high bay area in 480; includes PE rigging and incidental rigging and transportation by staff Being struck by object; overexertion, counterfeit items Medium Equipment is locked and keys are only available to trained and qualified personnel, but other incidents outside MA raises level of concern.
Generating Hazardous Waste and Satellite & 90-Day Area Operation NC-JRA-010 Immediate waste collection point for generating processes Chemical reactions; toxicity; fire; sensitivity Medium Some misunderstandings; generators need continual retraining/retrained in RCRIGEN annually.
Hand Tool Use NC-JRA-011 Use of non-powered hand tools. Use of plug in and battery powered hand-held tools Being struck by object; struck against object; cuts by sharp object; repetitive motion; falls on same level Low Hazard experienced daily by many workers. Controls have been effective.
Magnetic fields and non-ionizing radiation work NC-JRA-012 Use of magnets with field exposures exceeding at or exceeding 4G PPMS, MPMS, and Suprerconducting Test Rigs. Non-ionizing radiation exposure; falls to lower levels; being struck by metal object in field Low Effective reviews, posting and controls reduce level of concern.
Radiation Generating Device Use NC-JRA-013 Fully enclosed x-ray diffraction and analysis machines Radiation exposure Low Devices are registered and controlled, operator and user training is provided. Interlocks are maintained and tested according to schedule.
Changing out Pyrophoric, Flammable and Toxic Gasses NC-JRA-014 CVD devices Fire, explosion, toxic gas exposure High Experimental equipment for nanomaterials research requires pyrophoric and toxic gasses
Working with Vacuum Systems NC-JRA-015 Wide variety of small scale experimental equipment Implosion Low New pressure stds treat vacuum systems similar to pressure systems
Working With Nanomaterials NC-JRA-016 Significant amount of nanomaterial work in experimental operations Exposure to nanoparticulates Medium Unknown risks of nanomaterials warrants conservative controls.
Clean Room Operations NC-JRA-017 Wide variety of hazards encountered in the cleanroom Acids, toxic & pyrophoric gasses, cryogenics Medium Large user facility, requires significant amount of procedural controls.