LAB SAFETY &

GOOD LAB PRACTICES

A basic outline of what to do and what not to do to ensure Safety in and around the lab

Walid Saad (October 11, 2005)

Modified by Jack Tinsley (March 27, 2007)

http://web.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/index.html

Outline

The following is an outline of what you should know and be able to answer an EPA (or other) agent visiting our lab

- Fire Emergencies

- Medical Emergencies

- Chemical Exposures

-Skin/clothing

-Eyes

-Inhalation

- Safe Lab Practices

- General

- Hoods

- Protective Equipment

- Spills

-Waste Disposal

- EPA Audit

- Concluding Remarks

Motivation

NEGATIVE MOTIVATION:

-Boston University was fined $750,000 in 1997

-Brown University in Providence was fined $500,000 for an oil leak and for improperly disposing lab chemicals.

-The University of Hawaii was hit with the largest EPA fine on a university ever: $1.7 million for hazardous waste violations at campuses on three islands

(http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/2001/fyi/teachers.ednews/03/09/epa.college.ap/)

POSITIVE MOTIVATION:

-We live to be old and healthy

-As PhD’s we will be responsible for other people (technical work and safe work environment)

-Encourage a change of view

- From: “I do it because I have to”

- To: “I want a safe work environment for myself and my lab-mates”

Fire Emergency Procedure

- Call Public Safety on 911 (and not 9-911)

- You are not required to fight the fire: (extinguishers in hallway- locate them)

- Should you decide to do so, make sure you have had the proper training

- Do not attempt to fight a fire bigger than a waste basket

- Use the extinguisher from a position that will allow you to escape easily

- If your clothes caught fire, drop to the floor and roll. If your coworker’s clothes caught fire, drop and roll him/her on the floor. Safety showers should be used immediately

- If the fire is spreading, activate fire alarm (by the elevator), notify anyone you see verbally to leave the building, and leave the building yourself (assemble near shuttle stop on Olden)

- Wait for Public Safety, and tell them the exact location of the fire, and any hazards you know of. Do not reenter building until Public Safety allows it

Medical Emergencies Procedure

- If assistance is needed, call Public Safety on 911 (and not 9-911)

- First Aid kits are located in each lab (WHERE?) and in the Lapidus Lounge

-Familiarize yourself with the chemical, and know where to find MSDS

http://web.princeton.edu/sites/ehs/MSDS/msds.htm

Chemical Exposures- Skin or Clothing

Chemicals on Skin or Clothing (Check MSDS BEFORE working with chemical)

1. Immediately flush with water (> 15 minutes) (except for Hydrofluoric Acid, Flammable Solids or >10% Phenol). For larger spills, the safety shower should be used.

2. While rinsing, quickly and carefully remove all contaminated clothing or jewelry. Seconds count. Do not waste time because of modesty.

3. Check the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) to determine if any delayed effects should be expected.

5. Discard contaminated clothing or launder them separately from other clothing. Leather garments or accessories cannot be decontaminated and should be discarded.

Chemical Exposures- Skin or Clothing

Chemicals on Skin or Clothing (Check MSDS BEFORE working with chemical)

- For flammable solids on skin, first brush off as much of the solid as possible, then proceed as described above.

- For hydrofluoric acid, rinse with water for 5 minutes and apply calcium gluconate gel, then get immediate medical attention. If no gel is available, rinse for 15 minutes and go immediately to University Health Services at McCosh or Princeton Medical Center.

-For phenol concentrations more than 10%, flush with water for 15 minutes or until the affected area turns from white to pink. Apply polyethylene glycol, if available. Do not use ethanol. Proceed as described above.

Chemical Exposures- Eyes

Chemicals in Eyes (Check MSDS BEFORE working with chemical)

1. Immediately flush eye(s) with water for at least fifteen minutes. The eyes must be forcibly held open to wash, and the eyeballs must be rotated so all surface area is rinsed. The use of an eye wash fountain is desirable so hands are free to hold the eyes open. If an eyewash is not available, pour water on the eye, rinsing from the nose outward to avoid contamination of the unaffected eye.

2. Remove contact lenses while rinsing. Do not lose time removing contact lenses before rinsing. Do not attempt to rinse and reinsert contact lenses.

3. Seek medical attention regardless of the severity or apparent lack of severity. If an ambulance or transportation to McCosh Health Center is needed, contact Public Safety at 911. Explain carefully what chemicals were involved.

