DOE O 456.1A, The Safe Handling of Unbound Engineered Nanoparticles
Functional areas: Nano Technology
The Order establishes requirements and assigns responsibilities for activities involving unbound engineered nanoparticles (UNP) to ensure that work involving UNP occurs in a safe and secure manner that protects workers, the public, and the environment.
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Section 1
AVAILABLE ONLINE AT: INITIATED BY:
www.directives.doe.gov Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security
DRAFT
DOE O 456.1A
U.S. Department of Energy ORDER
Washington, D.C.
Approved: XX-XX-XXXX
SUBJECT: THE SAFE HANDLING OF UNBOUND ENGINEERED NANOPARTICLES
1. PURPOSE. To establish requirements and assign responsibilities for the Department of
Energy (DOE), including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), for
activities involving unbound engineered nanoparticles (UNP). This directive ensures that
work involving UNP occurs in a safe and secure manner that protects workers, the public,
and the environment.
2. CANCELLATION. DOE Order 456.1, Admin Chg 1, The Safe Handling of Unbound
Engineered Nanoparticles, dated 02-14-2013. Cancellation of a directive does not, by
itself, modify or otherwise affect any contractual or regulatory obligation to comply with
the directive. Contractor Requirements Documents (CRDs) that have been incorporated
into a contract remain in effect throughout the term of the contract unless and until the
contract or regulatory commitment is modified to either eliminate requirements that are
no longer applicable or substitute a new set of requirements.
3. APPLICABILITY.
a. Departmental Applicability. Except for the exclusion in paragraph 3b, this Order
applies to all DOE elements that are engaged in activities involving UNP,
including those created after the Order is issued.
The Administrator of NNSA will assure that NNSA employees comply with
their respective responsibilities under this directive. Nothing in this Order will
be construed to interfere with the NNSA Administrator’s authority under section
3212(d) of Public Law (P.L.) 106-65 to establish Administration-specific
policies, unless disapproved by the Secretary.
b. Except for the equivalencies/exemptions in paragraph 3.c. the Contractor
Requirements Document (CRD) sets forth requirements of this Order that will
apply to contracts that include the CRD. The CRD shall be included in contracts
requiring activities involving UNP at a DOE facility that include the clause at 48
CFR (DEAR) 970.5204-2, Laws, regulations and DOE directives. For contracts
requiring activities involving UNP at a DOE facility that do not include 48 CFR
(DEAR) 970.5204-2, the applicable requirements set forth in the CRD shall be
included in the contract terms and conditions as appropriate.
Equivalencies/Exemptions for DOE O 456.1. In accordance with the
responsibilities and authorities assigned by Executive Order 12344, codified at
50 U.S.C. sections 2406 and 2511 and to ensure consistency through the joint
Navy/DOE Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the Deputy Administrator for
Naval Reactors (Director) will implement and oversee requirements and
practices pertaining to this Directive for activities under the Director's
cognizance, as deemed appropriate.
http://www.directives.doe.gov/
2 DOE O 456.1A
DRAFT XX-XX-XXXX
c. The following types of UNP are beyond the scope of this Order:
(1) Biomolecules (proteins, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates);
(2) Nanoscale forms of radiological materials;
(3) Nanoparticles incidentally produced by human activities or natural
processes, and
(4) Ultrafine particles such as those produced by diesel engines and forest
fires.
4. REQUIREMENTS.
a. DOE elements engaged in activities involving UNP must comply with the
requirements set forth in the Attached Functional Area Requirements for DOE
Elements (Appendix A).
Section 2
b. DOE field elements must confirm that all contractor work activities involving
UNP complies with the requirements contained in the Contractor Requirements
Document (CRD) or otherwise set forth in the contract, as applicable.
5. RESPONSIBILITIES.
a. Program Secretarial Officers and the Administrator, NNSA. Confirm that DOE
field elements engaged in UNP activities are complying with this Order.
b. Heads of DOE Field Elements. Notify contracting officers of contracts containing
activities involving UNP in order for the contracting officers to incorporate the
CRD or its relevant requirements in the identified contract, as appropriate.
c. Contracting Officers. Upon the notification of its applicability by the
cognizant head of DOE field element, work to incorporate the CRD or its
relevant requirements in DOE contracts that contain activities involving UNP as
appropriate.
d. Chief, Health Safety and Security. Prior to the cancellation of this Order, in
coordination with the PSOs, ensure that appropriate environment, safety and
health requirements for activities involving UNP at DOE sites are integrated into
existing DOE directives or Rules.
6. REFERENCES.
a. ASTM E2535-07 (Reapproved 2013), Standard Guide for Handling Unbound
Engineered Nanoscale Particles in Occupational Settings.
