the queen’s university of belfastpharmsci.qub.ac.uk/uploads/1/2/1/5/12158556/school_he… ·...

33

School of PharmacyHealth and

Safety Booklet

2015-2016

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERSFire, Police, Ambulance, Cardiac Unit or Poisons Centre: 2222

University Health Service (5 Lennoxvale, moving to Elmwood Manse, beside Student Guidance Centre from September or October 2014): 5551

University Safety Service (Main Building): 4681 or 5638from any internal telephone in the School.

Issued by the School Health & Safety Committee

CONTENTS

PAGE

Introduction by the Head of School

Health & Safety in the University

Undergraduate Health & Safety

2

2

3

Safe working practice to avoid accidents 3

How to cope with accidents 22

Reporting accidents 23

Self-assessment quiz on safety 24

School safety administration (Appendix 1) 25

Waste disposal (Appendix 2) 26

Working with chemical carcinogens (Appendix 3) 28

First-aid and telephone information (Appendix 4) 29

Some toxic chemicals (Appendix 5) 30

COSHH Assessments and Guidance on Completing COSHH Assessments (Appendix 6) 31

Appendix 7: Local Safety Rules Radiation Protection 39

1

INTRODUCTION & STATEMENT OF INTENT

The School of Pharmacy is a School with substantial practical activities at research and undergraduate levels. As such, we are committed to providing a safe working environment to everyone who works or studies in the School. The School Health and Safety Booklet is an important document, which is part of our commitment to fully supporting and complying with all Health and Safety policies of the University. It sets out the arrangements for the management of Health and Safety issues and includes information on responsibilities. Please take the time to study this document carefully, and ask for clarification if you need it on any issue.

Professor David WoolfsonHead of School

HEALTH & SAFETY IN THE UNIVERSITY

Without due care accidents can potentially happen on University premises. Many have serious consequences and most are avoidable. It should be self-evident that everyone working in the University has a moral duty of care towards others and his or herself. Under the Health and Safety at Work (N.I.) Order of 1978 and COSHH regulations, for those working in laboratories handling chemical or biological materials which are hazardous, this moral duty is backed by the law. Non-laboratory activities must also be carried out safely. Information in this booklet will help you minimise any risk (e.g. fire or electrical risks) associated with these activities.

Safety is a large and continuously evolving subject. This booklet gives a statement of our safety policy and informs you of procedures, which you must follow to work safely. If you do research, you will often need to seek additional safety information, references for which are given at appropriate points. More detailed information may be obtained from references given in COSHH Appendix A.

The administrative structure of safety in the School is summarised in Appendix 1 of this handout. You are encouraged to consult the School Health & Safety Coordinator or a member of the Safety Committee if you have any concerns about safety in the School.

In the approach to safety a logical order of priorities is as follows. Firstly, prevent the accident if you can. Secondly, cope with it properly if it happens. Thirdly, report it properly so that lessons can be learnt from it.

University Health and Safety Policy

All staff and students should read the University Health and Safety Policy which can be found at:

http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/HumanResources/OccupationalHealthandSafety/HealthandSafetyPolicy/

The Health and Safety Policy details the University's commitment to health and safety, how the organisation is structured and the day to day arrangements in place for its implementation.

2



UNDERGRADUATE HEALTH & SAFETY

All undergraduates in the School are expected to adhere to the University and School policies. Although sections of this booklet will not be relevant to you, it will be useful for you to familiarise yourself with its contents.

During Welcome Week, an induction session on Health and Safety is held to make you aware of the key points of our policies and expectations. You will also find details on Health & Safety in your MPharm handbook. In any module with a practical laboratory component, the module coordinator will brief you on any Health & Safety considerations specific to that module. This may include, for example, bringing risk assessments carried out under COSHH to your attention when working with chemicals. While we do not expect undergraduates to carry out risk assessments for their own experiments until later in the course, you are expected to have read and to abide by any information provided to you by module coordinators. Details on risk assessments for students during placements will also be provided in advance.

We encourage you to bring to our attention any issues relating to, or comments on, Health & Safety. You can do this either by contacting the School Health & Safety Coordinator, or by contacting your Year Representative. All Year Representatives attend meetings of the School Health & Safety Committee and can raise issues on your behalf.

SAFE WORKING PRACTICE TO AVOID ACCIDENTS

1. Safety and working in offices

One aspect of risk assessment that cannot be overlooked involves working in offices. Many academic and research staff spend considerable time working in an office environment, frequently involving work on a personal computer. Therefore, it is essential that staff must conduct a risk assessment of their office environment and on their use of a computer. Therefore, all staff who work in offices should address the following points:

(i) Examination for fire hazardsIn the office environment several fire hazards may exist, including the storage of paper and cardboard boxes on the floor, hazards resulting from overheating of electrical appliances and the use of electrical equipment that has not been officially tested (termed portable appliance testing). Therefore, it is important that all paper/boxes are removed from the floor of offices and the contents stored in, e.g. bookshelves, cupboards or filling cabinets. It may be common practice for some staff to leave electrical appliances switched on overnight, a practice that will increase the risk of fire if there is a malfunction in the appliance. Therefore, all electrical appliances should be switched off overnight. Finally, it is important that if a member of staff brings electrical appliances into their offices (e.g. heaters, kettles, radios, coffee makers), the safety of such equipment must be assessed (portable appliance tested) by trained personnel before their use can be commissioned. The equipment must then be officially labelled to indicate the date of the testing and the initials of the trained tester. Please contact the School Health & Safety Coordinator if advice is required concerning the above issues.

3

All staff are required to take an online fire awareness course through Queen’s Online on an annual basis. The School Health and Safety Coordinator will issue email reminders of this to all staff perdioically, and you should ensure that your training is up to date at all times.

(ii) Risk assessment at workstationsOne source of concern for members of staff that spend a considerable time using a computer or other display screen equipment (DSE) is injury. In such conditions injury is not acute but chronic resulting in possible injuries to the wrist, back and neck. Therefore it is important that the working posture of the user is optimised to minimise risk of neck and back strain by altering the height of the chair and/or screen. Specialised chairs and footrests are available and may also assist in the prevention/resolution of potential problems. Furthermore, staff may use wrist aids to minimise RSI (repetitive strain injury) to the wrist. Prolonged usage of computer display units may cause eyestrain and therefore it is important that users should take regular breaks from this activity. In addition, screen filters are available that may be useful in persons susceptible to, e.g. headache when using computer display units. All staff are required to carry out a DSE self-assessment of their risks when using such equipment. If, when you carry out this assessment, any remedial action is required, please contact a DSE Assessor for assistance.

(iii) Minimisation of accidents in the workspaceThe office environment presents several accident concerns. These include tripping on furniture and accidents resulting from the improper use of filling cabinets. It is important that furniture is orientated within the workspace to minimise tripping. In addition, all leads/cables (e.g. electrical extension leads, computer cables) or carpet snags that represent a tripping risk should be taped down. Serious ripping of carpets represents a serious risk and must be repaired/replaced.

In addition, clear access to fire doors in workspaces is mandatory. Therefore, items of furniture etc must be arranged so that in the event of a fire, rapid clearance of personnel from the workplace is ensured.

Particular care should be exercised when using filling cabinets. These should be preferably secured to the wall, should be closed immediately after use and filling cabinets, in which two of more drawers may be opened simultaneously should not be used unless these are bolted to the wall.

All staff must conduct a risk assessment of their workspace to minimise accidents. Please contact the School Health & Safety Coordinator if advice is required to complete the risk assessment.

(iv) Late working in offices

Late working is regarded as working between 7.00 pm and 11.00 pm. Late working is often routine in low risk environments such as offices. Late working in higher risk areas should be avoided but is permissible under appropriate conditions. All out-of-hours working must be authorised by supervisors and senior management through completion of a signed out of hours working permit form, available through the School Office or Sharepoint. Late working (between the hours of 7.00 pm and 11.00 pm) in offices is generally permitted. Where staff in a building do not normally work late, they must notify Security (Tel: 5099) that they are working late, as well as comply with any our local rules, which require you to sign in and out on the register held at the McClay foyer. Where late working is not a usual practice, staff should notify/obtain permission from their line manager that they may be working late. Security should be notified at 7.00 pm that late working is taking place and again before leaving the building. Where late working is a regular occurrence, Security must be consulted on the arrangements in place. If you have a pre-existing medical condition which may heighten the risk of working alone, you should contact the University’s Occupational Health Service for advice, where necessary.

There are no exceptions to these rules. Any questions concerning this issue may be discussed with the School Health & Safety Coordinator.

4

2. Monitoring of safety in laboratories and workspaces

An important aspect of monitoring safety functions within the School of Pharmacy is the monthly audit of safety. In this the School Health & Safety Coordinator and/or members of the Safety Committee audit the laboratories and workspaces. Several aspects are audited, examples of which are shown below

(i) General Tidiness in Laboratories and Workspaces(ii) Access within the Laboratory/Workspace(iii) Use of protective measures, e.g. safety glasses, gloves, laboratory coats(iv) Storage of chemicals(v) Waster disposal measures(vi) Labelling of samples

An audit of COSHH for each laboratory/workspace will be performed approximately every six months. During the audit the above aspects will be examined and records kept for each laboratory/workspace. Comments regarding the above topics are recorded as satisfactory or unsatisfactory. In the event of an unsatisfactory outcome, more specific details are recorded and these details are forwarded to the staff members that are working in the aforementioned area, in addition to recommendations for improvement. In certain (more serious) circumstances, these details will be forwarded to the Director of Research of the Cluster to which the laboratory/workspace is assigned. Following an agreed period, a second inspection will be performed to monitor the laboratory/workspace to ensure that the recommendations have been acted on.

It should be noted that failure by an individual to comply with the safety policy in the School of Pharmacy will result in the removal of the individual’s right to conduct research.

3. Laboratory tidiness and hygiene

Untidiness causes accidents both directly and, by its effect on morale and standards of work, indirectly. It often puts cleaning staff in the dilemma of either taking risks that they do not understand, or leaving a laboratory dirty. Keep floors and access to safety devices and ensure that exit pathways are clear. Food or drink must not be consumed in the laboratory.

Do not let dirty glassware accumulate. The best and safest way of removing even stubborn grease and dirt is prolonged soaking (days) in a 3-5% solution of ‘Decon’ or ‘Teepol’ detergent in a plastic bucket. Chromic/sulfuric ‘cleaning mixture’ is an expedient which can cause serious injury by skin ulceration and damage to property if spilt. Chromic acid must not be used and other corrosive cleaning agents involving such materials as caustic alkalis or concentrated nitric acid are not to be used except under the direction of a member of staff and in specific instances. Degreasing taps and ground joints is best performed with inhibisol (1,1,1-trichloroethane; fume cupboard).

5

Ensure that the laboratory remains uncluttered. It is important that chemicals, paperwork, boxes etc are properly stored to optimise safety in the laboratory. This will assist in the minimisation of accidents.

Furthermore, there are several communal facilities in the School of Pharmacy, e.g. analytical equipment, balances, and ovens. It is mandatory that the users of such facilities leave the equipment and the surrounding area in a clean state, in accordance with the Local Safety Rules and COSHH

4. Working alone in laboratories and working outside regular hours

Undergraduates must not work alone in laboratories at any time. Research students must not work alone on experiments, which, in the opinion of students or supervisors, present special hazards.

The following rules apply to working alone or in isolation:

Staff and students may be permitted to work alone or in isolation provided appropriate precautions have been taken and the risks are not unacceptable. Hazardous work activities associated with significant risks should not be undertaken in isolation except where there are appropriate measures in place to mitigate the risk.

Categories of hazardous work activity with significant risks may include work with:

dangerous machinery or equipment; high-voltage electrical systems; dangerous chemicals; pressure systems; large or potentially dangerous animals; dangerous pathogens; sources of ionising and non-ionising radiations; cryogenic materials; hot substances or equipment; cutting tools or implements or other sharp objects.

Certain categories of hazardous work shall not be undertaken by staff or students in isolation under any circumstances. These include:

(i) any work involving entry into a confined space or other area where there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of exposure to asphyxiating or toxic gases or vapours or conditions resulting in oxygen deficiency;

(ii )any work on fragile roofs or at high levels where measures to guard against falls are not provided;

(iii) any work entailing entry into or access onto any building or structure in the course of demolition or erection or any workings above or below ground level where there is a reasonably foreseeable risk of collapse or other failure.

Before any work in isolation is undertaken the risks to health and safety must be assessed and, where significant risks exist, they must be documented. Before work in isolation which has

6

significant risk commences, permission must be given by senior management through completion of a signed permit form, available through the School Office or Sharepoint.

Any person working in isolation that becomes aware of or encounters an unforeseen hazard should stop work (as long as it is safe to do so), and leave the area if necessary. Advice or assistance should be sought from their Supervisor or Security, if their Supervisor is not available.

The medical fitness of staff and students should be taken into account before permission to work in isolation is granted. Medical conditions which are likely to require urgent medical attention, such as some forms of diabetes or epilepsy, may preclude working in isolation. Contact the University’s Occupational Health Service for advice, where necessary. In all cases emergency arrangements should be put in place.

During normal working hours it may be considered necessary for lone workers undertaking work involving significant risk to contact the University Security Control Room (Tel: 5099) to have their presence recorded as a point of first contact in the event of any security or safety issue. This requirement will be identified in the risk assessment. Out of hours, Security must be informed. Where appropriate, further calls can be agreed with the Control Room staff to periodically check on welfare. When a Security Patrol is in the area they may check in with the member of staff to ensure they are safe.

The following rules apply to working out of hours:

Working out of hours may lead to a situation where there is an increased risk to the safety and security of staff or students, particularly when working alone or in isolation. Normal working hours for the majority of staff and students fall within the period 7.00 am to 7.00 pm, Monday to Friday. Staff working outside of these normal working hours should be confident they are up-to-date on:

evacuation and emergency procedures; use of fire alarms covering the building; information on their access within the building; instructions on how to secure the building on leaving.

