Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a set of written instructions that describes in detail how to safely perform work involving hazardous materials (biological, chemical, radiological), hazardous equipment or hazardous operations. The scope of an SOP can cover:

The specific use of a hazardous material, class of materials or piece of laboratory equipment such as in a specific laboratory procedure.
The generic use of a specific hazardous material, class of materials or piece of laboratory equipment.
A generic procedure that covers several hazardous materials or types of laboratory equipment.

The OSHA Laboratory Standard recommends that the Chemical Hygiene Plan include: “Standard operating procedures relevant to safety and health considerations to be followed when laboratory work involves the use of hazardous chemicals”. The individual Lab Safety Plan has a section for uploading laboratory specific SOPs. Some SOPs for general use, these are shown below. If you have questions regarding the generation of SOPs contact Terese Anderson at b13@unm.edu.