DOE O 456.1A 3
DRAFT XX-XX-XXXX
b. ISO/TR 12885 (2008-10-01), Nanotechnologies - Health and Safety Practices in
Occupational Settings Relevant to Nanotechnologies.
c. ASTM E2456-06 (Reapproved 2012), Standard Terminology Relating to
Nanotechnology.
d. NIOSH, Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology: Managing the Health and Safety
Concerns Associated with Engineered Nanomaterials (NIOSH Publication 2009-
125).
e. 10 C.F.R. Part 851, “Worker Safety and Health Program.”
f. DOE O 440.1B, Worker Protection Program for DOE (Including the National
Nuclear Security Administration) Federal Employees, Chg 2, dated 3-14-2013.
g. DOE O 436.1, Departmental Sustainability, dated 5-2-2011.
h. DOE P 450.4A, Integrated Safety Management Policy, dated 4-25-11.
i. DOE P 456.1, Secretarial Policy Statement on Nanoscale Safety, dated 9-15-05,
certified 10-2-14.
j. AIHA 2015, "A Strategy for Assessing and Managing Occupational Exposures, 4
th
edition, American Industrial Hygiene Association," 2015.
k. ISO/TR 13121:2011, Nanotechnologies - Nanomaterial Risk Evaluation.
l. ISO/TS 12901-1 (2012-1-15), Nanotechnologies – Occupational Risk
Management Applied to Engineered Nanomaterials – Part 1: Principles and
Approaches.
m. ISO/PDTS 12901-2 (2012-09-13), Nanotechnologies – Guidelines for
Occupational Risk Management Applied to Engineered Nanomaterials – Part 2:
The Use of the Control Banding Approach in Occupational Risk Management.
n. NIOSH, Current Intelligence Bulletin 60, Interim Guidance for Medical
Screening and Hazard Surveillance for Workers Potentially Exposed to
Engineered Nanoparticles (NIOSH Publication 2009-116).
o. NIOSH, Current Intelligence Bulletin 63, Occupational Exposure to Titanium
Dioxide, (NIOSH Publication No. 2011–160).
p. NIOSH, Current Intelligence Bulletin 65, Occupational Exposure to Carbon
Nanotubes and Nanofibers (NIOSH Publication 2013-145).
q. NIOSH, Current Strategies for Engineering Controls in Nanomaterial Production
and Downstream Handling Processes (NIOSH Publication 2014-10).
4 DOE O 456.1A
DRAFT XX-XX-XXXX
r. NIOSH, General Safe Practices for Working with Engineered Nanomaterials in
Section 3
Research Laboratories (NIOSH Publication 2012-147).
7. DEFINITIONS. Definitions pertaining to work with nanotechnology can be found in
Standard Terminology Relating to Nanotechnology and Standard Guide for Handling
Unbound Engineered Nanoscale Particles in Occupational Settings (see References).
a. Engineered nanoparticle means intentionally created (in contrast with natural or
incidentally formed) particle with two or more dimensions greater than 1 nanometer
and less than 100 nanometers.
b. Unbound Engineered Nanoscale particles (UNP), those nanoscale particles that are
not contained within a matrix under normal temperature and pressure conditions
that would reasonably be expected to prevent the particles from being separately
mobile and a potential source of exposure. An engineered primary nanoscale
particle dispersed and fixed within a polymer matrix, incapable as a practical
matter of becoming airborne, would be bound,” while such a particle suspended as
an aerosol would be “unbound.” For example, relevant nanoscale particle types
include intentionally produced fullerenes, nanotubes, nanowires, nanoropes,
nanoribbons, quantum dots, nanoscale metal oxides, and other engineered
nanoscale particles.
c. UNP worker is a worker who:
(1) Has the potential for inhalation or dermal exposure to UNP;
(2) Routinely spends time in an area in which engineered UNP have the
potential to become dispersed in the air or on surfaces; or
(3) Works on equipment that might contain or bear UNP and that could
release UNP during servicing or maintenance.
8. CONTACT. Questions concerning this Order should be addressed to the Office of Worker
Safety and Health Policy at 301-903-6061.
BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY:
ELIZABETH SHERWOOD-RANDALL
DOE O 456.1A Appendix A
DRAFT XX-XX-XXXX A-1
APPENDIX A. FUNCTIONAL AREA REQUIREMENTS FOR DOE ELEMENTS
1. DOE elements which conduct activities involving UNP must comply with the following
functional area requirements and must establish a process to:
a. Review the recommendations and best practices of the available national standards
and guidance for applicability to the work scope
b. Maintain a registry of all activities involving UNP and personnel designated as
UNP workers in an accessible electronic format.
