Carcinogen (see "select carcinogen")
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, especially for those people who are least able to help themselves.
Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories: This CDC-NIH publication describes the combinations of standard and special microbiological practices, safety equipment, and facilities constituting Biosafety Levels 1-4, which are recommended for work with a variety of infectious agents in various laboratory settings.
Chronic exposure: Contact with a substance that occurs over a long time (more than 1 year [for humans]).
Class A Fire Extinguisher: Type of extinguisher that is effective on fires involving class A materials, such as ordinary combustibles, paper, wood, most rubber or plastics and textiles.
Class ABC Extinguisher: Type of extinguisher that is effective on fires involving class A, B and C materials such as ordinary combustibles, paper, wood, most rubber or plastics and textiles (Class A); flammable liquids, such as oil, gasoline and solvents (Class B); energized circuits or electrical equipment and computers (Class C).
Class BC Extinguisher: Type of extinguisher that is effective on fires involving class B materials such as flammable liquids, such as oil, gasoline and solvents as well class C materials: energized circuits or electrical equipment and computers.
Class II BSC: The Class II biological safety cabinets provide personnel, environmental and product protection. Air flow is drawn around the operator into the front grille of the cabinet, which provides personnel protection. In addition, the downward laminar flow of HEPA-filtered air provides product protection by minimizing the chance of cross-contamination along the work surface of the cabinet. Because cabinet air exhaust is passed through a certified exhaust HEPA filter, it is contaminant-free (environmental protection), and may be recirculated back into the laboratory or exhausted out of the building.
Compartmentalization: Type of building feature(s) that limit the extent of fire and smoke damage by dividing buildings into fire 'compartments' enclosed by firewalls, fire doors and by fire-rated floors and ceilings. A building that is constructed using this method will cordon off the fire without compromising structural integrity, endangering other occupants or resulting in significant property loss.
Contact Precautions: A component of Expanded Precautions, work practices to reduce the risk of transmitting infectious agents by spread by skin to skin contact or contact with other surfaces (e.g., herpes simplex virus, VRE, MRSA, MDR gram negative rods, rotavirus, enterovirus (pediatric patients), Salmonella sp., Shigella sp.). May include the use of gloves and gown for all patient contact; dedicated equipment such as stethoscopes, disposable blood pressure cuffs, disposable thermometers, etc.; and eye protection (i.e., goggles or face shields) when within 3 feet of the patient.
Cryogenic Liquids: Liquefied gases that are kept in their liquid state at very low temperatures. The word "cryogenic" means "producing, or related to, low temperatures". All cryogenic liquids are extremely cold with boiling points below -150°C(- 238°F) (Carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, which have slightly higher boiling points are sometimes included in this category). All cryogenic liquids are gases at normal temperatures and pressures.
Dangerous Goods: As Defined by the "IATA Dangerous Goods Manual," material affecting health, poisons and infectious substances, Corrosive material, radioactive material, Oxygen rich material, oxidizers and organic peroxides, Flammable liquids, other flammable hazards, Compressed gases, Explosives, miscellaneous hazards.
Designated Area: means an area which may be used for work with "select carcinogens," reproductive toxins or substances which have a high degree of acute toxicity. A designated area may be the entire laboratory, an area of a laboratory or a device such as a laboratory hood.
Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Material
1. A material is considered hazardous for transportation purposes if it meets one or more of the following criteria. (Check the MSDS or contact EOHSS to determine if a material(s) is regulated by DOT)
a. It was shipped as a DOT hazardous material, which is noted on the shipping paper, or if the original package is DOT labeled or marked.
b. It is listed in the DOT Hazardous Materials Table, 49 CFR 172.101. Posted online at http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/PHMSA/DownloadableFiles/Files/HMT_03_2008.xls
c. It has a “UN” number (refer to the DOT Hazardous Materials Table).
