1. Laboratory Safety Revised January, 2015
The School of Science and Math has a universal safety policy that all students are responsible for following and all instructors are obligated to enforce. This presentation is designed to educate students on the hazards of working in a chemistry laboratory and to give you the knowledge to keep yourself safe.
Revised January, 2015

2. THE CHEMISTRY LABORATORY INCLUDES HAZARDS AND RISKS.
Scientists understand the risks involved in the laboratory and have established a set of laboratory safety practices. This presentation summarizes some of the safety rules that scientists follow in the laboratory.

3. 1. Personal Protective Equipment: What is required for you to wear when you work in the laboratory.

4. PPE – Personal Protective Equipment
Slide 4: All chemistry labs require these minimum PPE:
safety glasses or goggles
closed shoes so that feet are not exposed---no high heels
lab coat
a supply of nitrile gloves
Your instructor will send you home if you do not come properly dressed for lab.

5. Eye Protection
Contact lenses are OK if goggles or safety glasses are worn
Prescription glasses – you must wear goggles over them
Wish I'd Worn My Safety Glasses Video
Eye wash station
Goggles: provide full
Coverage and seal to
your face
Contact lenses may be worn, but you must wear goggles or glasses over them. Most prescription glasses do not offer adequate protection (unless they have side shields) and goggles or safety glasses must be worn over them.
Safety glasses must have
side shields.

6. UV Goggles Cabinet – in most labs
As a courtesy, in many labs there are a supply of goggles that can be borrowed and students can return them to the UV cabinet. You should not necessarily rely on the availability of these goggles and it is best to bring your own.

7. Eye Protection, continued
Many labs in SSMB have student seating areas. Students must wear safety glasses when seated in these areas if any chemistry or cleanup is going on in the laboratory. You do not have to wear the glasses in the seating area at the start of lab during pre-lab lecture, provided there is no equipment or active experiments running. Once anyone starts an experiment everyone must wear safety glasses and lab coats until they exit the lab. This rule holds even when you are in the seating area working on results
After lab has started, all students---even those in the seating areas----must be wearing eye protection

8. Tie back long hair before entering the laboratory, don’t wear dangling jewelry.
Yale physics student Michele Dufault was killed in a shop accident in April 2011 that would have been prevented had she tied her hair back
Long hair should be tied up when working in a chemistry lab to protect from fire and to protect from spinning equipment. A tragic lab accident occurred at Yale University when a student’s hair became caught in a shop lathe, resulting in the student’s death. Minimize the use of gel or spray hair products.

9. Foot Protection
Sandals, flip-flops, Crocs, open-toe and open-top (i.e. ballet flat) shoes and canvas shoes (i.e. Toms) are not appropriate. These will not adequately protect your feet.   
Your shoes should fully cover your feet. Here are examples of foot wear that will not be allowed in the lab.

10. Be Smart about the shoes you elect to wear to lab
This person has on pants and closed toed-shoes but this would not be allowed in lab due to the exposed skin
This person added socks, so this option covers your skin but only offers minimal protection
This option looks better, but imagine chemicals being spilled into the top of these boots
Your best options are sturdy leather footwear that covers the entire top of the foot or a sturdy running shoe.

11. Result of Improper Footwear in a Laboratory
Your feet are very vulnerable in the lab and the footwear policy will be strictly enforced.
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL July 2003
Your instructor will send you home to change if you do not
have appropriate shoes or other required PPE. There should be
no exposed skin on your feet.

12. Hand Protection: Chemically resistant Lab Gloves✓ 
Wear gloves of a material known to be resistant to permeation by the substances in use – nitrile is good for most of our laboratory classes. Latex gloves are not allowed.
Inspect each glove for small holes or tears before use.
When you spill on your glove or tear it, change it immediately. Throw gloves away any time you take them off.
In most of our labs, nitrile gloves will be sufficient to provide protection from the chemicals used. Be aware, though, that gloves made from a variety of materials are sold and may not adequately protect your hands. At CofC, we do not permit the use of latex gloves.

13. Karen Wetterhahn (October 16, 1948 – June 8, 1997)
The latex gloves she was wearing were not resistant to methyl mercury – it passed through the glove, through her skin, entered her blood system and resulted in her death.
Dartmouth College
Another tragic lab accident occurred at Dartmouth when a professor died from cleaning up a spill of methyl mercury that penetrated her latex gloves, absorbed through her skin, and poisoned her. As you work with new chemicals, look up the compatibility of the gloves you use with that chemical.

