I believe you are misreading the text you quoted. There is no mention of a list, only that covered chemicals must have been established to produce acute or chronic health hazard, or, implied by the test, that they represent a safety hazard. That does not require a list, only knowledge.
I don't see the problem with recognizing that some materials in a lab are not hazardous and that those are not subject to the requirements of the lab standard.
Peter Zavon, CIH
Penfield, NY
---- "Funck wrote:
> Hello all: Our Compliance Coordinator and I were working on a question concerning proper compressed gas storage and ran across the following quote from an OSHA interpretation in 2008. While this pertains to a compressed gas question the comment implies that chemicals which are not listed as hazardous are not covered by the lab standard. How can that be? The implications of this is that all chemicals in a lab would have to be classified as either under the standard or not. Does anyone have thoughts on this.
>
> "You stated in your letter that you are using these cylinders in a laboratory environment. OSHA's laboratory standard, å¤1910.1450, Occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories, defines "hazardous chemical" as one that has been established to produce acute or chronic health effects in exposed employees. While methane is an asphyxiant, it does not produce the acute or chronic health effects described in 1910.1200 Appendix A to which the lab standard refers. However, methane does present an explosion or flammability hazard. Therefore, OSHA's Hazard communication standard, å¤1910.1200, would apply."
>
> Steven S. Funck, MS, CSMM
> Natural Sciences Laboratory Program Manager
> Messiah College
> One College Ave.
> Suite 3049
> Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
>
> Phone: (717) 796-1800 (ext. 2079)
> Fax: (717) 691-6046
> SFunck**At_Symbol_Here**messiah.edu
>
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