Maintenance process, sound development

The development and management of high quality technical information, particularly the safe upper and lower limit values, can be difficult and time-consuming but it is a vital activity. Without a sound information base, the quality of all of the other elements of the process safety program will always be in doubt. Therefore, it is critical that high priority be given to the development and maintenance of a high quality technical database. 

The cornerstone of a sound program for prudent laboratory practices is a process designed to comprehensively review the operations and potential hazards associated with each experiment over its life cycle. This review should take place before any work is conducted. The diverse nature of research and development activities makes it advisable to have such a process in place as part of the scientific method of experimentation. In laboratories where this preliminary survey is routinely practiced, it has proved to be useful in both the maintenance of safe laboratory operations and the minimization of chemical exposure and waste generation. Because of the diversity of types of researchers and laboratory work, such processes— both formal and informal—can help individuals associated with new, modified, or unfamiliar experiments or procedures to plan and work safely, responsibly, and productively. By first evaluating the work area, materials, equipment, and procedures in depth, hidden hazards may be identified and addressed. The pre-experiment review process can also help to ensure that every experiment and laboratory operation complies with all applicable laws, regulations, and other policies. Moreover, by addressing all relevant health, safety, and environmental issues when an experiment is first conceived, further research, scale-up, or development based on it can be made safer and more effective. 

Schaeffer observed that sounds result from a certain energetic process, called maintenance, which describes the development that a sound undergoes with time. If the sound is merely ephemeral, a non-resonant single sound such as a drum stroke or a vocal plosive consonant,... 

---