User Advisory

Advisory Title:

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the ALS

Advisory Number:

21/Rev. 0

Issue Date:

August 12, 2008

Review Date:

Note: The advisory procedure and all ALS user advisories are undergoing a complete review that will not be completed until late 2008. Until that time, all current advisories and procedures remain in effect.

Current Info:

This Advisory is valid for two years from Issue or Review Date(s), at which time it is reviewed for relevancy and accuracy. Copies of all current user advisories are available at the ALS User Services Office, (510) 486-7745.

Overview

It is Berkeley Lab policy to prescribe proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to all staff and users. PPE is to be used as a supplement to but not as a substitute for engineering controls. Which equipment should be used depends, in general, upon the hazard and the work. With the exception of the general ALS requirement (closed-toe shoes), this advisory is organized by the types of hazards likely to be found at the ALS.

Appropriate PPE should be available at the beamlines and laboratories. In addition, the stockroom in B7 has most PPE available without charge. In emergencies, the Safety Boxes located around the floor have extra PPE supplies. If you cannot find the right PPE or have any questions, contact your Beamline Scientist or the Safety Program at ext. 4499.

ALS Policy

The guidelines and requirements provided in this advisory are designed to assist ALS users and staff in meeting Berkeley Lab's health and safety requirements for personal protective equipment. A detailed discussion of Laboratory policy on personal protective equipment can be found in Chapter 19 of the Laboratory’s Health and Safety Manual, Pub-3000, and in the personal protective equipment section of the Laboratory's Chemical Hygiene and Safety Plan.

Requirements and Recommendations

General ALS Requirement: Closed-Toe Shoes

Only one general PPE requirement applies throughout the ALS experimental hall. All staff, users, and visitors must wear closed-toe shoes on the experimental floor, accelerator area, and all peripheral lab areas. This is to provide protection from the various slip/trip, abrasion, and kicking hazards associated with the equipment on the floor. This also applies to work in the ALS mezzanine labs.

General ALS Requirement for Work in Building 6 Mezzanine Labs: Safety Glasses

Appropriate eyewear is required for entry into all posted labs on the ALS mezzanine. This may be laser eyewear for laser operations or standard safety glasses to provide eye protection from the various chemical and physical agents that are worked with in these lab spaces.

Cryogenics

A wide variety of cryogenics work is done at the ALS, and each use should be evaluated for the proper protective equipment. In particular, protein crystallography, which involves the extensive use of liquid nitrogen, has a separate PPE chart for its most common uses. A particular concern is working with cryogens above eye level. This should be avoided whenever possible, but if not, goggles should be used instead of safety glasses. The general requirement is to protect the face and skin from cryogenic burns due to spills. General guidelines are

General Cryogenic Guidelines
Task	Required PPE
Working with pressurized systems (i.e., opening / closing valves, manipulating connections, verifying the existence or absence of pressure in a system).	Face shield and safety glasses; gloves; long pants or apron
General use of dewars and other unpressurized systems.	Safety glasses or goggles; gloves; long pants or apron
Handling, transporting closed containers	None

Gloves appropriate to the task should be used. If performing simple tasks involving pressurized systems, then cryogenic gloves should be used. For finer tasks, substitutions may be used.

Power Tools

Only staff who are qualified and have been authorized by their supervisors should work with power tools. Standard PPE requirements generally include safety glasses and appropriate gloves, but each use should be evaluated. In particular, safety shoes are required for many operations.

This guidance does not apply in the User Machine Shop (Building 80, Room 10A), where tool-specific requirements are in place. Consult with the Shop Manager (ext. 5142) if you have any questions regarding User Machine Shop PPE requirements.

Chemicals

Standard Berkeley Lab policy when working with chemicals in a lab or shop environment prescribes safety glasses, lab coat, and gloves, in addition to the standard closed-toe shoes; see the Chemical Hygiene and Safety Plan for more information.

Generally, work with chemicals on the floor involves little risk (small quantities of relatively nonhazardous chemicals), so PPE requirements may be minimal. Examples are:

Loading <1 mL volumes of relatively nonhazardous samples, which requires only gloves and glasses

Cleaning of components with <5 mL of solvents, which requires only gloves

However, some operations are done with higher quantities and/or more hazardous materials. In these cases, the work is typically done in the User Chemistry Lab, temporarily located in Building 6-2233, and PPE requirements are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Safety glasses and gloves are available at the Building 7 stockroom. Be sure to verify that you are using the appropriate gloves for the material you are working with. See Appendix 21-A: Glove Guidance, and Appendix 21-B: Nitrile Glove Compatibility Guide.

Lead (<5 bricks)

After taking Lead Awareness Training, EHS0329, staff and users may handle up to five bricks per day. Note that this does not include any cutting. The standard PPE requirement for this activity is nitrile gloves and safety shoes. PPE for work involving more than five bricks is evaluated on a case-by-case basis through a job-specific lead-compliance plan. See the EH&S Training Web site for information on training scope, requirements, and schedules.

Beryllium

Routine handling of beryllium (installation and removal of Be windows, etc.) does not require PPE. Consult the Environment, Safety and Health Division's Industrial Hygiene Group (ext. 6571) if you will be performing any operations that might lead to exposure. Also, see the Industrial Hygiene Group Web site on beryllium for more information about training (course number EHS0342).

Appendices

For More Information

For information about Personal Protective Equipment requirements at the ALS, contact the ALS ES&H Program Manager (ext. 4499).