Office of Environmental Health and Safety
Medical Services and Surveillance
The Laboratory Safety Standard does not mandate medical surveillance for all laboratory workers. There may be, however, circumstances when employers must provide any employees an opportunity for medical attention. Specifically, medical attention, including any follow-up examination and treatment recommended by the examining physician, must be offered as following:
Medical Consultation
A medical consultation conducted to determine the need for a medical examination must be offered to any employee who is present in the work area when a spill, leak, explosion or other accident occurs that results in a potential significant exposure to a hazardous chemical.
Medical Examination
A medical examination must be provided to any employee who exhibits signs or experiences symptoms associated with exposure to a hazardous chemical used in the laboratory.
Medical surveillance
Medical surveillance, as defined by the particular standard for that substance, must be provided to any employee who is exposed routinely above the action level or, in the absence of an action level, above the Permissible Exposure Limit for an OSHA-regulated substance for which there are exposure monitoring or medical surveillance requirements. Please refer to Exposure Monitoring for more information.
Additionally, the provisions of Boston University’s Respiratory Protection Program require that any employee required to wear a negative-pressure respirator in performance of his or her duties must undergo a medical evaluation in addition to a fit-test. Medical Evaluations do not need to be repeated unless the person wearing the respirator appears to have difficulties wearing it or gains or loses 10 pounds or more.
The Chemical Hygiene Officer acts as a liaison for employees who request medical services. The Occupational Health Center (BUOHC) on Boston University’s Charles River Campus and Occupational and Environmental Medicine (OEM) on the Medical Campus provides medical consultation services. All medical consultations, examinations, and surveillances are free to University employees. The Occupational Health Center is located at 930 Commonwealth Ave, West and can be reached at (617) 353-6630. Occupational and Environmental Medicine is located on F5 (Preston) and can be reached at (617) 638-8400.
As the events triggering the request involve potential chemical exposure, you must also contact the Office of Environmental Health and Safety for an investigation as to the extent of the exposure. BUOHC and OEM need the information gathered in OEHS’s investigation in order to appropriately scale their response. Any required records will be kept by BUOHC, OEM and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, as necessary.
In the event of an injury in the laboratory, Laboratory Supervisors/Principal Investigators must complete an Accident Report and Analysis Form within 24 hours of the incident. See “Accident and Injury Reporting” for more information.