(1) Registry must include as a minimum:
(a) Name,
(b) Job Title,
(c) A brief description of the UNP, and
(d) The area in which the activity is located.
c. Provide the DOE site occupational medical services provider with a copy of or
access to the registry.
d. Update the registry annually, at a minimum.
2. NANOTECHNOLOGY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.
a. Establish safety and health policies and procedures for activities, involving UNP,
that identify how DOE will comply with the requirements of this Order. These
policies and procedures should be an integral part of the Federal Employee
Occupational Safety and Health Program.
3. TRAINING.
a. At the time of initial assignment, provide all UNP workers and their supervisors
with training specific to activities involving UNP. This training must include, as a
minimum, the following topics:
(1) Uncertainties of properties and hazards of UNP;
(2) Differences in reactivity and toxic potential of nanoscale and macro
forms of the same materials;
(3) Exposure routes and transport of UNP within the body;
(4) Limitations on available information, including safety data sheets
(SDS), for evaluating the significance of exposures and environmental
releases;
Section 4
Appendix A DOE O 456.1A
A-2 DRAFT XX-XX-XXXX
(5) The importance of minimizing exposure to UNP and their release into
the environment;
(6) Hazard controls including the limitations on their effectiveness;
(7) Permissible and recommended exposure limits for UNP;
(8) The location and availability of reliable reference material on the
hazards, safe handling, storage and disposal of UNP, including -SDSs;
and
(9) Site-specific policies, procedures, and hazard controls for UNP.
b. Provide UNP workers and their supervisors with refresher training when new
information and changes in requirements, policies or procedures dictate.
4. EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT.
a. Use best available hazard information when conducting an exposure assessment for
all activities involving UNP.
b. Establish an air monitoring program for UNP based on preliminary exposure
assessments and guidance such as the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s
“A Strategy for Assessing and Managing Occupational Exposures.”
5. MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE. Offer baseline medical evaluations to all UNP workers.
a. Evaluations should include:
An occupational and medical history update;
A physical examination with emphasis on the respiratory system; and
Specific medical tests (e.g., spirometry, chest X-ray) deemed appropriate by
the Site Occupational Medical Director.
6. CONTROLS.
a. Control exposures to UNP using a risk-based graded approach that considers the
available toxicological and environmental data.
7. POSTING AND LABELING.
a. Post signs indicating hazards, personal protective equipment requirements, and
administrative control requirements at entry points into areas where UNP are
handled. An area may be an entire laboratory, an area of a laboratory or a
containment device such as a laboratory hood or glove box.
DOE O 456.1A Appendix A
DRAFT XX-XX-XXXX A-3 (and A-4)
b. Label storage and transfer containers to plainly indicate the contents include UNP,
e.g., “nanoscale zinc oxide particles” or other identifier instead of just “zinc oxide.”
If affixing a label is impractical, alternative labeling schemes may be used in lieu
of affixing labels, as long as the alternative method identifies the containers to
which it is applicable, and it is available and readily accessible to workers in their
work area.
c. When UNP are being moved or transferred outside of the laboratory, include label
text indicating that the material may be unusually reactive and vary in toxic
potential, quantitatively and qualitatively, from macro size forms of the same
material.
8. TRANSPORTATION.
a. Label the innermost receptacle or container with a label that communicates an
appropriate level of caution and description of the contents.
9. WASTE MANAGEMENT.
a. Have a documented procedure for managing UNP waste that includes the proper
storage and tracking of the waste as it is moved across the site and eventually
dispositioned. To the extent possible, UNP waste shall be segregated from other
waste during management and disposition.
b. Keep an inventory of all UNP waste that is shipped off site that maintains a
description of the waste, the quantity, and means and location of final disposition.
c. For waste containing UNP, the Site must follow all applicable Federal, State and
Local disposal regulations.
d. If information on UNP hazards suggests that additional protective measures should
be taken for their disposal, then those measures will be identified and put into
place.
Section 5
DOE O 456.1A Attachment 1
DRAFT XX-XX-XXXX Page 1
CONTRACTOR REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT
DOE O 456.1, THE SAFE HANDLING OF UNBOUND ENGINEERED NANOPARTICLES
Regardless of the performer of the work, the contractor is responsible for complying with the
requirements of this CRD. The contractor is responsible for flowing down the requirements
of this CRD to subcontractors at any tier to the extent necessary to ensure the contractor’s
compliance with the requirements.