Support Services

Support services such as fire wardens and first aiders will not normally be available outside normal working hours. Out of hours, a self-evacuation policy is in place in the event of a fire alarm. Emergency assistance can be obtained by contacting the Security Control Room, Level 1, Administration Building, which is staffed 24 hours a day all year round.

Emergency Number Extension: 2222 (External 028 9097 2222)Internal Extension Numbers 5099 and 5098 (External 028 9097 5099)

Staff and students are advised to have these numbers displayed and readily available. If there are any concerns in relation to personal safety or suspicious activity on site, it should be reported to the Control Room immediately.

Notification of Security

When notifying Security of out of hours working, the following information should be provided:

staff name; contact details (office extension, mobile phone number etc); date and time of being on site and duration of stay;

7

location of room/building/area; brief description of the nature of work/reason for working after working hours; directions for Security in the event of an emergency; supervisor to contact in the event of emergency.

These details will be held securely and confidentially in a log book in the Control Room.

Staff and students working out of hours must comply with this process for their safety and security. Additionally, permission must be given by senior management and supervisors through completion of a signed out of hours working permit form, available through the School Office or Sharepoint.

Late Working

Late working is regarded as working between 7.00 pm and 11.00 pm. Late working is often routine in low risk environments such as offices. Late working in higher risk areas should be avoided but is permissible under appropriate conditions. All out-of-hours working must be authorised by supervisors and senior management through completion of a signed out of hours working permit form, available through the School Office or Sharepoint.

Late Working in Offices

Late working (between the hours of 7.00 pm and 11.00 pm) in offices is generally permitted. Where staff in a building do not normally work late, they must notify Security (Tel: 5099) that they are working late, as well as comply with any other local arrangements. Other arrangements may include a sign in and out system or in offices where late working is not a usual practice, staff should notify/obtain permission from their line manager that they may be working late. Where late working is not normal practice, Security should be notified at 7.00 pm that late working is taking place and again before leaving the building. Where late working is a regular occurrence, Security must be consulted on the arrangements in place.

Late Working in Laboratories, Workshops and Studios

For late work in laboratories, workshops and studios etc, express written permission is required from supervisors and senior management. In all cases local procedures must be followed, including completion of an out-of-hours permit and signing in and out upin entry and exit on the forms in the foyer. Permission should only be granted for low risk activities following a formal risk assessment and mitigation of any significant risks. Work may be conditional on having two persons present. Where late working in laboratories, workshops and studios is not normal practice, staff must notify security that late working is taking place and again on leaving the building. Where late working is a regular occurrence, Security must be consulted on the arrangements in place.

Overnight Working

Overnight working is not normally permitted. If there are exceptional reasons why such work is required, it must be agreed with line managers. This applies to all forms of overnight working, including office-based work. Normally permission will only be granted for low risk activities following a formal risk assessment. In all cases, Security must be informed of the working arrangements in place.

Weekend Working

8

The same controls for weekday work apply to weekend work. As there will be fewer staff working in buildings at the weekends, special consideration should be given to the risks of lone working. Security should be informed of any arrangements in place.

There are no exceptions to the above rules. Any questions concerning late or lone working may be discussed with the School Health & Safety Coordinator.

5. Personal protection in Laboratories

In conducting research in laboratories, students must firstly complete a COSHH form to fully understand the possible hazards associated both with the chemicals/biological being used and the methods used to manipulate these systems. Following completion of this step, knowledge of the protective measures will have been identified. Some general rules concerning personal protection is provided below.

(i) Eye protection must be worn for all laboratory work. Undergraduates who do not normally wear spectacles must use safety spectacles except where special exemption is given. All laboratory workers who normally wear glasses must either cover them with ‘wrap around’ safety spectacles or wear proper prescription safety spectacles. The latter may be obtained free of charge by staff members and research students by application to the chief technician. It is emphasised that academic staff, demonstrators and technicians must wear safety spectacles at all times in teaching laboratories. Know where eyewash facilities are kept. If eyes come in contact with a hazardous substance hold the affected eye open and wash under lids for at least 10 minutes.

(ii)Students and research workers must wear laboratory coats when working in teaching or research laboratories. Such coats are an excellent first defence against splashes.

(iii)Rubber gloves must be worn for the manipulation of substances that cause skin irritation or burns. Beware of dehydrating agents such as H2SO4 and CaO. In addition, gloves arerequired for repeated manipulations of volatile and toxic solvents such as benzene, carbontetrachloride and carbon disulfide, which are rapidly absorbed through the skin as liquid orvapour. Check the gloves’ permeability to the material handled. Students are stronglyadvised not to wear hand jewellery while doing practical work. Leather clothing can absorbchemical vapours. Wear strong shoes.

(iv)Any person working with ultraviolet light must comply with the eye protection rules. Although ordinary safety spectacles, especially the plastic type, provide some protection, extended exposure requires the use of purpose-designed protective spectacles. Any person working with a Class 3B or Class 4 laser must comply with specific safety rules, outlined in detail with such equipment. In particular, all operators must be trained in the safe use of these lasers and must wear safety glasses designed for use with the specific laser wavelength being used.

(v)Under certain circumstances, research staff may require the use of respirators. If this is

9

the case, the University Safety Service should be consulted to ensure that advice is given and training is performed regarding wearing the mask (particularly ensure that the mask is fitted properly) and on the best type of respirator for the required application.

(vi)Special care should be taken whenever cylinders of gas are opened or if highly volatilesystems require to be transported within the School.

When you are opening a cylinder of a gas for the first time, ensure that due consideration has been given to the nature of respiratory protection. Have a second person in attendance and make sure that an escape route from the room is clear. You can be badly hurt by a rush of gas from the sudden opening of a stiff valve, even when the cylinder is in a fume cupboard, as it should be. Once the valve can be worked easily you may discard the respirator. Cylinders of all types must be firmly clamped vertically; a full cylinder with its head knocked off becomes a rocket and can penetrate a masonry wall.

The transport of liquid nitrogen in a container around the School of Pharmacy (particularly from one floor to another) requires special precautions. To transport the container from one floor to the next, the following rules must be applied:

A sign must be attached to the front face of the container in which the liquid nitrogen is being transported informing staff that no-one should enter the lift. This must be clearly visible. Travelling in a lift with a container of liquid nitrogen is forbidden.

The container is placed in the lift and the operator should ensure that the lift door remains open until verbal contact has been made with a second operator who is at the point of proposed exit for the container. The second operator must then call the lift

If the lift will pass through other floors, additional operators must attend the lift entrance at each floor to ensure no-one enters the lift

The liquid container must be removed immediately after arriving at the required floor

(vii) A suitable dust mask must be worn for any work with dangerous powders and other people must not be unknowingly exposed to dusts created by your experiments. Note that silica gel used for chromatography is harmful. Mop up solution spillages before they become harmful dusts.

6. Fire Prevention

All staff are required to take an online fire awareness course through Queen’s Online on an annual basis. The School Health and Safety Coordinator will issue email reminders of this to all staff periodically, and you should ensure that your training is up to date at all times.

It is essential that all staff within the School of Pharmacy are aware both of the hazards of fire and additionally if fire prevention. Once again the process of COSHH assessment will identify systems and situations that may be associated with a high fire risk. If this is the case appropriate measures must be used to minimise the risk of fire.

Some relevant points are provided below:

(i) Remember that solvent vapours can be ignited by flames, the electric elements of heating mantles, hotplates, sparks in thermostat controls and switches. Ether and CS2 can ignite on the hot glass surface of electric light bulbs or, for CS2, surfaces at 100°C.

10

(ii) Winchesters of flammable solvents must be stored in the metal bins provided. They must not be kept permanently on bench tops or shelves, and especially they must not be left on the floor or used to prop open doors. Winchesters of solvents and all other

reagents must be carried through the building in Winchester carriers, not in the hands.

(iii) Sodium, potassium or calcium metal in solvent bottles must be destroyed and the bottles washed and dried before they are returned to stores. Sodium or potassium wire should be destroyed by lifting it out of the bottle with a wire hook and adding it in small portions to propan-2-ol in a beaker. Calcium should be added gradually to water. Oxide coating on potassium is explosive.

(iii) Paper and cardboard should not be stored on the floor, as this represents a potential fire hazard

(iv) Paper, cardboard or clothing fires should be tackled with a water extinguisher or hose; flammable solvent fires with CO2, dry powder or foam, electrical fires with CO2, powder or foam. Metals, hydrides and organometallic compounds must be attacked with special dry powder extinguishers.

Training courses are available concerning the use of fire extinguishers, and basic aspects of their use is covered in the online fire awareness training, which is compulsory for all staff.

(v) Ready access from workspaces and laboratories must be ensured. Fire exits are clearly marked and access to these must not be restricted.

In the event of a fire in the School the alarm bells will sound CONTINUOUSLY and occupants shall vacate the building quickly and quietly by the nearest available exit and proceed to the car park behind Whitla medical building. Personnel must not congregate near the main entrances as this restricts exit for those still inside, and the emergency services on arrival will require unimpeded access into the building. Note that planned maintenance of the fire alarm system will be pre-warned to occupants and shall consist of intermittent operation of the alarm. Emergency repairs may not be pre-notified.

In the event of a fire named staff (see below) are responsible for ensuring that defined areas within the School have been successfully evacuated. Details of this are shown below:

Location Staff responsible for ensuring complete evacuation of the named location

Original Building: Ground Floor David McQuade and Brian McCawOriginal Building: First Floor Carmel Hughes and Aine McGuckin

Original Building: Second Floor Sam Mahadeo and Gavin GrahamOriginal Building: Third Floor Marie Miguad and Lynn Cairns

McClay Building: Ground Floor David McQuade and Nicola MagillMcClay Building: First Floor Vicky Kett and Andrew Gray

McClay Building: Second Floor Colin McCoy and Raj ThakurMcClay Building: Third Floor Brendan Gilmore and Lorraine Martin

The named staff members will check their designated areas as they are leaving the building and report to the Evacuation Controller at the assembly point (carpark behind Whiltla medical building)

7. Expectant mothers

11

All expectant mothers, including undergraduate students, should inform their line manager, personal tutor, or the Health & Safety coordinator, that they are pregnant so that proper arrangements can be put in place to safeguard the expectant mother and her child. Arrangements will be put in place, either with input from Occupational Health, or through a personalised risk assessment, to ensure that all risks are minimised. For undergraduate and postgraduate students, this may mean limiting exposure to potentially dangerous substances, and making other adjustments.

8. Working with electricity

No staff, postgraduate or undergraduate student should work with live electricity. If you have any concerns about electrical equipment, or require electrical work to be carried out, this can be arranged through the Chief Technician, who will give advice, ensure work is carried out by qualified persons, and ensure safety testing as appropriate. Electrical equipment should be visually inspected by all users of such equipment regularly, and any issues reported immediately to the Chief Technician or the Health and Safety Coordinator.

9. Working with sharps

Accidents involving sharps are the most common reported incidents in the School of Pharmacy. Given the injury and potential infection risk they represent to you and others, such as cleaners, it is particularly important that they are handled with care and disposed of properly. Always think carefully when working with sharps, and NEVER dispose of sharps in bins; they must be disposed of in the appropriate, labelled sharps disposal container. In the past, cleaners have been injured with sharps incorrectly placed in bins – this is unacceptable. See the section on waste disposal below for further details.

10. Experiments using cytotoxic drug substances

By the very nature of these materials, additional care and procedures must be adhered to when their use is required. Researchers intending to use cytotoxic drug substances should prepared a detailed protocol that provides information on the drug itself, the nature of the experimental procedure, its intended location, duration and decontamination procedures. This information will be reviewed by the COSHH supervisor (Dr R Thakur), who may call an extraordinary meeting if further discussions are warranted. It is not permissible to proceed with experimental work without making the Safety Committee fully aware of this information.

All experiments using cytotoxic drug substances will be performed in a location with restricted admission and with availability to fume extraction measures. The location should be labelled to indicate that access is controlled and that cytotoxics are in use. A contact name and telephone number should be clearly visible, together with COSHH information. All solid and liquid waste generated in the course of proceedings must be gathered in labelled containers and sent for specialised disposal. Whenever possible, analytical equipment used to analyse samples containing cytotoxic drugs should be quarantined in the secure location. If this is not practical, then the instrument should be sealed to prevent unauthorised access and clearly labelled, as detailed above. Once the experiment is over, the instrument should be decontaminated using procedures outlined in the experimental protocol.

11. Ventilation and fume cupboards

Do not work with toxic gases (or any other toxic material) on a larger scale than is strictly necessary for the purpose in hand. Many preparations can be done on a very much smaller scale than in the original literature description, with economy and gain of speed, safety and convenience. Disposal problems are eased.

12

Make sure that any fume cupboard you propose to use is switched on and functioning. Except in those laboratories in which make-up air is provided, a window must be opened to enable fume cupboards to function properly. Do not evolve a vast amount of toxic material, e.g. HF, Br2, benzene into the fume cupboard. It is not a vapour phase dustbin. You cannot be sure where the fumes will end up. If in doubt trap vapours in an appropriate manner. Airflow is inefficient in a cluttered cupboard.

Please note that the airflow in the fume cupboards is regularly inspected. Confirmation of performance and the date of the next inspection are shown on the front face of the fume cupboards. Staff must not use fume cupboards whose airflow performance has not passed the inspection process.

12. Explosion and implosion hazards

If you intend to work with quantities of a material with known or potential explosive properties exceeding about 0.1g, you need something more than the ordinary personal protection described in Section 5 above. Place a Perspex explosion screen between yourself and the apparatus and, if necessary, protect other workers by a second screen behind the apparatus. Wear a plastic face visor as well as eye protection.

The most common explosion hazard is due to use of peroxidised solvents. Some solvents, in particular ethers and olefins, form explosive peroxides on exposure to air and light. Before any solvent of this type is evaporated to dryness it must be tested for presence of peroxides with KI. Beware of peroxide encrustation around the caps of old ether bottles - diisopropyl ether is particularly notorious.