d. It exhibits one or more of the following hazardous characteristics
o Explosive
o Flammable solid
o Spontaneously Combustible
o Dangerous when wet
o Radioactive
o Compressed or liquefied gas
o Cryogenic fluid
o Oxidizer
o Organic peroxide
o Corrosive
o Flammable liquid poison (toxic)
o Infectious
o Misc. hazard (dry ice)
2. Materials with Hazardous Material Information System (HMIS) or National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 704) ratings higher than '1' are likely to be classified by DOT as hazardous. (A listing of NFPA ratings for common laboratory chemicals is posted by Northeastern University at http://www.ehs.neu.edu/laboratory_safety/general_information/nfpa_hazard_rating/
Designated Safe Waiting Area: Specific areas inside a building where it has been deemed safe to escort non-ambulatory staff and visitors to wait throughout an alarm activation. Typically, these areas are fully sprinklered and immediately adjacent to an enclosed stairwell that can be quickly accessed in the event that fire and/or smoke becomes evident in the immediate area.
Droplet Nuclei: Tiny particles containing Mycobacterium tuberculosis which can be expelled into the air when a person with infectious TB coughs or sneezes. Droplet nuclei are about 1 to 5 microns in diameter and can remain suspended in the air for several hours, depending on the environment. The most effective (respirable size) droplet nuclei tend to have a diameter of 5 micron.
Droplet Precautions: A component of Expanded Precautions, measures to reduce the risk of droplet transmission of infectious agents which can be spread in large droplets by coughing, talking, or sneezing (e.g., Adenoviruses, Diphtheria, influenza, Meningitis, Mumps, Pertussis (whooping cough), Pneumonic plague, Rabies, Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Rubella (German Measles), Rubella Syndrome, Streptococcus). Measures may include the use of a standard surgical mask when within three feet of the patient and having patients moving about the hospital away from the isolation room wear a mask.
Emergency means any occurrence such as, but not limited to, equipment failure, rupture of containers or failure of control equipment which results in an uncontrolled release of a hazardous chemical into the workplace.
Emergency Coordinator: Higher level administrative staff that serve as contacts with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Services (EOHSS) regarding building-specific fire and life safety issues.
Emergency Evacuation Plan: The emergency evacuation floor plan serves as a valuable and readily available guiding tool for the building occupants and outside emergency responders during an emergency in a building. These plans are posted throughout the building and include information such as your location, directions to the exit(s), locations of fire protection and safety devices and a brief emergency procedure. Building occupants should familiarize themselves with the information on this plan. See picture of Emergency Route.
Emergency Response Guide: A flipchart that provides information on how to handle emergency situations in either research laboratory and clinical sites. Topics include chemical and radiation spills, medical emergencies, fire safety, tuberculosis, human blood/body fluid spills and Public Safety issues. Contact EOHSS for further information on emergency procedures.
EOHSS: EOHSS is Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Services, a service-oriented department of the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). It was established to assist the University in providing a healthy and safe working and learning environment.
EPA: The Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970 to consolidate in one agency a variety of federal research, monitoring, standard-setting and enforcement activities to ensure environmental protection. EPA's mission is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment-air, water, and land-upon which life depends.
Expanded Precautions: Formerly called Transmission-based Precautions, designed for patients documented or suspected to be infected or colonized with highly transmissible or epidemiologically important pathogens for which additional precautions beyond Standard Precautions (see below) are needed to interrupt transmission in hospitals. There are three types of Expanded Precautions: Airborne Infection Isolation (AII) Precautions, Droplet Precautions, and Contact Precautions. They may be combined for diseases that have multiple routes of transmission. When used either singularly or in combination, they are to be used in addition to Standard Precautions.
Explosion-Proof Refrigerator: provides protection against explosion - both inside and outside - while storing flammable materials at below ambient temperatures.
Exposure Determination: A list of all job classifications in which all employees in those job classifications have occupational exposure; A list of job classifications in which some employees have occupational exposure, and A list of all tasks and procedures or groups of closely related task and procedures in which occupational exposure occurs and that are performed by employees in job classifications listed in accordance with the provisions of the BBP standard. An exposure determination shall be made without regard to the use of personal protective equipment.
Exposure Incident: means a specific eye, mouth, other mucous membrane, non-intact skin, or parenteral contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials that results from the performance of an employee's duties
Exterior Safe Waiting Area: A pre-determined assembly area outside the building where evacuated people wait until all clear is announced. This area must be at least 50 feet away from the building.
More definitions can be found at www.umdnj.edu/eohssweb/labsafety/glossary.htm