Helping to achieve a high level of proficiency, production, and safety
Warren K. Kingsley
O
SHA's Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450) requires that all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) include health and safety information. An SOP is a written procedure that all workers must follow when performing a routine laboratory task. Most SOPs detail the steps of an operation in the order in which they should be performed.
Many SOPs, however, are written without an appreciation for workers, their environment, or access to the supplies they will need. The writer may never have examined the work space or watched the tasks to be directed by the SOP. Sometimes the document is written without consultation with the workers. In some large companies, the task of writing an SOP is done by outside sources, part-time help, or interns.
An SOP is a complex document. The writer must deal not only with the steps required in an operation, but also with the nature of the task, the ability of the worker to accomplish the task, and the worker's ability to follow instructions and understand the risk of each assignment and the hazards associated with it.
Unfortunately, many SOPs are written in a way which assumes that the worker has had training in the area relevant to the task described. An SOP is, and should be, as much a training document as a tool.
Preparing to write an SOP
Except for the simplest operations, an SOP cannot be developed by a single person. The writer should be part of a team that includes the worker, the job supervisor, a safety and health professional, and the process engineer. When an SOP has been properly written, the result is satisfactory completion of the work with regard to efficiency, risk, and safety.
Therefore, the first step in preparing to write an SOP should be to have the worker demonstrate how he or she will accomplish a particular procedure. The worker must be someone who is already doing that job or who has done similar work. The supervisor acts as an advisor to monitor the required efficiency. The safety person notes the hazards of the job and lists the protective equipment that should be required. The process engineer contributes necessary information about the correct use of the equipment involved. The writer outlines the steps with regard to efficiency, convenience of the work space, and equipment to be used.
Once this study has been made, the team can formulate a draft SOP that contains all the essentials with regard to preset conditions that they determine. These conditions should include all the steps of the procedure, including associated hazards and precautions. Precautions for the employee's overall health and safety must be addressed, especially training and personal protective equipment. The SOP also needs to address the precautions needed to prevent any impacts to the environment--whether it be the immediate workplace environment, the waste disposal system, or the surrounding community.
Writing the SOP
All SOPs should include identifying information--for instance, a title and/or number, and the author's name and contact information. The body of the SOP identifies the product or reason for the procedure and gives all the steps in order, including safety information for each step. It should list all the required personal protective equipment, training, and directions for spills or emergencies. If the procedure is not an ongoing process, the SOP should include cleanup and disposal instructions. The box on p. 29 lists the items that should be included in a standard SOP.
Example of an SOP
The Chemistry Department at the University of CaliforniaSan Diego has posted a few of its SOPs on the Internet. We have reprinted one of them here: the SOP for quenching the bottom of a solvent-drying still.
The laboratory course for Chemistry 123 is one in which drying stills are used. The course is limited to 810 students, as each group must work within a laboratory fume hood with gas manifolds under nitrogen atmospheres. Operating the drying stills is the responsibility of the course instructor (and teaching assistant). Vernon Clark wrote the procedure after a postdoctoral student at a nearby research institute was seriously injured in a fire that began when the student was handling the bottom of a still. Vernon Clark integrated safety information throughout the SOP.
Evaluation of the SOP
The SOP should be evaluated by the team that created it. Team members should pay attention to the details of the SOP as they observe a new candidate implement the SOP by following the steps listed in the document. The following criteria may be used to determine the utility of the SOP:
- Were the steps in a logical sequence with regard to work space and equipment requirements; that is, were all of the necessary items for performing the operation readily available to the worker and in close proximity?
- Were safety considerations detailed so that the worker was protected during each step of the SOP?
- Were the steps explicitly defined with regard to identified risks?
- Was the flow of the steps sufficient to minimize time and maximize effectiveness?
- Did the SOP result in a usable product?
Standard Operating Procedures are required in laboratories covered under 29 CFR 1910.1450, but they should be used by all laboratories. The net result of using SOPs is a uniform end product--whether that product is a simple analytical test, the production of a research sample for evaluation, or the manufacture of a production batch--provided a qualified person is associated with the task. SOPs help any laboratory maintain a high level of proficiency and production, and an even higher level of safety for the worker as well as the facility. If your workplace is up-to-date, it will have them in use and available for review. If it is not, you should lead the way to providing them. The World Wide Web offers several sites that
can assist you in preparing SOPs, including
- University of California-San Diego: Chemical Hygiene Plan for Chemistry,
http://chem-courses.ucsd.edu/Course Pages/Uglabs/Course.Specific.Info/Chemical.H
ygiene.Plans/143A.chp/#sop and
http://www-ehs.ucsd.edu/sop.htm
- Cornell University: SOP Form Information,
http://www.ehs.cornell.edu/Irs/sof_form_information.htm.
- PharmComm Inc: Purchasable SOPs (price range, $250-$650),
http://www.pharmcomm.com/sop/index.htm.
- Writing Standard Operating Procedures: Professional Development Courses,
http://www.globelink.com/skillsplus/pdwsop.htm.
- Air Force Academy Fire Department: Standard Operating Procedures,
http://www.usafa.af.mil/fire-dept/sops.htm.
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