If organic liquids are used to wash out glassware, followed by drying in an oven, be sure to displace the organic vapour by a stream of air after removal from the oven. Always minimise flammable solvent introduction to ovens.

There is a danger of implosion when large glass vessels are evacuated. Do not use flat-bottomed flasks or suspect glassware for high vacuum work. Large glass bulbs on vacuum trains should be protected with Sellotape or by enclosure in heavy polythene bags or by wire gauze. Vacuum desiccators should either be covered with strips of Sellotape or placed in protective wire cages. After a vacuum distillation cool the apparatus to room temperature before admitting air. Beware of scaling up - consider if the heat of reaction can be dissipated.

If a trap cooled in liquid nitrogen is allowed to fill with air at atmospheric pressure, liquid oxygen will condense in it. In presence of combustible materials an explosion may then occur. Always allow traps to warm by a few degrees after removing liquid nitrogen flasks before admitting air from which oxygen may otherwise condense.

13. Chemical waste disposal

Waste solvents must normally be placed in the special waste solvent cans provided and not poured down sinks in laboratories. Reasonable amounts of harmless water-miscible solvents such as ethanol or acetone may be poured down the sink. See Appendix 2.

The safe disposal of other dangerous chemical wastes is the responsibility of the person who made them. The School Health & Safety Coordinator will gladly advise on how to treat wastes, but the disposal of wastes is not one of his/her duties. (See Appendix 3.) Separate considerations apply for the disposal of biological waste. Safe disposal of radioactive or biological waste is discussed in detail in sections covering radioactive substances, microbiological experiments, the use of genetically-modified organisms, blood, human tissue and tissue culture.

13

14. Radioactive substances

These are subject to special governance. The Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) and Guidance document, entitled Work with Ionising Radiation, gives practical direction on the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999. This publication gives advice on how to comply with legislation and further guidance on how to adhere to best practice as defined in the ACOP.

Those intending to use sources of ionizing radiation, either by way of sealed or unsealed sources, should contact the Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS) in the School (Dr Ryan Donnelly). It is important to realise that the researcher cannot instigate the purchase chain. All purchases are initiated through the RPS, then onto the School’s Chief Technician, who relays the request through the University’s Radiation Protection Adviser. All sources of radiation entering the School must proceed by this mechanism.

Intending users of radioactive materials should perform their work in close liaison with the School RPS. All such work is performed in Laboratory 206, which is inspected regularly by the RPA. It is important to understand that radioactive material is not normally permitted to leave this laboratory. Arrangements should be made to install whatever equipment is needed into Lab 206 for the duration of the experiment. Under no circumstances should radiolabelled materials be stored outside this location. The RPS will ensure that the following information is understood fully by those intending to use ionising radiation.

(a) The name of the appointed Departmental Radiation Protection Supervisor;(b) the identification and description of the area covered by the rules (lab/room number and building);(c) an appropriate summary of the working instructions to control exposure to ionising radiation:

(i) control of access to the area;(ii) general precautions, and good laboratory practice, eg lab coat, PPE, shielding etc;(iii) storage, handling and disposal of radionuclides;(iv) radiation and contamination monitoring;(v) record keeping;(vi) personal dosimetry.

(d) frequency of examination, testing and calibration of monitoring equipment.(e) decontamination procedures:

(i) personnel;(ii) clothing;(iii) equipment, fixtures and fittings.

(f) contingency plans:(i) spillage of an unsealed source;(ii) damage to a sealed source;(iii) fire;(iv) loss or theft or a radioactive source.

(g) special arrangements for pregnant and breast-feeding staff.

All purchases, usages and disposals of radiolabelled materials are recorded on ISOSTOCK. This software is maintained on a central server and is inspected regularly by the University RPA. The RPS will record all relevant movements of radiolabelled materials, so it is incumbent upon the researcher to ensure that accurate records detailing usages and disposals are kept in laboratory notebooks. It is the responsibility of the researcher to communicate this information to the RPS on a weekly basis.

Those users intending to employ nonparticulate radiation should contact the RPS in the first instance.

Please refer to Appendix 7 for full details of the local safety rules regarding the use of ionising radiation.

14

15. Experiments left unattended outside normal working hours

The following rules must be obeyed for experiments left unattended after 17.30 on weekdays or at any time at weekends or on holidays.(i) Bunsen burners or gas rings must not be used for experiments left unattended.(ii) Rubber or plastic tubing must be checked for condition. Connections to glass must be

wired on. (iii) Water pumps must not be left on except with special permission from the relevant

supervisor.(iv) Experiments should be done in a fume cupboard where possible.

16. Microbiological experiments

When undertaking experiments which involve the use of microorganisms, it is essential to observe the following rules for your own and others safety. A BioCOSHH form must be completed in addition to a COSHH form for all biological work. Please liaise with the Biological Safety Officer prior to beginning any such work.

Personal hygiene and safety rules:(i) Clean laboratory coats must be worn in the laboratory at all times. The laboratory coat

should have long sleeves and afford protection when the wearer is standing or seated. It is preferable that the laboratory coat worn has side or back closures, close-fitting cuffs and quick release studs or Velcro fastenings.

(ii) Safety glasses are provided and must be worn during practical classes.(iii) Hands must be clean and nails kept short. Watches and rings should not be worn. (iii) After completing any bacteriological work, and particularly when leaving the laboratory, the

hands must be thoroughly washed.(iv) Cuts and abrasions must be covered with a clean dressing.(v) All accidents, such as pricking or cutting a finger, are to be reported at once.(vi) Eating (including chewing gum), drinking and smoking are forbidden at all times in the

laboratory.

General laboratory rules:(i) Always keep your working area clean and tidy. The bench at which you are working

should be swabbed using cotton wool at the start and end of each working day with disinfectant spray e.g. 70% alcohol.

(ii) All cultures used in the laboratory are to be regarded as potentially pathogenic and must be handled carefully. No culture may ever be removed from the laboratory. Inoculating loops and wires should be flamed before and after inoculation with a culture and safety devices must always be used when pipetting cultures - never suck them by mouth.

(iii) All broth cultures, petri dishes and tubes should be clearly labelled using a felt marker with your name and the date.

(iv) Make sure all Bunsens, waterbaths etc. are switched off at night.(v) Report any accidents to your supervisor or one of the technical staff as soon as possible.

Contaminated items should be disposed of before the end of each working day as follows(i) Reusable items e.g. glassware containing used cultures, autoclaveable plastics

Put in an autoclave bag in a metal bucket and place beside the large autoclaves in the Prep room for sterilization by technical staff. Fold over the top of the bag but do not seal it. Place a small piece of autoclave tape on the top of the bag. Do not fill the bag above the level of the top of the bucket otherwise it will not fit n the autoclave.

15

(ii) Disposable items e.g. petri dishes, plastic dropping pipettes, tips and microtitre traysKeep disposable items separate from reusable items. Put in an autoclave bag in a metal bucket and place beside the large autoclaves in the Prep room for sterilization by technical staff. Microtitre trays should be individually wrapped in an autoclave bag before placing in the bucket. Fold over the top of the bag but do not seal it. Place a small piece of autoclave tape on the top of the bag. Do not fill the bag above the level of the top of the bucket otherwise it will not fit n the autoclave.

(iii) Small glass items e.g. colorimeter tubes, glass pasteur pipettes, scalpels Place in a beaker containing a 1% VIRKON solution. When preparing this solution wear safety specs and a mask as the powder is irritating. At the end of your working day leave the beaker in the designated areas in the Prep room for washing by technical staff, clearly labelling it with the date and time it was left in the Prep room.

(iv) PipettesPlace in one of the large canisters containing a 1% VIRKON solution. It is important that you use the correct concentration of VIRKON for the size of the canister. The large canisters are 6L and the narrower canisters are 3L.

(v) Hypodermic needles These must be placed in the yellow boxes specially designed for that purpose. There should be a yellow box in each laboratory.

It is extremely important that no metal buckets for autoclaving and beakers or canisters containing disinfectant are left in the laboratory overnight. It is also extremely important that no infected fluids such as broth cultures in flasks are ever poured down the sink but are disposed of as described above.

In the event of a spillage

(i) A small drop e.g. from a dropping pipette can be swabbed with 70% alcohol and the paper used to do so placed in an autoclave bag for disposal.

(ii) If a culture is spilled or other liquids containing large numbers of microorganisms it should first be contained using dry ‘Virkon’ powder. Allow this to remain in contact with the culture for at least 30min then wipe up with damp paper towel and place in an autoclave bag for disposal. If no powder is available mop up the spill with paper towel placing it in an autoclave bag for disposal. The area should then be swabbed with ‘Virkon’ liquid allowing the liquid to remain in contact with the spill for at least 30min. The liquid should then be mopped up with paper towel which should be placed in an autoclave bag for disposal.

(iii) Should a spillage occur outside the designated microbiological laboratories you MUST inform one of the microbiological technicians immediately who will help deal with the spill.

17. Use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

A BioCOSHH form must be completed in addition to a COSHH form for all biological work. Please liaise with the Biological Safety Officer prior to beginning any such work.

Users of GMOs must take the following precautions.

Work should be carried out at a designated work station which has been cleared of

16

unnecessary equipment prior to commencement. Sufficient space must be allocated to ensure working practices are not compromised by lack of space. The workbench and any equipment on it should be disinfected after any spillage.

A laboratory coat should be kept solely for this work and worn at all times when working with GMOs. It must be stored separately from other laboratory and personal clothing and should be cleaned at suitable intervals. If contaminated the coat should be removed and kept separately before being decontaminated and cleaned, or if necessary destroyed.

Lesions on exposed skin should be covered with a waterproof plaster. A single pair of single use gloves should be worn at all times during this work. If in the

course of this work the gloves are punctured or grossly contaminated they should be removed and disposed of. Gloves should not be worn when handling items likely to be touched by others (telephones etc). On completion of the work gloves should be removed and discarded and hands should be washed.

Where there is a risk of splashing or the generation of an aerosol a microbiological safety cabinet should be used. If one is not available full face protection and a plastic apron should be worn.

Where possible the use of sharps (anything likely to puncture the skin: needles, scalpels, scissors, etc) and glassware should be avoided. If sharps are to be used handling procedures must be established to minimise the risk of skin punctures.

Used sharps must be discarded immediately into a sharps bin. Sharps must not be left lying or disposed of into yellow bags. Hypodermic needles should not be re-sheathed before disposal and scalpels should not be used without a handle. Sharps bins must be filled more than 2/3 full and if suspected to contain pathogenic micro-organisms they should be autoclaved before being sent for incineration.

Where possible, samples should be centrifuged in sealed buckets, ideally with transparent lids. If it is suspected that a sample has leaked or there has been a breakage during centrifugation, sealed buckets should be opened within a microbiological safety cabinet. When working with unsealed buckets, the centrifuge should not be opened until 30 minutes after the suspected spillage/breakage to minimise the risk of aerosols. The centrifuge and buckets should be decontaminated following a spillage/breakage before further work is carried out. Seals on buckets and rotors should be checked prior to use for wear and damage and replaced as necessary.

Eating, drinking, chewing, smoking, taking medication, storing food and cosmetic application must not take place in the laboratory at any time.

Mouth pipetting must not take place. Bench surfaces should be regularly decontaminated according to the pattern of work. Effective disinfectants should be available for routine disinfection and for the immediate

use in the event of a spillage. There should be a means of safe collection, storage and disposal of contaminated waste;

any GMO cell debris should be disinfected and autoclaved. Materials for autoclaving should be transported to the autoclave in robust containers

without spillage. Contaminated waste should be suitably labelled before removal for incineration. Following an accident involving a sharp object which results in a puncture wound the

following actions must be taken immediately:

o The wound should be encouraged to bleedo The wound should be washed with soap and watero The wound should be covered with a waterproof dressingo Any contaminated skin, conjunctivae or mucous membrane should be washed

immediatelyo Professional medical assistance should be sought if the likelihood of exposure to a

pathogen is higho Any contaminated bench/floor/equipment should be disinfected. Caution should be

exercised when clearing up the accident and those involved should be aware of any

17

hazards involved and be trained in safe working practices. Particular care should be taken to avoid further puncture related wounds from any sharps involved

o The source of contamination should identified and retained for testing if necessary

All accidents should be reported the Chair of the School of Pharmacy Safety Committee and an accident report sheet completed.

18. Work involving blood or human tissue


Anyone working with blood or human tissue must adhere to the following considerations:

Work should be carried out at a designated work station which has been cleared of unnecessary equipment prior to commencement. Sufficient space must be allocated to ensure working practices are not compromised by lack of space. The workbench and any equipment on it should be disinfected after any spillage

A laboratory coat should be kept solely for this work and worn at all times when working with blood and tissue samples. It must be stored separately from other laboratory and personal clothing and should be cleaned at suitable intervals. If contaminated the coat should be removed and kept separately before being decontaminated and cleaned, or if necessary destroyed.

Lesions on exposed skin should be covered with a waterproof plaster A single pair of single use gloves should be worn at all times during this work. If in the course

of this work the gloves are punctured or grossly contaminated they should be removed and disposed of. Gloves should not be worn when handling items likely to be touched by others (telephones etc). On completion of the work gloves should be removed and discarded and hands should be washed.

Where there is a risk of splashing or the generation of an aerosol a microbiological safety cabinet should be used. If one is not available full face protection and a plastic apron should be worn.



Where possible, samples should be centrifuged in sealed buckets, ideally with transparent lids. If it is suspected that a sample has leaked or there has been a breakage during centrifugation, sealed buckets should be opened within a microbiological safety cabinet. When working with unsealed buckets, the centrifuge should not be opened until 30 minutes after the suspected spillage/breakage to minimise the risk of aerosols. The centrifuge and buckets should be decontaminated following a spillage/breakage before further work is carried out. Seals on buckets and rotors should be checked prior to use for wear and damage and replaced as necessary.


