Implementation of Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) Program at Chemical Laboratories of a University

Sep 21, 2026

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The use of chemicals in academic and research laboratories requires robust university safety management to protect staff from chemical health risks. This study presents a methodology to implement a Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) program in university chemical laboratories. The program identifies and evaluates chemical exposure risks among laboratory personnel, categorizing risks into those significant yet adequately controlled and those significant and not adequately controlled. Proactive recommendations are provided to reduce chemical exposure risks and support appropriate control measures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

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Abstract

Keywords

1. Introduction

Journal of Safety Studies ISSN 2377-3219 2017, Vol. 3, No. 1 Implementation of Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) Program at Chemical Laboratories of a University Mohsin Abbas 1,2 (Corresponding author) 1 Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Gujrat, Hafiz Hayat Campus, Jalalpur Road, Gujrat, Pakistan [E-mail: mohsin.abbas@uog.edu.pk](E-mail: mohsin.abbas@uog.edu.pk) ; [myousaf@stu.kau.edu.sa](myousaf@stu.kau.edu.sa) Tel: 92-30-2660-2001 2 Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology Environment Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Adel M. Zakaria Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology, Environment and Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom Saudi Arabia Mansour A. Balkhyour Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Meteorology Environment Arid Land Agriculture, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Received: April 23, 2017 Accepted: May 2, 2017 Published: May 8, 2017 doi:10.5296/jss.v3i1.11109 URL: [https://doi.org/10.5296/jss.v3i1.11109](https://doi.org/10.5296/jss.v3i1.11109) 53 [http://jss.macrothink.org](http://jss.macrothink.org) Journal of Safety Studies ISSN 2377-3219 2017, Vol. 3, No. 1 Abstract The use of chemicals in academic/research laboratories is obvious which need proper university’s safety management. It is the prime responsibility of university top management to protect laboratory staff from chemical health risks during their work. This study elaboratesa methodology for the implementation of a Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) program in a University’s chemical laboratories. The objective of this CHRA program is to identify and evaluate the risks of chemical exposure among laboratory staff. The qualitative observation of CHRA program identified two categories of risk, one is a significant risk but already adequately controlled could increase in future, second is risk significant now, and not adequately controlled. Based on the conclusion of CHRA program proactive suggestions were made to reduce the risks of chemical exposure among laboratory staff. This study can be useful to implement CHRA program in chemical laboratories of a university to assess the risk of chemical exposure and required control measures for the protection of laboratory staff. Keywords: Chemical exposure; Occupational risk assessment; Chemical Safety; Laboratory Safety; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 1. Introduction The use of diverse chemicals in academic laboratories is obvious, especially for research oriented working units. It is a wrong perception that academic laboratories are safe vanes of work for students and researchers (Shariff & Norazahar, 2011), as it was found that majority of them are unsafe for study and research. The use of small quantities of chemicals in academic laboratories can be a reason for this wrong perception. Chemical risk exposure in research/academia increased with the development and diversification of new techniques and materials into the field of Science as recent accidents shows; Blast in a French University (Freemantle, 2006), Blindness of a laboratory staff in University of technology, Taiwan (Wu et al., 2007), severe injuries due to Explosion of perchlorate in a University (Kemsley, 2010).Recognition of laboratory safety as compared to the safety of industrial manufacturing plants is still a challenge for health and safety of laboratory staff. Due to lack of resources, less attention has been paid to chemical risk evaluation and mitigation in the universities of developing countries. It is important to know about the risk of chemical exposure to the laboratory staff of academic and research institutes. To evaluate chemical risk assessment, several approaches have been found in literature as; a systematic approach in the form of an online software tool named Lab-HIRA (Hazard Identification

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) program described in the study?

The CHRA program aims to identify and evaluate risks of chemical exposure among laboratory staff in a university’s chemical laboratories.

How does the study categorize chemical health risk in the qualitative CHRA observations?

It identifies two categories: risks that are significant but already adequately controlled, and risks that are significant now and not adequately controlled.

What outcomes does the study provide after completing the CHRA program?

It offers proactive suggestions to reduce chemical exposure risks and improve required control measures to protect laboratory staff.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Graffin