OSHA has defined a hazardous chemical as "a chemical for which there is statistically significant evidence based on at least one study conducted in accordance with established scientific principals that acute or chronic health effects may occur in exposed employees". In addition, OSHA defines a laboratory as "a workplace where relatively small quantities of hazardous chemicals are used on a nonproduction basis." Finally, laboratory workers are defined in the OSHA Lab Standard under the definition of "employee" as "an individual employed in a laboratory workplace who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals in the course of his/her assignments." An example of a laboratory worker would be a University teaching assistant or faculty member instructing an academic lab; the students in the academic laboratory would not be considered laboratory workers. If there is any confusion about whether a particular workplace is considered a laboratory which utilizes hazardous chemicals or whether someone is considered a laboratory worker, the Chemical Hygiene Officer will upon request make this determination.

This Chemical Hygiene Plan shall be perused by all laboratory workers prior to the commencement of lab duties at SIUC.

This Chemical Hygiene Plan (referred to as the Plan throughout this document) will be reviewed annually by the Chemical Hygiene Officer and/or the Center for Environmental Health and Safety.