Mouth pipetting must not take place. Bench surfaces should be regularly decontaminated according to the pattern of work Effective disinfectants should be available for routine disinfection and for the immediate use in

the event of a spillage.

18

There should be a means of safe collection, storage and disposal of contaminated waste. Materials for autoclaving should be transported to the autoclave in robust containers without

spillage Contaminated waste should be suitably labelled before removal for incineration. Following an accident involving a sharp object which results in a puncture wound the following

actions must be taken immediately:o The wound should be encouraged to bleedo The wound should be washed with soap and watero The wound should be covered with a waterproof dressingo Any contaminated skin, conjunctivae or mucous membrane should be washed


blood borne pathogen is higho Any contaminated bench/floor/equipment should be disinfected. Caution should be

exercised when clearing up the accident and those involved should be aware of any hazards involved and be trained in safe working practices. Particular care should be taken to avoid further puncture related wounds from any sharps involved

o The source of contamination should identified and retained for testing if necessary All accidents should be reported the Chair of the School of Pharmacy Safety Committee and

an accident report sheet completed.

19. Work involving tissue culture


All tissue culture work must adhere to the following considerations:

Work should be carried out within a class II microbiological safety cabinet which has been cleared of unnecessary equipment prior to commencement. Sufficient space must be allocated to ensure working practices are not compromised by lack of space. The cabinet and any equipment should be disinfected after any spillage

A laboratory coat should be kept solely for this work and worn at all times when working with cultured cells. It must be stored separately from other laboratory and personal clothing and should be cleaned at suitable intervals. If contaminated the coat should be removed and kept separately before being decontaminated and cleaned, or if necessary destroyed.

Lesions on exposed skin should be covered with a waterproof plaster A single pair of single use gloves should be worn at all times during this work. If in the course

of this work the gloves are punctured or grossly contaminated they should be removed and disposed of. Gloves should not be worn when handling items likely to be touched by others (telephones etc). On completion of the work gloves should be removed and discarded and hands should be washed.



Where possible, samples should be centrifuged in sealed buckets, ideally with transparent lids. If it is suspected that a sample has leaked or there has been a breakage during centrifugation, sealed buckets should be opened within a microbiological safety cabinet. When working with unsealed buckets, the centrifuge should not be opened until 30 minutes

19

after the suspected spillage/breakage to minimise the risk of aerosols. The centrifuge and buckets should be decontaminated following a spillage/breakage before further work is carried out. Seals on buckets and rotors should be checked prior to use for wear and damage and replaced as necessary.


Mouth pipetting must not take place. Safety cabinets should be regularly decontaminated according to the pattern of work Effective disinfectants should be available for routine disinfection and for the immediate use in

the event of a spillage. There should be a means of safe collection, storage and disposal of contaminated waste. Materials for autoclaving should be transported to the autoclave in robust containers without

spillage Contaminated waste should be suitably labelled before removal for incineration. Following an accident involving a sharp object which results in a puncture wound the following

actions must be taken immediately:o The wound should be encouraged to bleedo The wound should be washed with soap and watero The wound should be covered with a waterproof dressingo Any contaminated skin, conjunctivae or mucous membrane should be washed


pathogen is higho Any contaminated bench/floor/equipment should be disinfected. Caution should be

exercised when clearing up the accident and those involved should be aware of any hazards involved and be trained in safe working practices. Particular care should be taken to avoid further puncture related wounds from any sharps involved

o The source of contamination should identified and retained for testing if necessary All accidents should be reported the Chair of the School of Pharmacy Safety Committee and

an accident report sheet completed.

20. Use of centrifuges for processing pathological materials

Centrifuges processing pathological material can create considerable health risks by liquid spillage and droplet dispersion. It is important that they are properly designed, constructed, installed, operated and maintained. They should be sited such that operators can see into the bowl and can be easily loaded. Centrifuges should not be placed within a Class I or Class II microbiological safety cabinet, as their operation (exhaust etc.) can affect the operation of the cabinet.

Staff using centrifuges should:

Use sealed buckets or rotors when processing blood, body fluids or microbial suspensions;

Check that the bucket seals are intact so that they provide adequate protection against liquid dispersion in the event of an accident during use;

Only use containers strong enough to withstand the centrifugal forces to which they will be exposed;

Use good handling techniques when filling and emptying the buckets to prevent contamination;

Fill the containers according to maker’s instructions, normally leaving at least 2cm space between the fluid level and the container rim;

Open sealed buckets containing known or suspected hazard group 3 biological agents in a microbiological safety cabinet

20

Inspect sealed rings (‘O’ rings) regularly and change them if they are damaged.

Pressures inside overfilled containers can lead to failure of the seal. Overfilled containers also expel liquid droplets when opened.

Staff should follow manufacturer’s instructions for decontamination and cleaning to prevent the risk of infection and to ensure that equipment is not damaged. Only non-corrosive disinfectants and cleaners may be used on metal parts.

Arrangements for cleaning and decontaminating centrifuges: Remove any liquid spilt in or around the centrifuge; Clean and disinfect the rotors and centrifuge buckets regularly; Clean and disinfect the fixed parts at regular intervals

21. Complaints about safety matters

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of safety in the School take your complaint, preferably in writing, to an appropriate member of the School Health & Safety Committee (see Appendix 1).

22. Labelling of chemicals, samples, cells and tissue

In accordance with COSHH and good laboratory practice it is mandatory that all samples are appropriately labelled to enable positive identification. In this context, the term sample refers to all chemicals (solid, liquid or gas), solutions, suspensions or solvents containing chemicals, biological and clinical samples (e.g. tissue samples, biological fluids), microbiological isolates (in either solid form or as microbial suspensions) and radioisotopes.

The following details must be included in the label:

(i) Identification (description) of the sample (ii) Date of manufacture(iii) Expiry date(iv) Name of person responsible for the sample

Please note that the name/description of the sample must be sufficiently understood by non-trained personnel. Therefore, please avoid the use of abbreviations if these are specific for a particular scientific discipline.

23. Supervision of research students

Supervisors of research students are required to comply with the following: to provide, in collaboration with each student, a written COSHH assessment for each type of

experiment carried out - see Appendix 6. to name an alternative supervisor if they are to be absent from the School for more than one

week and to notify the Head of School of this, to regularly visit the laboratory where their student(s) is working

21

HOW TO COPE WITH ACCIDENTS

(Emergency telephone numbers are summarised on the first page of this document and in Appendix 4).

1. FIRE AND BOMB WARNINGS. Learn the location of fire alarms, hoses, fire blankets and extinguishers. Be prepared to use the extinguishers for small fires and a hose for appropriate larger fires.(a) ON DISCOVERING A FIRE. If you discover a fire which cannot be controlled by ONE extinguisher or a fire blanket: DO NOT LET THE FIRE GET BETWEEN YOU AND THE DOOR.(i) RAISE THE ALARM by breaking the glass in the nearest fire alarm operating point.(ii) CALL THE FIRE BRIGADE (dial 2222). Security will call the fire brigade on registering the alarm. Nevertheless, if a telephone is within reach the person discovering the fire should ALSO call the fire brigade. It does not matter if the call is duplicated.(iii) EVACUATE THE PREMISES by the nearest available route. All persons evacuated MUST ASSEMBLE IN THE BELFAST CITY HOSPITAL CAR PARK. When the fire service arrive the fire officer in charge will require immediate information concerning persons unaccounted for. DO NOT LEAVE THIS AREA until instructed it is safe to do so by the authorities – someone else may mistakenly think you are still inside the building, necessitating entry by a fire fighter to search for you.

(b) EMERGENCY EVACUATION

FIREIn the event of a fire in the School the alarm bells will sound CONTINUOUSLY and occupants shall vacate the building quickly and quietly by the nearest available exit and proceed to the School car park. Personnel must not congregate near the main entrances as this restricts exit for those still inside, and the emergency services on arrival will require unimpeded access into the building. Note that planned maintenance of the fire alarm system will be pre-warned to occupants and shall consist of intermittent operation of the alarm. Emergency repairs may not be pre-notified.

22

BOMB SCARE EVACUATION

(a) Where the location of the bomb is not knownThe fire siren will be operated continuously and occupants shall vacate the building quickly and quietly by the nearest available exit taking with them all personal possessions and proceed to the School car park.

(b) Where the location of the bomb is knownOccupants (closest to the bomb first) shall be advised by word of mouth of the need to evacuate the building taking with them all personal possessions and shall be advised of the area(s) to avoid during the evacuation. Assemble in the BCH car park.

2. CASUALTIESDo not become a casualty by choice. If a toxic gas or vapour escapes into your laboratory in amounts large enough to cause discomfort or danger get out first and ask questions afterwards.

First-aid treatment for minor injuries should be given on the spot if possible, utilising the nearest first-aid box. Please see Appendix 4 and make sure you know where the box nearest to your laboratory is situated. Notify a member of academic staff immediately.

The trained first-aid staff within the School may treat minor accents. For more serious cases the injured party should be taken IMMEDIATELY to the casualty department of the Royal Victoria Hospital.

Incidents involving eye damage from Class 3B or Class 4 lasers require medical attention. A grab sheet giving detailed information on wavelength, power and possible type of injury is available with such equipment and should be taken to the hospital or eye clinic. Contact details are also given on this grab sheet.

NOTE: Casualty department in the Royal Victoria Hospital is ALWAYS OPEN. If transport is required dial 2222 and ask for an ambulance.

REPORTING ACCIDENTS

The proper recording of accidents is important. Such records help us to improve our safety arrangements and may be needed in the event of insurance claims or legal proceedings.

Report personal injuries on the accident report form obtainable from any departmental secretary. Property damage requires a brief signed and dated statement for which no special form need be used.

The responsibility for reporting accidents lies with the most senior person present and uninjured, or, if there are no witnesses, with the first person to arrive on the spot.

Accident report forms, which are available from Chief Technician (Mr D McQuade) should be filled in without unnecessary delay and passed straight to the Chief Technician. These will then be shown to the School Health & Safety Coordinator prior to further reporting to the University Safety Service.

23

SELF-ASSESSMENT QUIZ ON SAFETY

Do you know what to do when...

1. A fire breaks out in your laboratory?2. You hear the continuous sound of the alarm system?3. A student in your laboratory is seriously injured and needs medical attention?4. There is an escape of toxic gases or fumes in your laboratory and someone falls

unconscious to the ground?

IF YOU CANNOT ANSWER ALL THESE QUESTIONS IMMEDIATELY YOU NEED TO STUDY THIS BOOKLET AGAIN!!

24

Appendix 1

SCHOOL SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

Committee member Particular responsibilitiesProfessor R.F. Donnelly School Health & Safety Coordinator,

Radiation Protection OfficerDr. R. Thakur COSHH Supervisor for chemical work

Chemical safety issuesProfessor. M. Tunney COSHH Supervisor for microbiological work

Microbiological safety issuesProfessor C. Scott Biological safety issuesMr. D. McQuade Chief TechnicianMr. A. Gray Technical staff representative

COSHH supportDr. B. Gilmore Microbiological safety issuesDr. H. McCarthy Biological safety issuesDr. H. Anderson School ManagerDr. J. Burrows COSHH Supervisor for biological work,

GMO issues, BioCOSHH SupervisorMr. G. Graham School of Pharmacy Building Liaison Officer

Monthly Safety Inspections Pharmacy Old Building & MBC Laboratories

Dr. C. McCrudden Research staff representative

MPharm Year representatives will attend meetings of the Health and Safety Committee and the Head of School attends at least one meeting of the Health and Safety committee each year.

25

Appendix 2

Waste Disposal in the School of Pharmacy

The primary responsibility for disposal of dangerous chemical wastes lies with the producer NOT the School Health & Safety Coordinator, the University Safety Service or the School’s Technicians. Senate has ruled as follows:

‘Members of staff in charge of teaching or research in which dangerous chemicals are used are personally responsible for arranging the safe storage or consignment to waste of surpluses of these chemicals on completion of any course or project.’

As for reaction products and residues arising from research, the research supervisor concerned obviously has responsibility for their safe disposal or conversion to harmless materials, and would often be the only person with the specialist knowledge required. The following general suggestions for waste management are offered. Buy in as little as possible. Do not let your waste accumulate in quantities or forms which will make treatment difficult: for instance, don’t dump filter papers, mercury, cotton wool, glass wool, or broken glass and chemicals in the same container. Do not include with dangerous chemical wastes large quantities of harmless wastes which could alternatively go into a sink or dustbin. Clean up your glassware immediately after use, before stoppers get stuck. Note that broken glass must be put only in the specially-marked glass bins.

1. Disposal via drainsThe following wastes, not exceeding 2 litres, may be put down drains if, and only if, copiously diluted with many times their volume of water:

- water-miscible (<3%) organic substances of relatively low toxicity including methanol, ethanol, glycol, glycerol and other lower alkanols; formic acid, acetic acid and other lower alkanoic acids; formaldehyde and acetaldehyde; acetone and other lower alkanones; tetrahydrofuran and the ‘glyme’ ethers; dimethylformamide; dimethylsulfoxide: with the exception of chlorites, cyanides, sulfides, azides, borohydrides, and any other compounds capable of generating highly toxic or explosive gases in contact with acids, for which see Section (4) below. Large amounts of acid or base should be neutralised. “Chemical Safety Matters” quotes harmless cations and anions as : A13+ , Ca2+, Cu2+ , Fe2+, 3+ , Li+, Mg2+ , Na+ ,

2. Waste organic solventsWaste organic solvents must be collected in H.D.P.E. waste containers labelled ‘organic solvent waste’ or ‘chlorinated solvent waste’. These should be emptied in the appropriate waste disposal drum(s) located at the back of stores in the MBC building. H.D.P.E. containers are available from stores. Seriously consider solvent recovery if feasible.

3. Solid water-insoluble materialsQuantities of up to 100g of inert, non-hazardous water-insoluble materials such as sundry organics, metal oxides, silicates, carbonates, sulfides, barium sulfate, etc., should be securely enclosed in strong valueless containers and placed in rubbish bins for disposal to municipal dumps. This method must not be used for reactive or flammable substances which might be capable of injuring untrained persons who handle rubbish.

