Laboratory Safety Guidebook

In order to keep the campus community safe and in compliance with applicable regulations and policies, each lab on campus should have a laboratory safety binder for the lab users that is unique to that lab.

HSE provides lab managers with customizable templates to support the development of Laboratory Safety Guidebooks. The intent is that the Guidebook contains University level information related to health, safety and the environment as well as customized laboratory specific information for methods, policies and procedures.


Guidebook Templates

Table of Contents

Documents with standard numbers are required in each lab. Documents with an alphabetical character before the number are required in labs that contain the special hazard:

A. Radio Isotopes / LASERs

B. Biological Materials

C. Special Chemicals or Other Hazards

D. Field Safety (in development)

I. Laboratory Registration

1. Laboratory Registration Process

1a. End of Research Protocol

1b. Laboratory Exit Protocol

1c. Lab Close Out Checklist

2. Laboratory Door Signage

3. Lab Utility Criticality Assessment Guidelines

3a. Lab Utility Criticality Assessment Form

II. Emergency Response

      1. General Emergency Response Plan
      2. Chemical Spill Procedures

 III. Policies and Procedures

      1. General Lab Safety
      2. Lab Orientation
      3. Personal Protective Equipment
      4. Working Alone
      5. Unattended Operations
      6. Waste Management
      7. Hazardous Waste How-to
      8. Hazardous Waste Flow Chart
      9. Occupational & Preventative Health
      10. WHMIS Training
      11. Chemical Inventory, Labelling and Storage
      12. Transfer and Transport of Chemicals on Campus
      13. Transportation of Dangerous Goods
      14. Annual Chemical Weapons Declaration
      15. Fume hood Use
      16. Equipment Repair
      17. Lab Equipment Clearance Form
      18. Quonset Area Access Procedures

IV. Resources

      1. WHMIS 2015 Symbols
      2. HSE Programs
      3. Lab Ergonomics (in production)
      4. Chemical Safety Manual
      5. Writing Standard Operating Procedures
      6. Handling and Removing Peroxides
      7. Lab Renovation and Design Planning Guide
      8. PPE Etiquette
      9. Compressed Gas Cylinder Safe Handling, Use & Storage Guide
      10. Campus Receiving: How to use the Proper Shipping Address for a Lab 

A1. Radionuclide Safety Manual

A2. LASER Instrument Registration Form

B1. Biosafety Reference Manual – 2020

B2. Canadian Biosafety Standard, Third Edition

C1. Handling Hazardous Gases

C2. Handling Hydrofluoric Acid

C3. Handling Pyrophoric Materials

C4. Handling Perchloric Acid

C5. Handling Picric Acid

C6. Handling Cryogenic Materials

C8. Handling Piranha Solution

C9. Handling Nanomaterials

V. Training Records

      1. Lab User Training Records

C7. Quiz for “Handling Cryogenic Materials”

A3. Radio Isotope Training Record

VI. Reviews and Certifications

      1. Regular Self Inspection
      2. Preparation for Lab Review
      3. Records of Inspection, Reviews and Certifications