1. CONTRACTOR PROCESS. The contractor must:
a. Review the recommendations and best practices of the available national standards
and guidance documents for applicability to their work scope.
b. Maintain a registry of all activities involving UNP and personnel designated as
UNP workers in an accessible electronic format.
(1) Registry must include as a minimum:
(a) Name,
(b) Job Title,
(c) A brief description of the UNP, and
(d) The area in which the activity is located.
c. Provide the DOE site occupational medical services provider with a copy of or
access to the registry.
d. Update the registry annually, at a minimum.
2. NANOTECHNOLOGY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES. The contractor must:
a. Establish safety and health policies and procedures for activities, involving UNP,
that identify how the contractor will comply with the requirements of this Order.
These policies and procedures should be an integral part of the DOE-approved
Worker Safety and Health Program document, required by 10 C.F.R. §851.11
“Development and approval of the worker safety and health program.”
3. TRAINING.
a. At the time of initial assignment, the contractor must provide all UNP workers and
their supervisors with training specific to activities involving UNP. This training
must include, as a minimum, the following topics:
(1) Uncertainties of properties and hazards of UNP;
Attachment 1 DOE O 456.1A
Page 2 DRAFT XX-XX-XXXX
(2) Differences in reactivity and toxic potential of nanoscale and macro
forms of the same materials;
(3) Unusual exposure routes and transport of UNP within the body;
(4) Limitations on available information, including safety data sheets
(SDS), for evaluating the significance of exposures and environmental
releases;
(5) The importance of minimizing exposure to UNP and their release into
the environment;
(6) Hazard controls including their limitations on the effectiveness;
(7) Permissible and recommended exposure limits for UNP;
(8) The location and availability of reliable reference material on the
hazards, safe handling, storage and disposal of UNP, including SDSs;
and
(9) Site-specific policies, procedures, and hazard controls for UNP.
b. The Contractor must provide UNP workers and their supervisors with refresher
training when new information and changes in requirements, policies or procedures
dictate.
4. EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT. The contractor must:
a. Use best available hazard information when conducting exposure assessments for
activities involving UNP.
b. Establish an air monitoring program for UNP based on preliminary exposure
assessments and guidance such as the American Industrial Hygiene Association’s
“A Strategy for Assessing and Managing Occupational Exposures.”
5. MEDICAL SURVEILLANCE. The contractor must:
a. Offer a baseline medical evaluation to all of their UNP workers;
(1) Evaluations should include:
An occupational and medical history update;
A physical examination with emphasis on the respiratory system; and
Section 6
Specific medical tests (e.g., spirometry, chest X-ray) deemed
appropriate by the Site Occupational Medical Director.
DOE O 456.1A Attachment 1
DRAFT XX-XX-XXXX Page 3
b. Inform any guest worker of the requirements of the Medical Surveillance portion of
this Order but need not apply such requirements to guest workers.
6. CONTROLS. The contractor must:
a. Control exposures to UNP using a risk-based graded approach that considers the
available toxicological and environmental data.
7. POSTING AND LABELING. The contractor must:
a. Post signs indicating hazards, personal protective equipment requirements, and
administrative control requirements at entry points into areas where UNP are
handled. An area may be an entire laboratory, an area of a laboratory or a
containment device such as a laboratory hood or glove box.
b. Label storage and transfer containers to plainly indicate the contents include UNP,
e.g., “nanoscale zinc oxide particles” or other identifier instead of just “zinc oxide.”
If affixing a label is impractical, alternative labeling schemes may be used in lieu
of affixing labels, as long as the alternative method identifies the containers to
which it is applicable, and it is available and readily accessible to workers in their
work area.
c. When UNP are being moved or transferred outside of the laboratory, include label
text indicating that the material may be unusually reactive and vary in toxic
potential, quantitatively and qualitatively, from macro size forms of the same
material.
8. TRANSPORTATION. The contractor must:
a. Label the innermost receptacle or container with a label that communicates an
appropriate level of caution and description of the contents.
9. WASTE MANAGEMENT.
a. The contractor must have a documented procedure for managing UNP waste that
includes the proper storage and tracking of the waste as it is moved across the site
and eventually dispositioned. To the extent possible, UNP waste shall be
segregated from other waste during management and disposition.
b. The contractor must keep an inventory of all UNP waste that is shipped off site that
maintains a description of the waste, the quantity, and means and location of final
disposition.
c. For waste containing UNP, the Site must follow all applicable Federal, State and
Local disposal regulations.
Attachment 1 DOE O 456.1A
Page 4 DRAFT XX-XX-XXXX
d. If information on UNP hazards suggests that additional protective measures should
be taken for their disposal, then those measures will be identified and put into
place.