4. Biological and radioactive wasteMuch of the material relating to the safe disposal of radioactive or biological waste is discussed in detail in sections covering radioactive substances, microbiological experiments, the use of genetically-modified organisms, blood, human tissue and tissue culture. However, the following points should be noted: Infected instruments and apparatus must be sterilised or disposed of satisfactorily immediately after use. Inoculating loops and wires must be flamed, pipettes placed

26

in cylinders containing suitable disinfectant and slides, cover slips colorimeter tubes and syringes must be placed in beakers of disinfectant. Special receptacles are also provided for old cultures and these must always be used for the disposal of broth cultures and petri dishes. Infected fluids must never be poured down the sink. Used, but non-contaminated, apparatus must not be placed in the receptacles provided for contaminated apparatus. Any accidentally infected parts of the bench or floor must be swabbed at once with a suitable disinfectant.

5. Other wasteMaterials which cannot be disposed of safely by the user will be disposed of by a professional waste-disposal firm. This disposal is arranged by the USS on an annual basis. All items for disposal must be clearly and permanently labelled as to identify, amount, user and laboratory of origin. They must be accompanied by a USS chemicals disposal inventory form. Since these collections are expensive, responsibility must be exercised in what is left for collection. Toxic metals such as Hg2+, Cd2+ in dilute solution should be precipitated, e.g. as sulfide, filtered off and treated as in (4) or (5).

6. General laboratory waste guidelinesNon-toxic and uncontaminated non-sharp materials can be disposed off in municipal waste bins (black bags). Uncontaminated broken glass or glass waste must be placed in cardboard broken glass boxes. Broken glass boxes must be sealed with yellow warning tape and disposed off in the skip located outside MBC stores. Contaminated sharps (needles, broken glass) must be placed in yellow sharps boxes, labelled with School of Pharmacy, laboratory of origin and date. They must be removed to the MBC medical waste store to await disposal. Never dispose of sharps with ordinary waste or broken glass boxes. Empty Winchester/solvent bottles should be rinsed out and disposed of in the skip located outside MBC stores.

Accidents involving sharps are the most common reported incidents in the School of Pharmacy. Given the injury and potential infection risk they represent to you and others, such as cleaners, it is particularly important that they are handled with care and disposed of properly. Always think carefully when working with sharps, and NEVER dispose of sharps in bins; they must be disposed of in the appropriate, labelled sharps disposal container. In the past, cleaners have been injured with shaprs incorrectly placed in bins – this is unacceptable.

7. Clinical waste guidelinesClinical waste is defined under many categories. Any waste that contains wholly or partly human or animal tissue, other body fluids, excretion, drugs or other pharmaceutical products, syringes, needles or other sharp instruments, being waste which unless rendered safe may prove hazardous to any person coming into contact with it.

A full key on how to dispose of clinical waste in the School of Pharmacy can be found at http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofPharmacy/DisposalofClinicalWaste/

TO SUM UP: Please design experiments to produce as little waste as possible. If you produce hazardous waste destroy it - a member of the Safety Committee will be pleased to give advice. Safety Officer will advise). Use option 6 as a last resort. It is good practice to survey chemical stocks regularly to cut out obsolete items and any chemicals that show signs of decomposition.

27

http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/SchoolofPharmacy/DisposalofClinicalWaste/

Appendix 3

WORKING WITH CHEMICAL CARCINOGENS

Under the Carcinogenic Substances Regulations (NI) the following substances are prohibited:

(i) 4-aminodiphenyl(ii) benzidine (4,4’-diaminodiphenyl)(iii) 2-naphthylamine(iv) 4-nitrodiphenyl and their salts

The following compounds are controlled:(i) o-tolidine (4,4’-diamino-3,3’-dimethyldiphenyl) and their salts.

The regulations do not preclude the use of these compounds under proper conditions but they should not be worked with until approval for each item of work has been obtained from the Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate. Strict conditions are laid down for their use and initial application must be made through the School Health & Safety Coordinator.

There is no general international agreement yet on which other compounds should be included on lists of cancer suspects. An EU commission is examining the matter and it is likely that, in due course, the regulations will be updated.

Lists have been produced by, e.g. BDH Chemicals Ltd., MSF and the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

The University Safety Committee has, in addition, produced a document entitled ‘Guidelines for Work with Mutagens and Carcinogens’. Copies of the salient points have been sent to staff members.

A useful general rule for handling any suspect compound is that precautions must be taken to ensure that personnel are not put at risk of inhaling, ingesting or otherwise absorbing the material. Good COSHH assessments are vital.

28

Appendix 4

First Aid

Location of first-aid boxes in the School

There are three portable first aid boxes in the School which are kept in rooms 104, 202 and 305. In the interests of your own safety please report to the Chief Technician if any box needs re-stocking.

TRAINED FIRST-AIDERS

Name Location Internal TelephoneHelen McPhillips MBC Teaching Lab 2665

Andrew Gray M105 2333Gavin Graham 205 2020Lynn Cairns 317 2023

Karen Fogarty 203 2020Samuel Mahadeo 205 2020Lee-Anne Howell School Office 2358

Lynne Spence School Office 5800Solenn Cariou 205 2020

Tomas McVeigh 205 2020Ross Archibald School Office (Wed-Fri) 2354

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Fire, Police, Ambulance, Cardiac Unit or Poisons Centre, 2222 from any telephone in the School.

University Health Service (5 Lennoxvale) 5551University Safety Service (Old Physics Building) 4681, or 5638

29

Appendix 5

These chemicals are highly toxic by inhalation or absorption:

acrylamide, acrylonitrile, benzene, buta-1,3-diene, 1,2-dibromoethane, 2,2’-dichloro-4,4’-methylenedianiline, ethylene oxide, formaldehyde, isocyanates (R-NCO), 2-methoxyethanol, vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride, wood dust, acrolein, acrylaldehyde, allyl alcohol, aluminium alkyls, aromatic amines, 2-aminoethanol, anthracene and other PAHs, benzene thiol, p-benzoquinone, benzoyl peroxide, biphenyl, epoxides, bromoform, n-butylamine, 2-chloroacetophenone, 1-chloro-4-nitrobenzene chloro(nitro)anilines, cyanamide, di-n-butyl phosphate, dibutylphthalate, dichloroacetylene, diethylenetriamine, diglycidyl ether, dinitrobenzene (all isomers) dimethyl sulfate, diphenylamine, ethanethiol, ethanolamine, ethylchloroformate, ethylene chlorohydrin, ethylene glycol dinitrate, ethane thiol, epoxides, formic acid, formamide (foetal poison), 2-furaldehyde, alkylfluorophosphates, hydroquinone acrylates, ketene, mercaptoacetic acid, magic methyl, nitroaromatics, N-nitroso compounds, oxalic acid, pentachlorophenol, 2-chloroacetophenone, p-phenylenediamine, phosgene, phosphate esters, picric acid, piperazine dihydrochloride, prop-2-yn-1-ol, terphenyls, tetrachloronaphthylenes, tetraethylpyrophosphate, thioglycollic acid, tributylphosphate, fluoroacetates, chlorinated hydrocarbons (1,1,1-trichloroethane is least toxic), xylenes, arsenic compounds, asbestos, beryllium and compounds, cadmium compounds, carbon disulfide, hydrogen cyanide, lead compounds, antimony compounds, arsine, barium compounds, bismuth telluride, boron tribromide, boron trifluoride, bromine, carbon tetrabromide, carbon tetrachloride, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, chlorosulfonic acid, chromium(VI) compounds, cyanides, diborane, diphosphorus pentasulfide, peroxodisulfates, disodium disulfite, borax, vanadium pentoxide, germane, hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen peroxide, hydrogen selenide, hydrogen sulfide, hydrazine and derivatives, iodine, iron pentacarbonyl, lithium hydride, lead alkyls, mercury alkyls and compounds, nitrogen dioxide, osmium tetroxide, ozone, phosphorus-yellow-halides, phosphine, platinum salts, rhodium compounds, selenium and compounds, silica dust, silane, silver compounds, azides, sodium hydrogen sulfite, stilbene, sulfur dioxide, disulfur dichloride, tellurium and compounds, nickel carbonyl alkylsilicates, thallium compounds, tin compounds, organophosphates, tungsten and compounds, uranium compounds.

This list is obviously not exhaustive but draws attention to hazardous types.

30

Appendix 6

COSHH assessments

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations came into operation in N. Ireland on 11th April 1991 and require that work shall not be undertaken which is liable to expose staff or students to any substance hazardous to health unless a suitable and sufficient assessment has been made of the risks to health and the steps that need to be taken to meet the requirements of the regulations.

The School of Pharmacy requires completion of a COSHH risk assessment form (which can be completed online from http://www.qub.ac.uk/pha or obtained from secretaries and the School Health & Safety Coordinator) to be completed before any work begins whenever a chemical which appears in various safety compilations or which features in the BDH, Aldrich or other catalogues with a hazard symbol and/or risk phrase is used. For all undergraduate practicals, completed COSHH forms relating to all experiments using hazardous compounds will appear on special notice boards in the laboratories or in manuals for specific courses.

The aim of the COSHH risk assessment is:1. to identify the substances you are going to use in a particular procedure/process/experiment2. to determine which of those substances are hazardous to health3. to determine how those substances are hazardous and what effects they could have on

your health or others’ health4. to estimate the risks of exposure to these substances when you use them in the

procedure/ process/experiment.5. to decide the precautionary measures you must take to either prevent exposure or

adequately control the risk of exposure.

The precautionary measures must be implemented before you carry out this work.

With regard to project and research students, supervisors must complete COSHH forms for all experiments or related groups of experiments. Students should be encouraged to carry out assessments as part of their training but final responsibility for the content rests with the supervisor.

The COSHH assessment ensures that you have considered any risks that may be present and that appropriate steps are taken to deal with any dangers. This will include a full consideration of the use of such protective items, as gloves and fume hoods, for example.

Separate risk assessments are not needed for each substance used in a particular procedure/process/experiment. In fact, group (generic) risk assessments can be used satisfactorily where similar substances are used in similar jobs eg handling solvents in HPLC work, handling detergents in automatic dishwashers, research projects. In addition COSHH risk assessment can be used as a basis for drafting Safe/Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Examples of current undergraduate COSHH forms are available from Dr Ryan Donnelly and he or the School Health & Safety Coordinator will be pleased to offer additional advice.

31

GUIDANCE ON COMPLETING COSHH ASSESSMENTS

The COSHH risk assessment form is subdivided into sections. Guidance in completing these sections is given below.

1. What is the process/work activity and where will you be carrying it out?

Give a brief summary of the particular procedure/process/reaction e.g. floor cleaning, sterilising instruments, reaction type. A full description of the work area including locality (indoors/outdoors), room/laboratory number, building name should be given. The details should include:

- the substances to be used- the properties of the substances (gas, vapour, volatile liquid, dust)- the quantities of substances to be used- how the substances are to be used (contained, released, sprayed, mixed, heated, or ground into powder)

2. What flammables are being used?

List any flammable substances you will use in the procedure/process/experiment and then find out if they are flammable as a volatile, in air or as moisture flammable. The manufacturer-supplied MSDS, online resources and the Sigma-Aldrich Library of Chemical Safety Data (held in 3 rd floor chemistry teaching laboratory, Old Building) are often relevant to your COSHH assessment. Measures to prevent fire must also be included if flammables are listed.

3(a). What hazardous substances will you be using?

List all the substances you are going to use in the procedure/process/experiment and then find out if they are hazardous to health by gathering information from the manufacturers’ safety data sheets, product labels or from the sources given in COSHH Appendix A below. The reference sources in Appendix A are invaluable in making an informed assessment and must be used as relevant. The manufacturer-supplied MSDS, the online sources given and the Sigma-Aldrich Library of Chemical Safety Data (held in 3rd floor teaching laboratory, Old Building) are often highly relevant to your COSHH assessment. Record (if available) the following information for each substance:

1. its hazard classification (groups 1-8)2. the nature of the health hazard3. short term (acute) or long term (chronic) effects, 4. area of body/organs affected, are there risk phrases (COSHH Appendix B bleow)

assigned in the Approved Supply List (COSHH Appendix A)5. can the substances be absorbed through the skin? Such substances are identified in

EH40 (COSHH Appendix A) with a skin (Sk) notation are the substances capable of causing respiratory sensitisation? These are identified with a sensitisation (Sen) notation in EH40

6. and any current occupational exposure limit (OEL)*

*Scientific bodies in several countries publish annual lists of OELs for ranges of substances hazardous to health. In UK Maximum Exposure Limits (MELs) and Occupational Exposure Standards (OESs) are published by HSE. In USA Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) are published by ACGIH (see COSHH Appendix A - both publications held in University Safety Service). OELs prescribe limits to personal exposure to contaminants in the air of the workplace and should be used in determining the adequacy of control of exposure by inhalation, as required by the COSHH Regulations.

32

If more than one substance is used in the process/procedure/reaction consider if other substances are produced if/when they are mixed (e.g. certain toilet cleaners when mixed with bleach produce chlorine which is a gas hazardous to health). Also consider the enhanced harmful effects of combined or sequential exposures to more than one substance hazardous to health.

If none of the substances to be used are hazardous to health, then the risk assessment is complete at this stage.

3(b) Route of entry into the body?

Substances can enter the body by four routes;1. inhalation (breathing in gases, vapours, fumes, dusts, aerosols, fibres)2. skin contact (gases, vapours, liquids, dusts in contact with unbroken skin)3. ingestion (accidental swallowing of solids/liquids)4. direct injection (direct uptake via unbroken skin, misuse of hypodermic needles)

If liquids or metals are heated sufficiently they will emit vapours and fumes. If liquids are sprayed from a fine jet there will be aerosol formation. If solids are ground then dusts and fibres may be released. It should be noted that dust of any kind when present at a concentration in air > 10 mg/m3 (TWA 8 hr) of inhalable dust is a substance hazardous to health.

