Safety Policy and Procedures

Your safety in the laboratory is especially important to everyone involved in administrating this course. A large amount of effort goes into making each experiment safe for all of the students in the laboratory. Still, unexpected problems occasionally arise—a beaker dropped, a hot piece of glass picked up, or the wrong reagent is poured into a reaction flask. These events can cause severe injury to anyone close to the accident.

Note that the last sentence says, “anyone close to the accident.” This statement implies three things. First, any accident you have can cause injury to yourself; second, any accident you have can injure someone else; and third, any accident your neighbor (or TA, or instructor) has can injure you. While some of these accidents cannot be prevented, most accidents can be prevented if simple precautions are taken. Even if the accidents are not prevented, the precautions should protect you from becoming injured.

The precautions and guidelines for safe laboratory practice that are included in this introduction are expected from you every time you enter the lab. Additionally, there will be more specific instructions within each experiment written in this manual and from your Teaching Assistant, the Laboratory Director, or the instructor.

You will be dismissed from the laboratory when you do not observe any precaution or instruction listed here or given by any of the course administrators. A grade of zero will be recorded for any work not completed prior to the ejection.

General Laboratory Safety Precautions

The first and best precaution is: COME TO LAB PREPARED. The more prepared you are when you enter the lab the safer your experience will be. You have the right to know about the chemicals you will be working with during the laboratory. Information concerning the chemicals is available in several reference books in the library, from the Internet (Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)), or from the instructor. Finding Property Data explains the best and most current resources available to you for this purpose.

You will be using a variety of glassware to mix solutions, perform chemical reactions, and make chemical measurements. Before using any piece of glassware for laboratory manipulations, you should check it for hairline or star cracks. Any chipped, cracked, or visually defective glassware should be disposed of and you should obtain a replacement vessel from the stockroom. If you have any questions about the integrity of a glassware piece in your care, ask your TA or the lab director.

Other general safety policies and precautions:

• Indirectly vented, splashproof goggles must be always worn in the laboratory when any lab work is in progress. Safety glasses are not acceptable.
• Avoid wearing contacts in the laboratory. Gases can become trapped between your eye and the contact lenses. Some gases may cause irreparable damage to your eyes.
• Wear proper laboratory attire to the laboratory including a properly fitted lab coat. Wear clothing that protects most of the body: shorts, short skirts, tank tops, sleeveless T-shirts, half-shirts, and shirts made of open-mesh fabrics are not allowed, and you will be sent home if you come to the lab wearing them.
• Wearing open-toed shoes, sandals or any other sort of footwear that does not fully protect the foot from the consequences of spills or broken glassware will be grounds for dismissal from the laboratory.
• Cover cuts and open wounds before coming to the laboratory. Students with cuts or wounds to the hands should wear disposable gloves.
• Work areas must be uncluttered. An orderly work area will reduce the number of accidents and will allow you to make better observations. Please keep all backpacks and coats at the front of the laboratory. Never store anything on the floor.
• Do not leave experiments unattended. In an emergency, you are the most qualified person to identify what chemicals are present.
• Clean up your work area before leaving the laboratory. This clean up should include turning off all equipment and returning it to its proper location and wiping down the bench.
• Know where all of the safety equipment is located and how to properly use the equipment. Locate and learn how to use the eyewash station, the shower, the fume hoods, the fire extinguisher, and the first aid kit.
• Never directly inhale chemical vapors. If you need to determine the odor of a substance, hold the beaker or test tube a short distance from you and, using your hand, waft the vapors towards your nose.
• Do not use a Bunsen burner in the presence of flammable substances. Heating plates will be available for heating flammable substances.
• Properly dispose of all waste materials. Your instructor will direct you in the proper disposal of each material, but you should become familiar with the following general guidelines:
  1. Organic liquids (acetone, ethanol, or other carbon-based compounds) should be placed in the round, organic waste carboy.
  2. Solid waste chemicals should be placed in the solid waste containers located at each bench.
  3. Broken glass should be placed in one of the cardboard, glass disposal (SHARPS) containers.
  4. Paper towels go in the regular trash.
• Never return unused reagents to their containers. Excess reagents should be placed in the appropriate waste containers.

You should report all chemical spills and accidents, no matter how small, to your Teaching Assistant or the Storeroom Personnel. They will guide you in the proper course of action. Some common problems encountered in the laboratory are included below with a general description of the proper action you should take.

Cuts – For minor cuts, thoroughly wash with soap and water, remove foreign particles (e.g., broken glass), and bandage. (The first aid kit is located in the stockroom.) Major cuts should be treated by medical professionals.

Burns – For burns obtained from hot objects, chemicals, or flames, flush the area of the skin for 20 minutes with cold water.

Fire – Small fires can usually be extinguished by smothering with another object. For example, placing a fire blanket over the top can smother wastebasket fires. The fire extinguisher can also be used to put out small fires. If there is any question as to whether you can put out a fire, do not attempt it; exit the laboratory, shut the doors, deploy a fire alarm and call the fire department.

Chemical Spills on the Floor or Bench – Neutralize acid spills with sodium bicarbonate; neutralize base spills with citric acid. All spills should be cleaned up immediately.

Chemicals on the Skin – If the affected area is small flush the skin for 5 – 10 minutes with copious amounts of water. If the face has been affected, leave the goggles on, and rinse the face for approximately 5 – 10 minutes in an eyewash fountain or sink. Then remove the goggles and rinse the area where the goggles contacted the face. If large portions of skin have come in contact with the chemicals, use the safety shower.

Chemicals in the Eyes – Escort the person to an eyewash fountain and rinse the eyes for at least 15 minutes with water. Eyes must be open during the rinsing and the person should roll each eyeball to make sure all areas of the eye are flushed. After rinsing, seek professional medical attention. If only one eye is affected, it may be easier to use the sink and a rubber hose to rinse the eye. Make sure the injured eye is lower than the uninjured one and rinse downward. This will prevent chemicals from entering the uninjured eye.

Chemicals on Clothing – Remove contaminated clothing and drench the skin underneath the clothing for approximately 10 minutes with water. For large spills, immediately use the safety shower.

• Wash your hands and arms (if exposed) with soap and water before leaving the laboratory.
• If the fire alarm goes off while you are in the laboratory, turn off all equipment, exit the laboratory, and proceed to the nearest accessible exit. The last person out of the laboratory should close the door.