Chemistry Laboratory Conduct & Safety Rules

CCBC – Catonsville

January 2014 1

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This is what we want to avoid!

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Warning sign on the door.

Accidents Are Not Planned• Accidents happen when we least expect them.• The following slides contain some of the most

important requirements for your protection.• Each student is expected to review and comply with

all safety rules given in your CCBC chemistry lab manual.

• Carelessness or refusal to adhere to instructions could lead to bodily harm and/or loss of property.

• Failure to follow these rules may result in IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL from the laboratory.

• Upon the discretion of the instructor or lab manager, could result in PERMANENT DISMISSAL.

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Safety Goggles Must Be Worn at All Times

• Safety goggles protect your eyes from chemical splashes and flying objects.

• As long as someone in the lab is working on an experiment, they must be worn, even if you are finished and merely doing calculations at your station.

• Splash-proof goggles that fit snugly on the face are required.

• If you wear prescription glasses or contact lenses, you must wear these over your glasses or lenses.

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Acceptable Safety Goggles

These are goggles that are acceptable:

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Unacceptable Safety Goggles

These goggles are NOT acceptable. Do you know the reason why not?

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What If Chemicals Get in Your Eyes?• Flush for at least 15 minutes with water

at the eye bath or closest source of clean water.

• Force your eyes open during this period.• Be ready to assist by leading a student to

the eye bath when necessary.

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You will not be allowed to work in the lab without acceptable safety goggles.

• If you wear contact lenses, it is best to remove your lenses before flushing.• Eye bath is activated

by yellow hand lever on the right or by foot lever on the floor.

• Chemicals can get trapped between the lenses & your eyeballs without being flushed out.

Appropriate Footwear Must Be Worn• Proper shoes protect your feet from chemical splashes

and shattered glass.• They provide good traction as you move about the lab,

often carrying potentially dangerous chemicals.

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What are “proper footwear?”• Closed-toe shoes that completely cover your feet• No high heels• No uppers made of cloth, woven leather strips or

other woven material.• No sandals or flip-flops

You will not be allowed to walk into the lab without appropriate footwear.

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Which footwear is not appropriate, and why not?A B C

D E F

G H I

Appropriate Clothing Must be WornProper clothing helps protect our skin in the event of accidental spills/splashes.

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Appropriate Clothing• Midriffs must be completely covered.• Long pants are preferred over short pants.• Short pants must extend to the knees.• Do not wear loose-fitting sleeves or flowing scarves

as they are a fire hazard and can catch on equipment & knock them over.

• Jewelry such as bracelets and rings with stones should be removed. (They can catch on equipment & cause accidents and increase risk of prolonging contact with chemicals.)

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Which images show inappropriate attire for the lab and why?

A B C D

E F G

Protect Your Clothes

• Wear old clothes to the lab.• Or, wear an old shirt over

your street clothes.• Aprons and disposable

gloves are available.• In certain experiments you

may be required to wear them.

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If your hair is longer than shoulder length, you are REQUIRED to tie your hair back or wear it in a bun.•Loose hair can accidentally fall into an open flame and catch on fire.•It may fall into chemicals used in your experiment when you lean over. •Bring your own hair bands and keep them in your drawer.

No Food or Drink in the Lab• You are not allowed to eat or drink in the lab.• You are not allowed to BRING food or drink into the

lab.• This minimizes the risk of your ingesting harmful

chemicals.• Food and drinks could become contaminated by

chemicals accidental being dropped into the container. Harmful chemical fumes could absorb into food brought into the lab.

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Any food and drink regardless of whether it is in capped, sealed bottles or cans left on the

counter will be CONFISCATED & DISCARDED.

Inform Your Instructor of Any Medical Conditions that Might Require Special Consideration

If you have...•Allergies•Sensitivities•Medical Conditions (especially pregnancy)that might be aggravated by chemicals…Inform your instructor IN WRITING ASAP so that special arrangements can be made if necessary.

We can supply your physician with a list of the chemicals you will be working with in the lab. Your physician may advise you to take extra precautions or take the course another time.

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All Lab Experiments Must Be Supervised.

• Never work in the lab unless the instructor or lab manager is present.

• No unauthorized experiments are allowed.

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Students Must Be Punctual & Remain in the Classroom through the pre-lab discussion.

• Safety precautions are generally reviewed at the beginning of the lab.

• If you arrive late and miss these directions you may be prevented from performing the experiment. No makeup is allowed for such dismissal unless there is documented, acceptable dire emergencies that prevented you to be punctual.

Follow Directions Carefully

This includes directions in…

•your lab manual

•verbal directions

•written directions that come with lab equipment

Always read the label of a bottle at least TWICE

before dispensing chemicals from it.

If any part of the label is in discrepancy from the

directions in the lab manual, check with your

instructor. 20

Safety Equipment

Memorize location of all safety equipment:

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• Fire extinguishers• Eye bath• Safety shower• First aid kit• Fire blanket• Baking soda for acid or

base spills• Disposable gloves

Know where the secondary exit is located.

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Secondary exit out of the lab.

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Safety Features:

•Safety shower•Eye bath•3 fire extinguishers in the room.•Broom, dustpan and carton for broken glassware•On/Off switch for room exhaust fan.

Chemical Spills and Breakage

• Immediately notify your instructor and/or laboratory manager of accidents, no matter how minor.

• Report all spills and breakage.• Broken glass goes into the

special cardboard carton• Use broom and dustpan to

sweep up broken glass. Do not use your bare hands.