In the work environment the risk of exposure by ingestion and direct injection can be greatly reduced by the use of good working practices. For example, eating, drinking, smoking and the application of cosmetics should not be permitted in the workplace. Cuts and abrasions should be covered with waterproof dressings. Avoid resheathing hypodermic needles. Practice a high standard of personal hygiene. Clean up spills immediately.

Evaluate the nature of exposure by considering the substances and how they will actually be used in the process/procedure/experiment.

4. Do you require the use of laboratory gases?

If you are using laboratory gases, these may present special risks, such as asphyxiation, in the event of uncontrolled release. Evaluate the nature of exposure by considering what safety precautions you can take to minimise risk.

5. How long will the process/work activity last? What will the exposure pattern be?

Consider how often the process will be carried out i.e. once, once/day, once/week etc. Consider if the process will take minutes, hours, days, weeks etc to perform. Also consider if exposure to substances hazardous to health will be continuous or intermittent when carrying out this process.

In addition a semi-quantitative (or at least a qualitative) estimate of potential exposure by inhalation to the substances hazardous to health used in the work activity must be made.

Consider the properties of the substances hazardous to health used (dustiness, volatility), the quantities used (μg, mg, kg or μl, ml, l) and the way the substances are used (heated, vaporised, volatilised etc). In addition, consider the degree of containment/protection provided by typical precautionary measures chosen in Sections 5 and 6. For example, a fume cupboard is estimated to have a protection factor of 105 when operating efficiently.

Semi-quantitative estimates of the airborne concentrations of the substances used may be calculated using the generic risk assessment scheme given in the HSE guidance note “COSHH Essentials” (COSHH Appendix A). Further details may be obtained from the USS.

33

6. Can you prevent exposure to the hazardous substances?

Exposure to substances hazardous to health should be prevented, as a first priority. Therefore, firstly consider if you can prevent exposure to the substances you have listed by using safer procedures/processes/experiments or by substitution of substances (e.g. toluene for benzene, water-based paints for solvent-based ones) or by using the substances in a safer form (e.g. pellets instead of powders, ready made-up solutions). If exposure can be prevented, start the risk assessment process again stating the new conditions in Sections 1-5, then proceed to Section 6.

7. Which precautionary measures will you be using for the work process/activity?

If exposure cannot be prevented, consider the most effective precautionary measures needed to adequately control exposure eg:

- Total containment - glove boxes, Class III biological safety cabinets, pipelines and vessels

- Partial containment - fume cupboard, paint-spray booths, Class I & II biological safety cabinets

- LEVs - fume hoods- Dilution Ventilation - open doors, windows- PPE - gloves, aprons- Others - good laboratory practice

Further information may be obtained from the Guidance Notes on work with chemical carcinogens, biological agents and asthmagens available on the University Safety Service (USS) web-site.

8. Which type of personal protective equipment will you be using?

PPE (except gloves and laboratory coats) and advice on the selection and use of PPE is available from the (USS). Details on the fit testing of respiratory protective equipment is also available from the (USS). Other types of PPE include aprons, gaiters, hard hats etc.

9. Who is likely to be exposed to the hazardous substances that you will be working with?Consider others, not directly involved in the work, who may be at risk from exposure. Are the risks adequately controlled for these people in local rules or standard operating procedures.

10. Is a “permit-to-work” required to prevent exposure to others?

In certain situations a permit-to-work may be required. For example, repair of a fume cupboard would require one to ensure it was fully decontaminated and would not be used while the contractors were carrying out repairs. Details of the permit-to-work system and associated forms are available on the USS website.

11. Is air monitoring required?

Air monitoring should be conducted for processes/procedures/experiments which involve large quantities (kg or litre) of airborne contaminants and which are carried out frequently over long periods of time. Air monitoring is not required when you can demonstrate by using the semi-quantitative generic risk assessment (Section 4) that the precautionary measures put in place adequately control exposure to a given Occupational Exposure Limit. Further guidance may be obtained from the USS.

12. Is health surveillance required?

34

Health surveillance is appropriate when the work involves the use of substances known to cause occupational asthma or severe dermatitis. It is also appropriate where employees are exposed to carcinogenic substances, unless the risk assessment confirms that exposure is so adequately controlled that there is no reasonable likelihood of an identifiable disease or adverse effect resulting from the exposure. Health surveillance is therefore required if there is contact with chrome solution, electrolytes containing chromic acid or chromium salts, and other substances which can cause skin cancer.

13. What are the procedures for dealing with unplanned releases and spillages?

Consider what action is required if the precautionary measures (Section 5) fail.1. Will evacuation be necessary?2. Will breathing apparatus or special RPE be required? Is it available?3. Is someone trained to use it?4. How will the area be ventilated?5. Are there any special first-aid requirements?

If there is a spill or a leak of material, how can it be safely cleared up and the area decontaminated?

14. What are the procedures for disposing of hazardous substances?

See the specific guidelines given in the safety booklet. Water miscible solvents and other substances may be flushed to drain but only in very small quantities (< 100 ml at one disposal). Small quantities of vapours/gases/aerosols may be discharged into a fume cupboard for aerial dispersion. Similarly, small quantities of volatile liquids may be allowed to evaporate to atmosphere within a fume cupboard. In general, most substances hazardous to health will be disposed of by arrangement with the USS.

15. What are the procedures in the event of a fire?

How the fire is dealt with regarding type of extinguisher used. The evacuation procedure should be noted in full.

16. What training is required for the work process/activity?

Training may be required to ensure that:- the worker is competent to carry out the process/procedure/experiment safely- precautionary measures are used properly (includes correct use of PPE)- defects in precautionary measures are readily identified (e.g. fume cupboard

failure, pin-holes in gloves)- emergency procedures are followed- emergency precautionary measures are used properly (breathing apparatus)

17. Conclusions

Although the worker may complete the risk assessment, it is the duty of the project supervisor/line manager to ensure that risk assessments are carried out for all the processes/procedures experiments (under his/her control) which involve substances hazardous to health.

It is the duty of the COSHH Supervisor to ensure that the risk assessment is complete and that the precautionary measures to be taken are adequate to control the risk.

35

The COSHH risk assessment should be reviewed at a frequency of not more than 5 years. The assessment should be reviewed immediately when there is evidence to suggest it is no longer valid.

COSSH APPENDIX A

Sources of Information of Toxicity Data:

Sigma-Aldrich Library of Chemical Safety Data, Vols I and IIHandbook of Identified Carcinogens and Noncarcinogens, Vol I and II, Soderman, CRC PressDangerous Properties of Industrial Materials, Vols I, II and III, Von Nostrand, ReinholdThe Merck Index, Merck and Co. Inc.Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances, Vols I and II, NIOSHDictionary of Substances and their Effects (DOSE) Vols 1-7, Richardson & Gargoli, RSCBiochem. Co., Special Publication No 5 “Safety in Biological Laboratories” D B Cater & E Martree 1977Approved Supply List: Information approved for the classification and labelling of substances and preparations dangerous for supply, Chip 3, HSCEH40/9(x) Occupational Exposure Limits 200(x), Health and Safety Executive (HSE)1996 TLVs and BEIs American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)The Technical Basis for COSHH Essentials: easy steps to control chemicals (HSE)DatabasesRegistry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (NIOSH)Chemical Safety Newsbase (RSC)Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)Toxline (National Library of Medicine)Medline (National Library of Medicine)Sigma-Aldrich-Fluka, Material Safety Data Sheets on CD-ROM

COSHH APPENDIX B

Risk Phrases, R20 etc.Indication of particular risks

20 Harmful by inhalation21 Harmful in contact with skin22 Harmful if swallowed23 Toxic by inhalation24 Toxic in contact with skin25 Toxic if swallowed26 Very toxic by inhalation27 Very toxic in contact with skin28 Very toxic if swallowed33 Danger of cumulative effects34 Causes burns35 Causes severe burns36 Irritating to eyes37 Irritating to respiratory system38 Irritating to skin39 Danger of very serious irreversible effects40 Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect

36

41 Risk of serious damage to eyes42 May cause sensitisation by inhalation43 May cause sensitisation by skin contact45 May cause cancer46 May cause heritable genetic damage48 Danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure49 May cause cancer by inhalation60 May impair fertility61 May cause harm to the unborn child62 Possible risk of impaired fertility63 Possible risk of harm to the unborn child64 May cause harm to breastfed babies65 Harmful: may cause lung damage if swallowed66 Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking67 Vapours may cause drowsiness and dizziness68 Possible risk or irreversible effects

Combination of particular risks

20/21 Harmful by inhalation and in contact with skin20/21 Harmful by inhalation, in contact/22 with skin and if swallowed20/22 Harmful by inhalation and if swallowed21/22 Harmful in contact with skin and if swallowed23/24 Toxic by inhalation and in contact with skin23/24 Toxic by inhalation, in contact with/25 skin and if swallowed23/25 Toxic by inhalation and if swallowed24/25 Toxic in contact with skin and if swallowed26/27 Very toxic by inhalation and in contact with skin26/27 Very toxic by inhalation, in contact/28 with skin and if swallowed26/28 Very toxic by inhalation and if swallowed27/28 Very toxic in contact with skin and if swallowed36/37 Irritating to eyes and respiratory system36/37 Irritating to eyes, respiratory system/38 and skin36/38 Irritating to eyes and skin37/38 Irritating to respiratory system and skin39/23 Toxic: danger of very serious irreversible effects through inhalation39/23 Toxic: danger of very serious/24 effects through inhalation and in contact with skin39/23/ Toxic: danger of very serious24/25 irreversible effects through inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed39/23/ Toxic: danger of very serious 25 irreversible effects through inhalation and if swallowed39/24 Toxic: danger of very serious irreversible effects in contact with skin39/24/ Toxic: danger of very serious 25 irreversible effects in contact with skin and if swallowed39/25 Toxic: danger of very serious irreversible effects if swallowed39/26 Very Toxic: danger of very serious irreversible effects through inhalation39/26/ Very Toxic: danger of very serious27 irreversible effects through inhalation and in contact with skin39/26/ Very Toxic: danger of very serious27/28 irreversible effects through inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed

37

39/26/ Very Toxic: danger of very serious 28 irreversible effects through inhalation and if swallowed39/27 Very Toxic: danger of very serious irreversible effects in contact with skin39/27/ Very Toxic: danger of very serious 28 irreversible effects in contact with skin and if swallowed39/28 Very Toxic: danger of very serious irreversible effects if swallowed68/20 Harmful: possible risk or irreversible effects through inhalation68/20/ Harmful: possible risk of irreversible21 effects through inhalation and in contact with skin68/20/ Harmful: possible risk of irreversible21/22 effects through inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed68/20/ Harmful: possible risk of irreversible22 effects through inhalation and if swallowed68/21 Harmful: possible risk of irreversible

effects in contact with skin68/21/ Harmful: possible risk of irreversible22 effects in contact with skin and if swallowed68/22 Harmful: possible risk of irreversible effects if swallowed42/43 May cause sensitisation by inhalation and skin contact48/20 Harmful: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure through inhalation48/20/ Harmful: danger of serious damage to21 health by prolonged exposure through inhalation and in contact with skin48/20/ Harmful: danger of serious damage to21/22 health by prolonged exposure through inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed48/20/ Harmful: danger of serious damage to22 health by prolonged exposure through inhalation and if swallowed48/21 Harmful: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure in contact with skin48/21/ Harmful: danger of serious damage to22 health by prolonged exposure in contact with skin and if swallowed48/22 Harmful: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure if swallowed48/23 Toxic: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure through inhalation48/23/ Toxic: danger of serious damage to 24 health by prolonged exposure through inhalation and in contact with skin48/23/ Toxic: danger of serious damage to24/25 health by prolonged exposure through inhalation, in contact with skin and if swallowed48/23/ Toxic: danger of serious damage to25 health by prolonged exposure through inhalation and if swallowed48/24 Toxic: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure in contact with skin48/24/ Toxic: danger of serious damage to 25 health by prolonged exposure in contact with skin and if swallowed48/25 Toxic: danger of serious damage to health by prolonged exposure if swallowed

38

Local Safety Rules – radiation protection

The implimentation of safety procedures for the safe handling of ionising sources

The Local RulesThe Local Rules are made in accordance with Regulation 17 of the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999 and apply to all users of radiation employed by, or studying at, the School of Pharmacy, QUB. Compliance with the Local Rules is essential at all times. All workers must ensure that they are fully aware of all aspects of the Local Rules relevant to the execution of their individual duties. Further advice on any matters relating to the implementation of the Local Rules should be obtained from the Radiation Protection Supervisor or, when appropriate, the Radiation Protection Adviser.

The Local Rules for radiological use in the School are contained within the following sections;

INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITIONSGENERAL RULESSYSTEMS OF WORK SYSTEM OF WORK FOR NON-RADIATION WORKERS GENERAL OPERATIONAL PROCEDURESDECONTAMINATIONCONTINGENCY PLANSPROCEDURES FOR ORDERING RADIONUCLIDESPROCEDURES FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSALWORK WITH IODINE-125 AND OTHER GAMMA EMITTERSEMERGENCY SPILL KITDOSE LIMITS IONISING RADIATION REGULATIONS (1999) SCHEDULE 4

39

INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITIONSThese Local Rules are rules and procedures governing the safe use of ionising radiation in the School of Pharmacy. They are designed to enable work to be carried out safely and to minimise the risk to you, your colleagues, and any other person who may be affected by your use of radiation.The University has a legal responsibility to ensure that any use of radiation by staff or students conforms to accepted safety regulations. Regulation 17 of the Ionising Radiations Regulations (1999) specifies that a written set of Local Rules is in place in order to demonstrate compliance. There are legal implications if these rules are not followed.

Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS)Each school, where ionising radiation is used, has a Radiation Protection Supervisor (RPS), appointed to oversee the safe use of ionising radiation. The RPS will ensure that the School’s Local Rules are effective and being observed and to help optimise the safety of all use of radiation.If ever you are unsure of what to do, need any guidance on any aspect of use of radiation, or are concerned about risks, you should consult with the RPS. In addition, the RPS will approve projects, handle orders for radionuclides, collate waste returns, arrange training and take charge of incidents, such as spills.

The RPS in the School is Dr Ryan DonnellyRoom M108Phone 2251

Radiation Protection Adviser (RPA)The University has appointed an expert to advise on all aspects of radiation safety within the scope of the work undertaken. The RPA is there to keep up to date with the current legislation and advise on how best to proceed in order to comply with that legislation. The RPA has to regularly prove his competence to a certification body recognised by the Health and Safety Executive. Contact with the RPA is usually via the RPS. The RPA carries out regular inspections of all aspects of radiation protection procedures and practices.

The RPA in the University is Dr Lindsey SmithPhone 5638

The UserAny safety system relies on the user of ionising radiation to follow the local rules if it is to work at all. Indeed, you have a legal responsibility to observe the Local Rules and to minimise risks to yourself and others during your work. So take time to go through this document and make sure you know what to do before you start using radiation.

40

Designated Radiation AreasThe designated area for work with Ionising Radiations is Laboratory 206 in the Teaching Wing of the School. This area has been approved by the RPS and RPA for radiation work. Radiation must not be stored outside this location.

Designated SinksThe sink in Lab 206 is designated as suitable for disposal of aqueous liquid radioactive waste and is clearly marked as such. Under no circumstances should any other sink in the School be used for this purpose.

Holding, Accumulation & Disposal LimitsThe University possesses certificates to hold certain radioactive materials on the MBC site and to accumulate and dispose of radioactive waste by specified routes. These certificates are displayed on the notice board immediately outside Lab 206. RegistrationThe MBC site is allowed to hold set amounts of radioactive materials on its premises and restrictions apply to the quantities that can be brought on to the premises in any one calendar month. You must not obtain additional radiation without contacting the RPS.AuthorisationThe user should be aware that Authorisation to accumulate and dispose of radioactive waste specifies separate limits for each route of disposal.

All SOLID WASTE must be disposed of as normal refuse, for deposit at a refuse tip used for non-radioactive waste. This is commonly referred to as "the dustbin route" and carries very low limits for the quantities that may be disposed. The disposal limits are:

3H and 14C taken together4 MBq (100µCi) per 0.1 m3 of waste with not more than 400 kBq (10 µCi)

in any one item.

All other radionuclides400 KBq (10µCi) per 0.1 m3 of waste with not more than 40 KBq (1 µCi) in

any one item

Such very low level solid waste can be accumulated for a maximum of 14 days. It should be remembered that this is an allowance to get the refuse off the premises and is not the length of time given to keep waste before it is placed in the bin.

All AQUEOUS LIQUID WASTE must be disposed of directly to the drainage system in the designated sink. There is a defined amount of radiation that can go down the sinks and this is stated on the Authorisation documentation on the external notice board. There is no allowance for the accumulation of aqueous liquid waste.

All ORGANIC LIQUID WASTE must be stored in Winchester bottles placed in the fume hood. These bottles must not contain mixed radionuclides and an outer label must state its type. This waste is sent for specialised disposal and annual limits are imposed. No organic liquid waste may be stored for more than 12 months.

41

GENERAL RULES

The following rules for radiation safety are applicable to any use of ionising radiation.The system of radiation safety, which is internationally accepted, is based on four fundamental principles:

(i) all work with ionising radiation must be JUSTIFIED,(ii) such work must be OPTIMISED to keep doses as low as reasonably practicable,(iii) all work with ionising radiation is subject to dose LIMITS,(iv) Best Practicable Means (BPM) shall be used in the disposal of radioactive waste.

The use of ionising radiation in any work must be supportable. It is necessary to look at alternative ways of achieving the same goals and conclude that the use of ionising radiation is justified in terms of risks associated with a successful outcome.

Having justified the use of radiation, there is a legal obligation to keep doses As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP). Users must be able to demonstrate that BPM have been used to:

(a) minimise the activity in all disposals of radioactive waste,(b) volumes of radioactive waste disposed of by transfer to other premises have been

minimised,(c) radioactive waste has been disposed of at times, in a form and in a manner to

minimise the radiological effects on the environment and members of the public.

Users are required to submit a completed risk assessment (COSHH) form to their RPS for each project involving radioactive materials in which they must justify the use of the radioactive materials, explain how they will keep doses ALARP and will use BPM for the disposal of radioactive waste.

RegistrationAny person who wishes to use ionising radiation for the first time must register as a radiation worker with their RPS using the form provided for this purpose. Where a member of staff is expected to work with ionising radiations, a Registration Form should be completed and a copy of these Local Rules read before the start date.

TrainingThe RPS will assess whether the registered person has sufficient knowledge of radiation and has had adequate training in radiation protection for the work intended to be undertaken. If the RPS' assessment is that further training is required, he will arrange for the necessary training to be delivered. The registered person must have received the training arranged for them before commencing work with radiation. All training provided should be recorded on the personal Registration Form.

Unregistered Members of StaffNo such individuals are normally permitted assess to Lab 206. However, in certain circumstances, such assess will be allowable, as detailed below.

Proposals for New WorkThe RPS and RPA must approve any new proposal for work with radioactive materials or modification to existing work prior to its initiation. Under the Health and Safety at Work

42

Regulations (1992), all work activity is subject to risk assessment. Also, Regulation 7 of IRR '99 requires a prior risk assessment of all new work. Accordingly, a written risk assessment should be submitted to the RPS well in advance of the proposed start date of any project. The risk assessment will address justification, ALARP, BPM and any other safety issues associated with the work.

Record KeepingThe RPS is responsible for ensuring that all the necessary records relating to the acquisition, use and disposal of radioactive materials are effectively maintained at all times. This is done through the ISOSTOCK system and is stored on a central server. It is essential that users of radiation record all usage and disposal in appropriate lab note books and inform the RPS on a weekly basis.

SYSTEMS OF WORK

1. All use of radioactive material must have the prior approval of the RPS. To seek prior approval, a Risk Assessment form must be completed and submitted to the RPS. If, in the opinion of the RPS, a specific experiment could not be justified or BPM would not be used or could not be conducted safely, he may refuse permission for the experiment.

2. No radionuclides may be brought onto the premises except by the PROCEDURE FOR ORDERING RADIONUCLIDES.3. Protective gloves must be worn at all times when radioactive materials are handled in addition to garments appropriate for the duties performed.4. Staff involved in handling radioactive materials detectable by a portable contamination monitor must monitor themselves and their working environment with a suitably calibrated contamination monitor at the conclusion of each working day or at other times as appropriate and commit the measurements to a record book.5. Any contamination monitor reading twice the normal background level or greater must be reported to the RPS who will then advise on decontamination procedures should they be necessary.6. The GENERAL OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES must always be followed.7. Special protective equipment provided for specific purposes must be used at all times. This equipment includes handling tongs, lead or Perspex pots and lead or Perspex screens.8. In all areas, radioactive materials must be stored in safe shielded locations when not being used.9. All radioactive materials must be labelled in such a way that it is possible to determine the radionuclide, compound, radioactivity and date/time of measurement. Also, the whereabouts of all sources should be traceable at any time. Subdivisions of stock solutions must have their containers separately and appropriately labelled and records must be kept of all such separate containers on the ISOSTOCK system.10. Radioactive waste must be dealt with in accordance with the PROCEDURES FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL

Pregnant Radiation Workers1. Copies of the Health and Safety Executive booklet 'Working safely with ionising radiation: Guidelines for expectant or breastfeeding mothers' are available on request from the Safety Office.2. If a radiation worker has a pregnancy confirmed, the RPS should be informed immediately so that a risk assessment can be carried out and due consideration can be given to minimising radiation hazards.

43

3. A pregnant worker may, if preferred, contact the RPA directly to discuss radiation safety during the term of her pregnancy.4. The RPS, in liaison with the RPA, must reassess the working practices of the individual concerned with regard to the potential external and internal radiation hazards.5. The RPS must ensure that, as far as possible, the individual be withdrawn from work involving an internal radiation hazard for the duration of the pregnancy.6. External radiation hazard should be minimised wherever possible, although, provided that the individual is correctly monitored and that normal working practices are observed, this hazard is unlikely to result in the accumulation of a significant fraction of the relevant dose limit.

SYSTEM OF WORK FOR NON-RADIATION WORKERS

The following systems apply to persons not normally working with radiation who may, during the course of their work or studies, have reason to enter Lab 206.Domestic and Maintenance Staff or Contractors1. These persons should only have access to designated areas when permitted to do so by a radiation worker acting under the direction of the RPS.2. The RPS must be satisfied that the potential external and internal radiation hazards are minimised prior to access and that the time spent within the area is no longer than is necessary to fulfil the required duties.3. Access by cleaning should be restricted to hours outside of those when work with radiation is undertaken.4. The RPS must ensure that a potentially contaminated area is clearly delineated and marked, and that these staff avoid it.

Students Undertaking Supervised Experiments or Demonstrations1. Students who are not registered radiation workers may enter designated areas provided they have been fully informed of the precautions necessary for that area.2. The RPS must be satisfied that such precaution as may be necessary will be enforced and that an acceptable assessment of personal exposure to radiation has been made.3. These students must be accompanied and supervised by a radiation worker during the time they remain in a designated radiation area.4. These systems apply equally to temporarily designated areas, for example teaching laboratories where radiation sources are used for demonstrations or experiments.

Visitors1. Visiting academics, students, administrators etc. must be adequately informed of the relevant procedure for radiation safety if they are to have access to Lab 206.2. Such persons must be accompanied and supervised by a radiation worker for so long as they remain in this area.3. The RPS is responsible for ascertaining the validity of the case for access by a member of the public to a designated area.4. If access for a member of the public is sanctioned, the RPS must ensure that measures are in place to keep any possible radiation dose to the individual under the limit set for members of the public.

GENERAL OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES

Precautions during handling of open sources1. Drinking, eating, smoking or the application of cosmetics are forbidden in Lab 206.

2. Personal belongings, such as handbags or books, must not be placed on benches used for radionuclide work and clothing must not be hung nearby. Watches and jewellery, which may

44

become contaminated, should be removed before commencing work with radioactive materials and stored in a secure area.

3. Use of a laboratory coat of the neck fastening type is advisable, properly fastened at all times during work with radionuclides. Gloves and eye protection must also be worn.

4. It must always be assumed that gloves are contaminated once the experiment has begun. Gloved hands must not be used to handle personal belongings, the contents of pockets, notebooks, telephones etc. Either the gloves must be removed and disposed of or such items handled using a clean tissue, to be regarded afterwards as contaminated waste.

5. Gloves must always be removed and disposed of before leaving Lab 206 in order to avoid any possible contamination of door handles.

6. After handling radioactive materials, workers must wash their hands thoroughly. Afterwards, if radioactive materials have been handled that are detectable by portable contamination monitors then hands and clothing should be monitored for the presence of radiocontamination.

7. A radiation worker handling radionuclides must always make use of the shielding equipment provided to minimise personal external radiation dose.

8. Whenever possible, transfer radioactive solutions by pipette rather than by pouring. Avoid the use of syringes.

9. Pipetting by mouth is strictly forbidden.

10. Mixing and evaporation procedures should be carried out in the fume hood or safety cabinet. Where a safety cabinet is necessary, it must be clearly labelled and decontaminated as appropriate prior to servicing. Tubes must always be stoppered prior to mixing using a vortex.

11. Radioactive solutions must always be clearly labelled to indicate radionuclide, user name and date.

12. All radioactive materials, including working stocks and solutions, must be stored in the lockable refrigerator. This refrigerator must be locked when the user leaves Lab 206. In addition, it the user is absent from Lab 206 for more than 30 minutes, the main door must be locked. To avoid spills, double containment must be used for transport in public areas.

13. In order to limit radioactive contamination, all work with radionuclides must be carried out in Lab 206 over dedicated work trays with lipped edges. All contaminated apparatus must be kept within these trays. Care must be taken to decontaminate them effectively.

14. All apparatus and equipment used with radionuclides must be clearly labelled. Contaminated apparatus must not be taken to any area which is not designated for work with radionuclides.

15. The working area must be cleaned after each experiment, or at the end of each working day if experiments are ongoing, and monitored for surface contamination.

16. Experiments should not be planned to run overnight without the prior approval of the RPS. Liquids must be contained to guard against spillage and a prominent sign displayed identifying the nature of the experiment and who to contact in an emergency.

Transport of Radioactive Materials

45

1. Every effort should be made to perform experiments in Lab 206. If radionuclides are to be transported to an external location, the RPS should be informed. All samples must be adequately labelled, shielded and securely packaged so as to minimise the external radiation hazard to workers and members of the public and the possibility of spillage and radiocontamination.

2. To avoid spillage and radiocontamination in corridors, radionuclides being transported between laboratories must be suitably double contained.

3. The transportation of radionuclide compounds between laboratories in other Schools must be in accordance with The Radioactive Material (Road Transport) Regulations 2002. Details of these requirements are available from the RPA.

4. International movements of radioactive materials are subject to very strict control. You should always inform the Safety Office several weeks beforehand and seek their guidance if intending to obtain or consign radioactive material. The Safety Office is likely to recommend that a company specialising in the transport of hazardous materials be engaged.

Monitoring ProceduresMonitors may be of the type suitable for the assessment of radiocontamination or for the assessment of dose rate. The RPA will organise a monitor calibration service

1. All contamination/dose monitors used in Lab 206 must be calibrated at least once in each 14-month period.

2. Users of 125I or 32P shall be issued with personal film badge radiation monitors where. These monitors are renewed monthly and must be worn at all times during performance of relevant duties.

3. Care must be taken to ensure that film badges do not become contaminated with radioactivity (eg aerosol, splashes). Any badge suspected of having become so contaminated must be reported immediately to the RPS.

