Standard Operating Procedures

The OSHA Laboratory Standard (i.e. Chemical Hygiene Plan) requires SOPs relevant to safety and health considerations to be prepared and followed when laboratory work involves the use of hazardous chemicals. Other regulatory programs may also require SOPs.

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are written instructions that detail the steps taken to perform a given operation and include information about potential hazards and how the hazards will be mitigated. It is prudent to have SOPs for work involving chemical, biological, animal, and radiological hazards; radiation producing devices; and other physical hazards. SOPs should be written by personnel who are most knowledgeable with the experimental process and associated hazards. However, the Laboratory Supervisor is ultimately responsible for approving SOPs regardless of who prepared them.

The SOP templates available below have been prepared by REM using templates developed by the University of California (Los Angeles) Environmental Health and Safety Department. These templates are for common and hazardous operations. They are incomplete as written; they must be customized. Instructions for completion are included in each template. The templates are part of an ongoing effort by REM to provide SOP guidance. Our template list will continue to grow to incorporate more hazards. Laboratories, shops, and other areas with hazardous operations are encouraged to develop their own SOPs using this template format.

Contact REM at (765) 496-3072 if you need assistance or would like to submit a SOP to be considered for making into a template and posting below.

Chemicals Requiring SOPs:

  1. 2-Mercaptoethanol
  2. Acetic Anhydride
  3. Acrolein (2-Propenal)
  4. Acutely Toxic Materials
  5. Alkali Metals
  6. Animal Research High Hazards
  7. Ammonia
  8. Aqua Regia
  9. Base Bath
  10. Benzene
  11. Biosafety Level 2
  12. Boron Tribromide
  13. Boron Trichloride
  14. Boron Trifluoride
  15. Bromine
  16. Carbon Monoxide
  17. Chemical Spill Response and Cleanup (Non Emergency)
  18. Chlorine Gas
  19. Chloroform
  20. Chromerge (Chromic acid solution)
  21. Compressed Gases
  22. Corrosives
  23. Dangerous When Wet Materials
  24. Diethyl Ether
  25. Ethidium Bromide
  26. Ethylene Oxide
  27. Flammable and Combustible Liquids
  28. Flammable  Solids
  29. Formaldehyde
  30. GSK
  31. Hexafluoro-2-Propano
  32. Hydrogen Fluoride (HF)
  33. Hydrogen Gas
  34. Hydrogen Peroxide
  35. Hydrogen Sulfide
  36. Isophorone Diisocyanate
  37. Liquid Nitrogen
  38. Lithium Alkyl Compounds
  39. Lithium Metal
  40. Mercury
  41. Methylene Chloride (Dichloromethane)
  42. Methyltrichlorosilane
  43. Nanoparticles
  44. Nitrate Salts
  45. Nitric Acid
  46. Nitric Oxide
  47. Osmium Tetroxide
  48. Oxidizers
  49. Peracetic Acid (Peroxyacetic Acid)
  50. Perchloric Acid
  51. Perfluorodecyltrichlorosilane
  52. Phenylmethanesulfonyl Fluoride (PMSF)
  53. Piranha Solution
  54. Potassium Cyanide
  55. Propylene Oxide
  56. Pyrophorics
  57. Sodium Azide
  58. Sulfuric Acid
  59. Toluene
  60. Zirconium Powder