Chemical safety requires a system, not a solution

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO

Chemical Hygiene Officer, Keene State College

Secretary, Division of Chemical Health and Safety,American Chemical Society

April, 2017

Safety in the ACS Vision

Why is this an emerging challenge today?• More science• New sciences: nano, r/sNA, big science• Interdisciplinary sciences

Recent Lab IncidentsUniv.ofMinnesota

2014Univ.ofHawaii

2016TexasTech

2016Univ.ofBristol

2017Event Unexpected

compoundexplodedduring gradresearch

ExplosionofH2 gasduring oceanography

research

Explosionofenergetic compoundduringundergrad

research

InadvertentsynthesisofTATP

duringgradresearch

PhysicalResult

Injury,Damagetolab,lossofscience

Lossofarm,damagetolab

Superficialinjuries

Hazmatresponse;disruptionofwork

OtherResults

Medicalcosts $70,000fine;civillawsuitagainstPIandinstitution

Medical costs Studentreportedproblem

immediatelyandresponseensued

ProximateCause

ChangeofChemicals

->InadequateRiskAssessment

InadequateRiskAssessment

->ImproperEquipment;

Failuretoheedwarningsigns

ChangeinProcess(skippedastep)

->InadequateRiskAssessment

ChangeinProcess(changeinorderofchemicaladditions)

->InadequateRiskAssessment

Risk Assessment involvesboth Technical and Cultural Practices

Culture Change through Safety

Education

20th Century:Selecting Controls

Based on Rules, guided by Chemical Intuition

21st Century: a Safety System based

on documented Risk Assessment

Moving Lab Safety into the 21st Century

ManageHazards

A flexibly structured ecosystem of data, workflow tools and domain expertise mapped to theessential commonalities of the use case and content, connected by good information management practices

The Technical Vision

Solutions and Systems

A SystemA Solution

Contrasts Between Solutions and Systems

Aspect Solutions Systems

Predictability Complicated pathsleadtoprobabilities

Complexity leadstoemergence

Decision tools Formulas Judgmentbasedonorganizedliteraturereviewandexperience

Boundaries Well-defined Diffuse

Evolution Managed Emerging(towards avision?)

Mentalsystemused Slow thinking Fastthinking

Safetygoal Prevention Resilience

Lab Risk Assessment Solutions and Systems

The 20th Century Solution from the National Research Council

The 21st Century System Outline ACS, 2013 and 2016

(at the behest of the CSB)

Contrasting Chemical Safety Tools

RAMPstep Solution System

The“On RAMP” NFPA45stylebriefing Safetyculture

Recognize GHSH-statement Hazardsassessmentasprocessesandchemistryevolve

Assess Compare airconcentrationstoOELs

ProfessionalJudgment

Manage PPEselectionforaspecificchemical

PPEselection foralabprocess

PrepareforEmergencies Fireextinguishertraining Responsetoafire

ProtecttheEnvironment RCRAaccordingtoEPA RCRAinlabs

Mapping Lab Information Tools

Hazards Risks Manage Plan/Protect

Feedback

English Nouns Adjectives Verb Verb Adverb

Chemistry PeriodicTable

ProcessDescription

Labnotebook

StatisticalAnalysis

Researchreport

Safetytools SDS’sandLCSS’s

AssessingHazardsinResearchLaboratories

Laboratorytrainingandoversight;facilitiesandsafetyequipment

Institutionalemergencyplansandwastesystems

LessonsLearned

Electronicmedia

Databases,e.g.PubChem

Assessmenttools

Excel Webdocuments

Powerpoint

Lab Risk Assessment Process

Rawdata

•Toxicity•Flashpoint•Reactivtiies

GHSHazardStatements

•Reagentchemicals(reactants,intermediatesandproducts)•Processchemicals•Solvents•Corrosives

ProcessVariables

•Temperature•Pressure•Timing

FacilityAttributes

•Ventilation•Equipment•SupportStaff

Institutionalsupportpolicies

•Wastemanagementservices•Emergencyservices•TrainingandOversight

Institutional SourcesSDS and LCSS from PubChem

Procedure from Chemists

ManageRecognize Assess Plan / Protect

Risk Assessment Tool Values

• Sustainability• In terms of the effort needed to use

them• Scalability

• Varying Quantities (within the OSHA lab definition)

• Various levels of detail• Transferability

• To support spiral learning• Understandable by a variety of

stakeholders• Traceability

• For follow up questions

Cultural Education: Spiral Learning Model for Lab Safety Competencies

DevelopmentalStage

Science GroupPerformance

Culture

Professionalchemist

Identifyandestimatesignificanceofemergingrisks

Makeriskdecisionsandteachriskassessment

Accountableforgroupsafetyperformance

Graduateresearcher

Developprocedureswithrisks inmind

UseRiskAssessmenttoolstoproposerisklevelsforreview

Overseeothers’safetypractices

Mentoredresearcher(CURE,REU, etc.)

Reviewprocedureandlocateinformationtoidentifyhazards

LearntouseRiskAssessmenttools

Raise questionsandconcernsrelatedtorisk

Student Based onprerequisiterequirements

Identifyapplicablerules

RespectRules

Educational competencies include:• Knowledge /

Science• Skill / Group

performance• Attitude / Culture

Tools We’ll Hear About Today

• Lab Ventilation Control Bands• Catalog of Unexpected Reactivities

• Chemical Inventory Information• GHS Hazard Statements• Chemical Safety Terminologies

• Safety Data Sheets• Hazard Assessment in the Research Lab• Web Resources Discovery

• Toxicology Data Work• Nanosafety• Applying Cheminformatics Techniques

Tool collection

Tool set

Today’s Universe of Tools

ElectronicResourceBrowsing

•Lederman

GHSDatabaseComparison •Belford

ToxicologyData •Williams

Terminologies •McEwen

ChemicalInformationStructure

•Feunang

Globallnformation

SpecifcInformation

LabRiskAssessment

•LeahyDelinger

VentilationControlBanding

•Sweet

Reactionsafety

information•Nitsche

ChemicalInventory •Painter

TheSDS •Sigmann

Nanosafetyinformation •Masion

Questions?