4. Routine monitoring surveys for the presence of radiocontamination must be performed at regular intervals in Lab 206 using a contamination monitor appropriate for the particular radionuclide in use. Details of the outcome of this monitoring at the sites illustrated are posted on the main door. All monitoring results, whether positive or negative, must be committed to a written record.

5. Where direct monitoring for radiocontamination is not appropriate, i.e. for low energy beta-emitters, wipe-tests of designated working areas should be conducted on a regular basis at a frequency agreed with the RPS. Routine monitoring locations within these areas should be standardised. Note that only around 10% of any contamination is likely to be lifted by a wipe test. Accordingly, results should be multiplied by a factor of 10.

6. In cases where radiocontamination is confirmed, details of the location, extent and estimated radioactivity level must be entered into a written record. The RPS should investigate the reason for the radiocontamination, once the appropriate decontamination procedures have been carried out.

DECONTAMINATION

All radiation workers in the School must ensure that every precaution has been taken during performance of their duties to avoid radionuclide contamination. Decontamination of personnel, the working environment and equipment must be carried out promptly following notification to and

46

assessment by the RPS. To this end, radioactive spill packs are available in the duct (206b) immediately outside LAB 206.

Note that it is the responsibility of the individual user of ionising radiation to report any contamination incident to the RPS. The RPS cannot be responsible for radiation safety during such incidents if he is not notified. The RPS will report all contamination incidences to the RPA as soon as convenient.

Surface Contamination Action Levels1. Contamination should be kept as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) below the levels given below. Contamination should of course be removed as it occurs so that these levels are not exceeded.

Surface Level of Contamination that should not be exceeded (Bq cm-2)32P 33P 14C 35S 125I 3H

Interiors of fume cups ALARP ALARP ALARP

Controlled Areas 30 300 3000

Other Areas and Skin 3 30 300

2. In the case of contamination that can be wiped off surfaces (other than those of the body and of fabrics etc), it must be assumed, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that 1/10th of the removable contamination has been transferred from the area that has been wiped.3. The contamination of surfaces of the body and of fabrics etc must be assessed by means of direct measurement, the results of which must be considered in accordance with the values given in the table above.4. Contamination on surfaces other than those of the body, so fixed that it cannot be removed by normal cleaning methods, must either be at such a level that no person can receive radiation doses in excess of the values given above or shielding must be provided in order to achieve this result.5. The result of measurements of contamination of skin shall be averaged over an area not exceeding 1 cm2, except in the case of the hands, forearms, feed and ankles for which the whole surface area (nominally 300 cm2 ) may be used. For other surfaces, the results of measurements of removable contamination may be averaged over an area not exceeding 1 m2 in the case of floors, walls and ceilings and over an area not exceeding 300 cm2 in all other cases – equipment, etc.

Methods of Personal Decontamination1. All radiation workers handling radioactive materials must wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before leaving working areas, with particular attention being paid to cleaning the fingernails.

2. When appropriate, the hands should always be checked for the presence of contamination using an approved calibrated monitor before leaving a working area in which radioactive materials have been handled.

3. If, following washing with soap and water, there is contamination on the skin of the hands, they should be washed with EDTA soap (kept in the spill pack) using a soft nailbrush if necessary.

47

Care must always be taken not to damage the skin and so allow contamination to enter the bloodstream.

4. As a last resort at local level, the hands may be steeped in concentrated potassium permanganate solution, allowed to dry and finally wiped with 5% sodium bisulphite solution.

5. The permanganate removes the outer layer of dead skin to which nuclides like 32P tend to bind strongly. The bisulphite removes the staining caused by the permanganate. Vinegar has also been recommended as an effective substance for removing 32P from skin.

6. If the skin is broken or a wound is sustained in conditions where there is a risk of radionuclide contamination, the injury must be immediately irrigated thoroughly with tap water and reasonable bleeding should be encouraged. Care must be taken not to contaminate eyes, mouth or nostrils. The wound should finally be washed with soap and water and dressed.

7. If radioactive material has been splashed into or around the mouth, this should be well rinsed out with clean water whilst taking care not to swallow. If there is a chance that radioactive material has been swallowed, medical advice should be sought from The Royal Victoria Hospital and the RPS informed.

8. Decontamination of the eyes should be undertaken promptly by irrigation with water or saline solution. If possible, the surrounding skin should be decontaminated prior to irrigation to prevent the spread of contamination.

9. Other areas of the skin should be rubbed gently with cotton wool, taking care not to damage the skin.

10. Where significant contamination of parts of the body other than the hands is suspected, such as ingestion or inhalation of radionuclides, or in cases where the above procedures are ineffective, medical advice including whole-body counting should be sought. The RPS and RPA should be notified of any referral to hospital.

Methods of Environmental Decontamination1. When contamination of benches and floors of working areas or laboratory equipment is found, decontamination procedures should be implemented.

2. The contaminated areas should be made off-limits to persons not engaged in the decontamination process.

3. Disposable gloves, apron and overshoes, if appropriate, should always be worn during decontamination procedures.

4. Contaminated bench surfaces and floor areas should be cleaned with detergent and water and, if necessary, Decon 90 swabs. If the contamination is due to a radioisotope with a short half-life and if after a repetition of the above procedure, monitoring shows the contamination to persist, the area should be kept off limits until the radioactivity level has reduced to below the accepted limit

5. If a radioisotope with a long half-life is responsible, the area should be covered, sealed-down and labelled and the RPA consulted.

6. Contaminated glassware and plastics, if not disposable items, should be cleaned with an appropriate detergent such as Decon 90. If the contamination persists, the item should be

48

labelled and stored in an appropriately shielded location until the radioactivity has reduced to below the accepted limit.

7. Metal tools, such as forceps, work trays, sinks and other equipment should be decontaminated with a brush or wire-wool and a heavy duty detergent such as Decon 90 followed, if necessary, by an equal volume mixture of potassium permanganate and 0.2 M sulphuric acid. Storage arrangements apply as above.

8. Radioiodine contamination should be dealt with by using an excess of a solution containing 25 g sodium thiosulphate and 2 g sodium iodide in 1 L of water.

9. Personal and protective clothing of radiation workers must be regularly monitored for the presence of radionuclide contamination. Any article found to be contaminated to a level above the limit specified should be immediately removed for storage in a shielded location in a labelled impermeable bag until the radioactivity level has reduced to below the limit.

10. In cases where an item of personal clothing cannot immediately be removed, the item should be removed as soon as is practically possible but without leaving the area. The Emergency Spill Kit contains a change of clothing. The contaminated clothing should then be kept in an impermeable plastic bag in a shielded location for an appropriate period of time.

11. An investigation into the cause of an incident of environmental contamination should always accompany the decontamination process.

12. The RPS, once informed of environmental contamination, is responsible for ensuring that the above procedures are adopted at all times and that adequate written records are maintained, where appropriate.

CONTINGENCY PLANS

Spillage of Radioactive MaterialsIn the event of an accident involving spillage or leakage of radioactive materials, however minor, the primary concern must be the protection of individuals from exposure to radioactive contamination. The emergency procedures below should be followed.1. The RPS must be contacted immediately. The RPS must immediately inform the RPA and the emergency services in the event of a serious incident, ie one which cannot be dealt with immediately without jeopardising personal safety.2. The area of the spill must be isolated to prevent contamination of people. If there is a risk of intake of radioactivity by aerosol, the immediate area must be evacuated.3. No initial attempt to control the spread of contamination should be made and staff should remain in attendance at a safe distance until the RPS or a trained deputy arrives.4. If radioiodine is spilt, windows should be opened and fume cupboards switched on.5. It must be determined whether any personnel have been contaminated with radioactive and/or infectious material. 6. Utmost care should always be taken to avoid the spread of contamination, including prevention of entry.7. The affected area should be decontaminated under the supervision of the RPS using the spill pack kept in the working area or the materials in the Emergency Spill Kit.8. Disposable gloves must always be worn by the personnel dealing with the spillage, in addition to other protective items as appropriate (e.g. overshoes, disposable apron).9. All excess liquid should be carefully soaked up using absorbent paper or swabs and tongs so as to avoid unnecessary spread of contamination. Filter paper and swabs should be placed in impermeable plastic bags.

49

10. Chemical solutions contained in the Emergency Spill Kit can be carefully employed to reduce the level of contamination as much as possible11. If monitoring indicates the persistence of contamination, even after repeated decontamination procedures, the area should be covered with plastic sheeting, sealed down and adequately labelled for an appropriate period of time. If a radioisotope with a long half-life is involved, the RPA should then be consulted.12. Personnel who have dealt with the spill must wash their hands thoroughly and monitor them to ensure that no skin contamination has occurred; if this has taken place the appropriate decontamination procedures must be followed as detailed above.13. All incidents must be reported to the School Health & Safety Coordinator as soon as possible and details of the spill and the remedial action taken reported to the RPS.14. The RPS must send a written report of all serious accidents and incidents to the RPA.

Fire Precautions Involving Radioactive Substances1. The RPS must ensure that all areas where radioactive materials are stored are appropriately identified in order that the Fire Brigade will be made aware of their presence.

2. In areas where high activity radioactive materials or more hazardous materials (e.g. long physical half-life radionuclides, reference sources or radioiodine) are used or stored, a risk assessment should be made of the radiation risk from contamination or inhalation in the vicinity of the fire to those engaged in fire fighting and to those entering the area after the fire. Such risk assessments should be undertaken by the RPA.

3. It should be remembered that the products of combustion from a fire in a laboratory probably present a greater risk to health than the small amounts of radioactive materials in store or in use.

4. If a radiation risk is suspected when dealing with a fire in an area containing radioactive materials, personnel should wear the appropriate protective clothing and be monitored both following extinction of the fire and any subsequent decontamination procedures.

5. Contaminated clothing and other articles should be dealt with in the manner described above.

6. The RPA must be informed of all incidents involving fire on the premises which affect Lab 206.

PROCEDURES FOR ORDERING RADIONUCLIDESIt is imperative that prior approval is obtained before any radioactive materials are brought on to the premises. This applies equally to donated, purchased and loaned sources.1. Before ordering or otherwise agreeing to receive a radioactive source, the RPS must be informed.2. The RPS will indicate his consent to the use of the material in the School and forward details to the RPA to log preliminary details into the University’s Isostock system.3. The RPS will advise the user if they may proceed with the order and obtain a unique serial number. This number must be written on the source container when it arrives and must be quoted on all internal logging records and disposal summaries.4. The RPS must be informed of the date of arrival of the source and will enter this date on the Isostock system.

PROCEDURES FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSALThe School is authorised to dispose of limited amounts of radioactive waste as SOLID, AQUEOUS LIQUID or ORGANIC LIQUID waste. No other form of radioactive waste disposal is allowable. In addition, the School is authorised to accumulate ORGANIC LIQUID WASTE only. Organic liquid waste includes any aqueous-organic mixtures however small the organic amount.

50

1. Before any new work with ionising radiation is undertaken, it must be verified with the RPS that a valid disposal route is available for any radioactive waste generated.2. Solid or aqueous liquid waste must not be stored prior to disposal.3. Aqueous liquid waste can only be disposed of via the Designated Sink.4. Organic liquid waste, contained within Winchesters or scintillation vials, must be placed in the fume hood or remain in the Scintillation Counter5. Solid waste, such as gloves, paper towels and disposable plasticware, must be disposed of in the Perspex bin in a paper bag with is serial number clearly displayed. Once full, the RPS must be informed so that disposal can be arranged.7. Where solid waste disposal is a result of contaminated vials, gloves etc, the amount of activity should be estimated from the Isostock system and recorded during the disposal procedure.8. If any solid waste (tips, glass or plasticware) contain residual contaminated liquid waste, these should be decontaminated by soaking in Decon 90 prior to disposal. It must not be left to decay naturally.9. Waste must follow the correct routes. In particular, aqueous and organic liquid waste must not be mixed or their routes confused. Also, solid waste must not be placed in containers specified for the disposal of organic liquid.10. All disposals must be recorded on a laboratory notebooks and details forwarded on to the RPS.14. As soon as a registered source has been completely disposed of the RPS must be informed. The RPS will record the date of final disposal on the Isostock database and send details to the RPA, who will remove the source from the database.

WORK WITH IODINE-125 AND OTHER GAMMA EMITTERSAt present, no such work is permissible in the School

EMERGENCY SPILL KITA spill kits is available to users of radioactivity and is located in the duct (206b) directly opposite Lab 206. The key for this kit can be obtained from the Chief Technician and contains the following items:

Disposable gloves Plastic Apron Absorbent paper towels/tissues Decontamination fluids (Decon 90 or RBS 25) in "easy use" container Tongs Plastic bags Plastic floor covering Contamination signs Radioactive marker tape

A contamination monitor is available and is located on the window sill in Lab 206. All users should be aware of the location of this monitor whenever radioactive materials are used.

DOSE LIMITS IONISING RADIATION REGULATIONS (1999) SCHEDULE 4This table provides information on the allowable radiation exposure arsing from radioactivity use. It you are unsure regarding the units used, then contact the RPS.

EMPLOYEES Aged > 18yrs

EMPLOYEES Aged < 18 yrs

ANY OTHER PERSON

EFFECTIVE DOSE WHOLE BODY 20 mSv/year 6 mSv/year 1 mSv/year

51

SKIN 500 mSv/year averaged over 1 cm2

150 mSv/year averaged over 1 cm2

50 mSv/year averaged over 1 cm2

HANDS, FOREARMS, FEET

and ANKLES

500 mSv/year averaged over the

volume


volume


volume

LENS OF EYE 150 mSv 50 mSv 15 mSv

ABDOMEN OF WOMAN OF

REPRODUCTIVE CAPACITY

13 mSv in any consecutive 3

months

13 mSv in any consecutive 3

months

52

the queen’s university of belfastpharmsci.qub.ac.uk/uploads/1/2/1/5/12158556/school_he… ·...

Documents