Section 325.70103. Definitions.

(1) “Action level” means a concentration which is designated in established MIOSHA health standards for a specific substance, calculated as an 8-hour, time- weighted average, and which initiates certain required activities, such as exposure monitoring and medical surveillance.

(2)   “Chemical hygiene officer” means an employee who is designated by the employer, and who is qualified by training or experience, to provide technical guidance in the development and implementation of the provisions of the Chemical Hygiene Plan. This definition is not intended to place limitations on the position description or job classification that the designated individual shall hold within the employer's organizational structure.

(3)     “Chemical Hygiene Plan” means a written program which is developed and implemented by the employer, which sets forth procedures, equipment, personal protective equipment, and work practices that are capable of protecting employees from the health hazards presented by the hazardous chemicals used in a particular workplace, and which is in compliance with R 325.70106.

(4)     “Director” means the director of the Michigan department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs or his or her designee.

(5)     “Emergency” means any occurrence, such as equipment failure, the rupture of containers, or the failure of control equipment, that results in an uncontrolled release of a hazardous chemical into the workplace.

(6)   “Employee” means a person who is assigned to work in a laboratory workplace and who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals in the course of his or her assignments.

(7)   “Hazardous chemical” means any chemical which is classified as health hazard or simple asphyxiant in accordance with the Occupational Health Standard Part 430 “Hazard Communication,” as referenced in R 325.70102a.

(8)   “Health hazard” means a chemical that is classified as posing 1 of the following hazardous effects:

(a)   Acute toxicity, any route of exposure.

(b)   Skin corrosion or irritation.

(c)   Serious eye damage or eye irritation.

(d)  Respiratory or skin sensitization.

(e)   Germ cell mutagenicity.

(f)  Carcinogenity.

(g)   Reproductive toxicity.

(h)   Specific target organ toxicity, single or repeated exposure.

(i)   Aspiration hazard.

(j)    The criteria for determining whether a chemical is classified as a health hazard are detailed in Appendix A of Occupational Health Standard Part 430 “Hazard Communication,” as referenced in R 325.70102a, rule §1910.1200(c) which includes the definitions of "simple asphyxiant".

(9)    “Laboratory” means a facility where the laboratory use of hazardous chemicals occurs. It is a workplace where relatively small quantities of hazardous chemicals are used on a nonproduction basis.

(10)   “Laboratory scale” means work with substances in which the containers used for reactions, transfers, and other handling of substances are designed to be easily and safely manipulated by 1 person. "Laboratory scale" does not mean those workplaces whose function is to produce commercial quantities of materials.

(11)    “Laboratory-type hood” means a work chamber which is used in a laboratory, which is enclosed on 5 sides and has a moveable sash or fixed partial closure on the remaining side, which is constructed and maintained to draw air from the laboratory and prevent or minimize the escape of air contaminants into the laboratory, and which allows chemical manipulations to be conducted in the enclosure without inserting any portion of the employee's body other than hands and arms. The term includes walk-in hoods with adjustable sashes if the sashes are adjusted during use so that the airflow and the exhaust of air contaminants are not compromised and so that employees do not work inside the enclosure during the release of airborne hazardous chemicals.

(12)     “Laboratory use of hazardous chemicals” means the handling or use of such chemicals in which all of the following conditions are met:

(a)   Chemical manipulations are carried out on a laboratory scale.

(b)   Multiple chemical procedures or chemicals are used.

(c)   The procedures that are involved are not part of production process, nor in any way simulate a production process.

(d)   Protective laboratory practices and equipment are available and in common use to minimize the potential for employee exposure to hazardous chemicals.

(13)   “Medical consultation” means a consultation that takes place between an employee and a licensed physician to determine what medical examinations or procedures, if any, are appropriate.

(14)    “Mutagen” means chemicals that cause permanent changes in the amount or structure of the genetic material in a cell. Chemicals classified as mutagens in accordance with Occupational Health Standard Part 430 “Hazard Communication,” as referenced in R 325.70102a, shall be considered mutagens for purposes of these rules.

(15)     “Physical hazard” means a chemical that is classified as posing 1 of the following hazardous effects:

(a)   Explosive.

(b)   Flammable, gases, aerosols, liquids, or solids.

(c)   Oxidizer as a liquid, solid, or gas.

(d)  Self-reactive.

(e)   Pyrophoric as a gas, liquid or solid.

(f)  Self-heating.

(g)   Organic peroxide.

(h)   Corrosive to metal.

(i)   Gas under pressure.

(j)   In contact with water emits flammable gas.

(k)   Combustible dust.

(l)   The criteria for determining whether a chemical is classified as a physical hazard are in Appendix B of Occupational Health Standard Part 430 “Hazard Communication,” as referenced in R 325.70102a, rule §1910.1200(c) which includes the definitions of "combustible dust" and "pyrophoric gas."

(16)       “Protective laboratory practices and equipment” means those laboratory procedures, practices, and equipment that are accepted by laboratory health and safety experts as effective, or that the employer can show to be effective, in minimizing the potential for employee exposure to hazardous chemicals.

(17)        “Reproductive toxins” means chemicals that affect the reproductive capabilities, including adverse effects on sexual function and fertility in adult males and females, as well as adverse effects on the development of the offspring. Chemicals classified as reproductive toxins in accordance with the Occupational Health Standard Part 430 “Hazard Communication,” as referenced in R 325.70102a, shall be considered reproductive toxins for purposes of these rules.

(18)   “Select carcinogen” means any substance that meets 1 or more of the criteria set forth in the definition of select carcinogen in OSHA standard 29 C.F.R. §1910.1450, paragraph (b), as referenced in R 325.70102a. The cited definition is printed as Appendix C to these rules.

History: 1992 AACS; 2003 AACS; 2014 AACS.