Chemical Safety
Chemical Hygiene Plan
The purpose of the Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) is to outline laboratory work practices and procedures which are necessary to ensure that members of the university community are protected from health hazards associated with chemicals with which they work. Campus departments that use chemicals are required to have a Chemical Hygiene Plan. The campus CHP may be used, or a departmental CHP can be drafted and adhered to as long as it is as strict, or stricter than the campus CHP.
Chemical safety begins with lab directors (faculty/lab managers/supervisors) identifying and reducing the risks involved when working with chemicals. As a lab director, you are required to adopt and implement the Cal Poly Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP), and where necessary, write Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for safety specific to the hazardous materials and methods used in your lab.
Proper use of the CHP helps to ensure that research faculty, staff, and students who handle hazardous chemicals have the proper training and safety protections required under the law. The CHP provides the basic rules and guidelines generic to Cal Poly research operations and every member of the laboratory is expected to read and understand it.
Chemical Safety Resources and Guidance Documents:
If you have questions regarding chemical safety on campus, please call Roxane Strobel at 805-756-3044 or email at rstrobel@calpoly.edu.