Chemical Exposures- Inhalation

Chemicals Inhalation (Check MSDS BEFORE working with chemical)

- Close containers, open windows or otherwise increase ventilation, and move to fresh air.

- If symptoms, such as headaches, nose or throat irritation, dizziness, or drowsiness persist, seek medical attention by calling Public Safety at 911 or going to University Health Services at McCosh. Explain carefully what chemicals were involved.

- Review the MSDS to determine what health effects are expected, including delayed effects.

Accidental Ingestion of Chemicals

1. Immediately go to University Health Services at McCosh or contact the Poison Control Center at 800-962-1253 for instructions.

2. Do not induce vomiting unless directed to do so by a health care provider.

Accidental Injection of Chemicals

Wash the area with soap and water and seek medical attention, if necessary.

Safe Lab Practices- Hoods

Using the Hood:

- Keep all containers and run experiments 6 inches into the hood

- Lower sash when not in use, for safety and energy conservation

- Do not block hood space

- Use BSC Cabinet for drugs handling

Bad placement of materials.

Good placement of materials.

Best placement of materials.

Images from Kewaunee Fume Hoods

Waste Disposal

Following Procedures Must be Respected:

- LABEL all waste containers

- Do not mix INCOMPATIBLE waste

- Phase rule: ONLY ONE

- Solids in jar or bag

- VACUUM PUMP OIL is classified as hazardous

- Waste containers MUST BE CLOSED, even in HOOD

- Empty containers should be triple washed, dried

under hood, label crossed and labeled “Empty Container”

- For volatile organic solvents (e.g. acetone, ethanol, ethyl acetate, ethyl ether, hexane, methanol, methylene chloride, petroleum ether, toluene, xylene, etc.) not on the list of acutely hazardous wastes, the emptied container can be air-dried in a ventilated area (e.g. a chemical fume hood) without triple rinsing.

- Never dump waste down the drain. The Stony Brook Regional Sewerage Authority inspects drain lines from our labs regularly, and we can get fined

Do we a volunteer from the audience?

• What is wrong with this waste bottle?

What is wrong with this label?

• Two phases!

• “Norpar12” is not the chemical name (need Decane, undecane, dodecane, tridecane, tetradecane).

Safe Lab Practices- General

- Store chemicals appropriately. Do not store corrosives above eye level

- Use secondary containers for transporting chemicals (>2ml)

- Do not block exits

- Try not to work alone in lab, but if you do, notify someone to check on you regularly

- Call public safety 258-3134.

- Try to be focused. For ex. Running the mixer is NOT a bonding opportunity. FOCUS on RUN/STOP buttons on the controller. We have lost possibly over 8, 100 ml syringes already.

- Take 30 sec at the end of your lab work session to inspect work area, close open containers, label samples, and store chemicals properly.

- Label All Chemicals, INCLUDING WATER

- Name, Content (NO ABREVIATIONS), Date

- For small samples, make a generic label, and store them in bigger container

- Balance: Do not place material in your container when on the balance

- For hazardous material, pre-weigh closed container, introduce material under hood/BSC, bring back closed container to balance and weigh.

- Clean after yourself.

Safe Lab Practices- Protective Equipment

Sacrificing FASHION for SAFETY:

- Do not wear sandals or other open-toe shoes

- If you need to protect your fancy clothes, wear a labcoat

- Make sure you are wearing goggles even for simplest experiments

- Wear appropriate gloves, and replace in case of a spill.

- Do not leave more than a pair of used (but clean) gloves if you plan on reusing them

Safe Lab Practices- Spills

- Spill Kits are located by the loading dock, on the 1st floor of the A-wing

- Mercury spill kits are located in Lapidus Lounge

Category Size Response Treatment Materials

Smallup to 300cc

chemical treatment or absorption

neutralization or absorption spill kit

Medium300 cc - 5 liters

absorption absorption spill kit

Largemore than 5 liters

call public safety

outside help

EPA AUDIT

For EPA audits During their visit, please make sure of the following:

- Good housekeeping

- Containment under vacuum pumps

- Fix problems immediately

- Be inviting and cooperative. Stop working and assist them if possible

- Talk about pollution prevention and conservation

- If you do not know an answer, refer to EHS

BE READY TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING:

-What are the most hazardous materials used in your lab?

- What would you do in the event of a chemical spill?

- How do you dispose of this chemical?

- Where and how do you store the waste materials?