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For treatment of acid spillsFor treatment of caustic spills

For treatment of solvent spills

Keep Your Workspace Orderly

Keep only the necessary items at your lab bench:

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• lab notebook• lab manual• pen and pencil• calculator

Keep your drawer closed.

• You and others may trip over an open drawer.• It also minimizes chemical

spills landing in your drawer.

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No Clothing or Book Bags on the Floor or Counter

They should go on the book shelves at the front of the room or at the coat rack in the back corner of the room.

• Do not chew on or carry your pens or pencils in your mouth.

• You never know what toxic materials they may have picked up from the bench.

• Avoid touching your face, eyes or mouth while working with lab reagents and chemicals.

• Wash your hands immediately if they come in contact with any chemicals.

• At end of the lab period, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water in the restroom.

• Detergent provided is for glassware and will not clean your hands properly.

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Avoid Accidental Contamination

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Never insert your own spatula or dropper into a stock bottle.Use what is provided with the bottle.

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Avoid Accidental Contamination (cont’d)

• Label all containers into which chemicals are placed:

• Use gum labels provided.• Or, write with pencil on the

frosted area.

• Never return used or unused chemicals to the stock bottle.

• Follow directions on what to do with excess chemicals.

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Read the label on the bottle at least twice. •Be sure you are using the correct concentration.•Students are often at different steps of the experiment.•Do not assume the person in front of you is dispensing the same chemical that you need.•After use, replace the lid/stopper, and wipe the outside of the bottle if any spills have occurred.

• Never smell a chemical with your face close to it.• Waft vapors towards you with your hand.• Never point the mouth of a test tube directly at anyone,

including you.

• Do not walk away from a heat source that is in use.• Use mitts or tongs when handling hot materials.

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Never add water to any concentrated acid, especially sulfuric acid.

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• The reaction produces heat which can create fumes and the acid can splatter on you.

• By adding acid to water, the heat is immediately dissipated in the water.

No Dangling Power Cords on Shelf

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• Position power cords for electrical or computer apparatus so they are not near any water or heat source.

• Return equipment to their storage location.• Do not allow power cords to dangle down.• Hotplates or heating mantles must be allowed to cool

before returning them to the shelves.

Dangling power cords can cause accidents.

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Proper Disposal Of Waste

• See waste disposal instructions on the blackboard & in the lab manual.

• No solid waste is to be discarded in the sink or water troughs.

• NEVER dispose of hazardous waste down the drain or in trash cans.

• Do not pick up broken glass with your bare fingers.• Broken glassware or porcelain should be placed in the

paper carton marked BROKEN GLASS ONLY.

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Wash Glassware Before Putting It Away• Keep your goggles on during cleanup!!• Discard chemicals as instructed. Most cannot go down

the drain.• Use hot tap water, small amount of detergent and brush

to loosen residues. • First rinse with hot water to remove the detergent.• Finally rinse with deionized water.

Tap water contains salts.It is NOT pure water.

Deionized Water

Detergent

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Keep Balance & Balance Area Clean• Notify your instructor immediately of chemical spills.• Zero the balances after use.• Clean up spills around the balance area immediately.• Be considerate. Do not take stock bottles back to your

station.

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Return All Items to Their Proper Location• Remove clamps and iron rings from the ring stand before

returning it to the storage cabinet.• Refill wash bottles with deionized water.• Wipe the counter clean before leaving he lab.

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Checking Into the Lab

• Each student is responsible for the equipment in his/her own drawer.

• Key to drawer is kept in key cabinet.• After unlocking your drawer, keep

the key in the lock.• Never put it in your pocket or take

it out of the room.• At end of period, double check that

all equipment is put away.• Double check that your drawer is

securely locked & key is back in the cabinet.

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Lab Equipment• Some of the equipment you will be using is

pictured on p. 5 of your lab manual.• Not all of these are in your drawer.• Use the CHECK LIST to ensure all

equipment is in your drawer and in working condition.

• The large test tube may be difficult to see.It is inside an Erlenmeyer flask.

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watch glass

evaporating dish

rubber policeman

test tube holder

striker

test tuberack

glass rod

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• Check for star cracks in the beakers. • You would not want them to break in the

middle of an experiment.

Star cracks

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Check for chipped edges in glassware. They can cause serious injuries during cleanup.

chipped edge

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• Nestle the beakers neatly.

• Otherwise they can get irreversibly stuck.

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What safety rules are violated in this lab?

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Locate the following in the room NOW:• Secondary exit• Safety shower and eye wash• Broken glass container• Switch for turning on hoods• Hood where special chem disposal• Fire extinguisher• Fire blanket• First aid kit• Kit for acid/base spills• Disposable gloves• Lab aprons

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Locate the following in the room NOW :• Where to put unnecessary items

such as book bags, jackets• Deionized water• Hot/cold tap water• Detergent for glassware• Special instructions on chemical

disposal• Key cabinet• 3 stations where balances &

chemicals are located• Pencil sharpener

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EVERY WEEK BEFORE EXITING THE LAB:Always go through this checklist:1.Sign & date your lab notebook page before getting signature from instructor.2.Turn in the C-copy to your instructor immediately before you forget!3.Pack up your papers, books.4.Double check there is nothing left at your station (all equipment is put away either in your locker or side shelf as is appropriate.)5.Wipe your counter if necessary with damp paper towel.6.Lock your drawer and return key to cabinet.