Health and Safety Considerations in Laboratory Design

Transcription

1 Health and Safety Considerations in Laboratory Design Written by: Lou DiBerardinis, Director, EHS Office, MIT For the past 20 years the authors of Guidelines for Laboratory Design: Health and Safety Considerations and several guest lecturers 1 have used the text to facilitate a week long program presented at the Harvard School of Public Health. The 4 th Edition of Guideline for Laboratory Design will be published in the second half of The construction of new laboratory buildings and the renovation of old ones require close communication between laboratory users, project engineers, architects, construction engineers, and safety and health personnel. With a multitude of needs to be addressed, all too often safety and health conditions and environmental impact are overlooked or slighted and laboratories may be built with unanticipated safety and health hazards or adverse effects to the environment. It is clear that one of the principal objectives of laboratory design should be to provide a safe place in which scientists, engineers, and their staff can perform their work. To fulfill this objective, all safety and health considerations must be evaluated carefully and protective measures must be incorporated into the design whenever necessary. It is always important for project managers to communicate frequently with all laboratory users to keep current. Experience has amply confirmed there is a steep learning curve whenever laboratory personnel enter into the design phase of their own laboratories, and changing requirements are the norm from the start. Because many safety considerations are specific to certain laboratories but absent in others, it is extremely important that the typical laboratory chosen for design purposes be identified unequivocally as the one the user needs. In renovation projects, the original building layout must be evaluated very carefully to determine its compatibility with the needs of the intended occupants as well as with the good practice layouts recommended in this book. Therefore, it will be essential to review each laboratory design recommendation to investigate its Page 1 of 5

2 compatibility with the building that has been selected for renovation. This must be done cooperatively with the user, the architect, and management because critical compromises are inevitable when an existing building is adapted to new uses. The safety and health design recommendations for each laboratory are based on the operations which are to be performed, as well as on the materials and equipment that will be used. It is recognized that laboratory usage patterns tend to change over time, and therefore it is prudent to try to provide for unique functions with as much design flexibility as possible. Guiding concepts that should be used are defined for each type of laboratory by (a) the nature of the tasks normally performed there, (b) the special materials and equipment used, and (c) the nature of the requirements that contribute to making this laboratory unique. In some instances, hazardous or specialized materials and equipment that should not be used in a particular type of laboratory are listed to aid in making certain the architect, project engineer, and laboratory user all have the same laboratory type under consideration. When the laboratory type first selected has serious contradictions for some of the projected activities, an alternative type that does not have such exclusions should be identified and those design guidelines followed. There may be instances where the laboratory type being designed is a combination of several of the types of laboratories designed in the text. In this case the relevant parts of the associated sections must be determined and applied. Sections on laboratory arrangement discuss and illustrate the area requirement and spatial organization of each type of laboratory with special regard to egress, equipment and furniture locations, ergonomics, and ventilation requirements. Typical good practice layouts are illustrated, and a major effort is directed toward calling attention to those layouts which are clearly undesirable. The location of exhaust hoods, biological safety cabinets, clean benches, and items of similar function are given special attention. Construction materials are discussed with respect to sustainability. Heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) sections of the text describe the desirable elements of a laboratory HVAC system that are designed for comfort and safety. Wherever unique requirements have been recognized because of the critical nature of the work or equipment, they are given consideration and definition in a special requirements section. Usually, minimum performance criteria are specified in bid documents, but Page 2 of 5

