USPRegulatory IntelligenceStandardHIGH INSPECTION RISK
USP <800>

Hazardous Drugs — Handling in Healthcare Settings

Requirements for handling hazardous drugs across receipt, storage, compounding, transport, administration and disposal, to protect personnel, patients and the environment. Official 1 December 2019, and applicable to any entity handling drugs on the NIOSH hazardous-drug list.

LAST REVISED
December 2019
PRODUCT AREAS
SterileSolid Dose
SCOPE & APPLICABILITY

All healthcare and compounding settings handling hazardous drugs — not only those that compound them. The chapter reaches receipt and storage, so a site that merely stocks a hazardous drug is in scope.

KEY REQUIREMENTS
  • 01Designated person responsible for the hazardous-drug programme
  • 02List of hazardous drugs handled, based on the current NIOSH list
  • 03Containment engineering controls appropriate to the activity
  • 04Documented assessment of risk where full containment is not applied
  • 05Personnel training, PPE and documented competency
  • 06Surface-wipe sampling with defined response actions
IMPLEMENTATION TIPS
Keep the hazardous-drug list current against NIOSH updates — the list is the trigger for everything else
Run surface-wipe sampling on a schedule with a written response plan; ad-hoc sampling without action criteria is worse than none
Coordinate with EHS and OSHA obligations rather than treating <800> as purely a pharmacy chapter

USP <800>: frequently asked questions

Quick answers to common questions about USP <800>.

What is USP <800>?

USP <800> — Hazardous Drugs — Handling in Healthcare Settings — is a standard issued by the United States Pharmacopeia (United States / International). Requirements for handling hazardous drugs across receipt, storage, compounding, transport, administration and disposal, to protect personnel, patients and the environment. Official 1 December 2019, and applicable to any entity handling drugs on the NIOSH hazardous-drug list.

Who does USP <800> apply to?

All healthcare and compounding settings handling hazardous drugs — not only those that compound them. The chapter reaches receipt and storage, so a site that merely stocks a hazardous drug is in scope.

What are the key requirements of USP <800>?

USP <800> requires, among other things: Designated person responsible for the hazardous-drug programme; List of hazardous drugs handled, based on the current NIOSH list; Containment engineering controls appropriate to the activity; Documented assessment of risk where full containment is not applied.

When was USP <800> last updated?

The current version of USP <800> dates from December 2019.

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