I need to remind you about the review procedure for the risk assessments in the lab. Typically each user (you) must review the risk assessment for the procedures you do in the lab on a 3 year basis if they are deemed low risk and annually if they are high risk. We have three procedures in the lab which are high risk and these are 1) Sample dissolution using HF acid, 2) Hf isotope chemistry and 3) U/Th chemistry. All of these involve the use of HF acid hence why they are deemed high risk. All of the other procedures do not use HF acid so can be considered lower risk. I have streamlined the risk assessments so now only the RAs for those three high risk procedures mention HF acid. If you are dissolving silicates for say Pb chemistry then consider the dissolution as one procedure and the chemistry as a second procedure both with their own respective risk assessments.

Because I have updated the chemistry risk assessments can all of you involved in doing any of the chemistry procedures in the lab please go now and reread the appropriate risk assessment for the work you are doing (Clean labs and chemistry) and update the training record. 

Some of our longer term users also need to reread RAs for the instruments because the 3 years has now passed since you last did this.

If anyone has any questions then please get in touch.

Cheers,

Edward