3 it should be recognized that somewhat better performance ought to be provided by the design to allow for inevitable system deterioration while in use. This is needed because health and safety equipment installed in laboratories and laboratory buildings must perform its intended function with a high level of reliability throughout an assigned service life which may be the same as the life of the building. Some loss of efficiency and effectiveness over long time periods is usual for machinery and structures. Therefore, a factor to account for normal deterioration must be included in procurement specifications so that, at the end of the expected service period, performance will be adequate to accomplish the assigned health and safety functions with an appropriate margin of safety. Procurement documents often specify minimum performance criteria equal to end-of-life health and safety requirements, thereby ensuring less than desired performance over a major portion of the service life of the items. Thus, minimal acceptance criteria for procurement must take into account (1) lesser performance experienced after installation than contained in manufacturers performance tables developed under ideal test conditions, plus (2) an additional factor for normal deterioration over long-term usage to assure acceptable health and safety protection initially and over the life of the facility. Special attention is given to providing adequate makeup air for exhaust-ventilated facilities and to the pressure relationships between laboratories, offices, and corridors. When construction requirements for laboratory systems differ substantially from those that apply to ordinary HVAC installations, the differences are made explicit and appropriate codes and standards are cited in the text. Loss prevention, industrial hygiene, and personal safety present checklists of items that must be evaluated for their inclusion during the design stages. They encompass a wide variety of safety devices and safety design options intended to protect workers and property. The important subjects of handling dangerous substances and disposal of laboratory waste, including animal waste and animal carcasses, are included. In many cases these items can be attended to later, but usually only at a greater cost. The special requirements section deals with the unique aspects of each identified laboratory type. Not all of the noted special requirements may be needed exclusively for safety reasons, but their presence in a laboratory may affect overall safety considerations and are important for that reason. This section evaluates their potential impact and presents appropriate safety measures when required. Part II, contains unique references to renovation requirements pertaining to specific laboratory types. Page 3 of 5

4 Governmental and code requirements that pertain to specific safety items are stated, and the sources are referenced. In the United States the major codes, regulations, and standards that must be met include the latest editions of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and the International Buildings Code (IBC) or the equivalent national building code. In addition, there are many local codes, ordinances, and state laws that must be observed. In the absence of specific regulations or code requirements, numerous safety-related topics are treated with special detail because we are of the opinion that our recommendations will have an important impact on improved safety in areas not now adequately addressed elsewhere. In these instances, considerable pains have been taken to justify the recommendations. Whenever possible, alternative recommendations are made to permit flexibility of design and construction, especially for renovation projects, in which physical constraints are encountered frequently. Even when no specific recommendations are made, a checklist of items to be considered is often presented. When additional interpretation of recommendations or further explication of design cautions is considered desirable, it is highly recommended that the project engineer and architect work closely with environmental management, industrial hygiene, and safety professionals in an endeavor to design and build the safest and most environmentally sensitive laboratories possible. Applicable federal and state regulations, codes and standards, textbooks, and published articles on the safe design of laboratories are referenced throughout the book to provide the user with more detailed information. Close communication with environmental management, industrial hygiene, and safety professionals throughout the planning phases is recommended. In the absence of qualified staff personnel, competent professional guidance may be obtained in several ways. 1. Consultants: The American Industrial Hygiene Association,* the American Society of Safety Engineers, and the American Academy of Environmental Engineers maintain current lists of consultants, which can be obtained on request. 2. Governmental Agencies: (a) Many state departments of occupational health (or industrial hygiene) receive federal assistance for the express purpose of providing professional help for occupational health and safety needs, and they can be called or visited for advice. Page 4 of 5

5 (b) Regional offices of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (in the U.S. Department of Labor), can also be requested to provide answers to specific health and safety issues and interpretation of federal regulations. (c) Local fire departments usually review large renovations and new building plans with respect to fire regulations. (d) Regional offices of the Environmental Protection Agency and state departments of environmental protection are prepared to interpret regulations regarding permissible emissions to air and water and disposal of hazardous solid wastes. All professionals involved in the design and construction of laboratories should have a working knowledge of the potential health and safety implications of the work conducted in these facilities and how the design can facilitate or hinder the work and conditions in the laboratory. References 1. Guidelines for Laboratory Design, Harvard School of Public Health Executive and Continuing Professional Education, June 20 24,2011, ecpe.sph.harvard.edu/gld 2. Diberardinis, L.J., et al, Guidelines for Laboratory Design: Health and Safety considerations, 4 th edition, Wiley & Sons, NY, NY, anticipated publication date, September, 2011 Learn more about the Guidelines for Laboratory Design Program: ecpe.sph.harvard.edu/gld ECPE 677 Huntington Avenue Boston, Massachusetts USA phone: fax: contedu@hsph.harvard.edu ecpe.sph.harvard.edu Page 5 of 5