14. Use of Gloves
Remove gloves before handling objects such as doorknobs, telephones, pens, computer keyboards, pH meter or other electronic buttons, or phones while in lab. It might be convenient to have one gloved hand and one ungloved hand to do procedures where these kinds of things are used.
Throw away gloves anytime you take them off.
You should expect to use several pairs of gloves in any given lab period.
You should bring numerous pairs of gloves to lab each week. Gloves are meant to be discarded after they are contaminated with chemicals. Do not re-use gloves. Do not touch door handles, computer keyboards, or other common equipment with gloved hands.

15. Wash your hands!
Always, even after wearing gloves, wash your hands with soap and water before leaving the lab.
Your last activity each lab should be washing your hands with soap and water.

16. Lab Coats and Long Pants
All students in a Chemistry lab must be wearing long pants that cover your entire leg.
All students must wear a knee-length lab coat. These are available in the bookstores.
No skin should be showing from your waist down.
Keep your lab coat in a plastic zip lock bag to prevent contamination of items in your book bag
All students are required to wear a lab coat while working in the lab.
No skin should be showing anywhere below the waist
Keep your lab coat sequestered from other items in your back pack. We recommend getting a new lab coat each semester.

17. UCLA Lab Fire: December 29, 2008
Sheri Sangji was using this plastic syringe to transfer tert-butyllithium. This was not the correct procedure, because this compound is well-known to ignite if it is comes in contact with air. The syringe plunger dropped out of the syringe and the reagent ignited. Sheri died January 16, 2009 of severe burns. She was wearing nitrile gloves but no lab coat. The students assisting her did not remember to put her under the safety shower.
Sheharbano (Sheri) Sangji was using a syringe to transfer tert-butyllithium from a reagent bottle to a reaction flask. The chemical ignites spontaneously in air. Somehow, the plunger came out of the syringe, exposing the reagent to the atmosphere. Sangji, wearing nitrile gloves but not a lab coat, also knocked over an open flask of hexane in the hood. The tert-butyllithium and solvent ignited, and Sangji’s clothes caught fire. Sangji was burned on her torso, arms, and hands. “Her hands had some of the deepest burns, down to the tendons,” says Naveen Sangji, Sheri’s sister. Sheri died of her injuries on Jan. 16, 2009.

18. Lessons from UCLA accident
Lessons: know the proper procedures for transferring dangerous reagents. Wear your lab coat and safety glasses at all times in the lab. Know where safety shower and other emergency equipment is – you may need to be the one who is ready to act when your lab mate is unable to help themselves.
Be aware of the hazards of the materials you work with. Always keep your PPE on during lab. Even if you are only washing dishes, keep your glasses and lab coat on. If others are still doing chemistry in the lab, you should keep your safety glasses on, even if you are sitting in the classroom portion of the lab.

19. 2. Eyewash and Safety Shower: Know where these are in your lab.
Please take a moment now to locate and memorize the position of the safety shower and the eye wash station.

20. Eyewash / Safety Shower
The safety shower is on the right. Pull the handle and water will start spraying from the shower head on the ceiling. There’s no drain in the floor – we only do this in emergencies, because a flood of water will have to be cleaned up.
The eyewash is on the left. Pull the handle and a fountain of water will appear that you can use to bathe your eyes.
The eye wash and safety showers in most labs in the new science center are a single unit. Pulling the handle on the left brings down a fountain that will automatically activate. You are welcome to test the eye wash.
Pulling the handle on the right will activate the ceiling mounted safety shower. Note that most safety showers do not have a drain under them. Do not test the safety showers and use only in an emergency.

21. Eye Wash
This slide shows what the opened eye wash in our building looks like.

22. Safety Shower
The showers are ceiling mounted. It is imperative that the floor area underneath the shower remains clear.

23. 3. Chemical Fume Hoods: You must do your experiment in the hood if any of your reagents are flammable, have harmful fumes or present a splash or explosion hazard.
Most labs are equipped with fume hoods where students can carry out reactions involving flammable solvents, strong acids and bases, or other hazardous chemicals. Hoods also provide a physical shield if there is a splash or explosion hazard.

24. Using the Fume Hoods properly
This
window/bar
is called
the sash.
Hoods will not work if they are open too wide. Our hoods are equipped with flow monitors that should read normal. If the hood is opened too wide, the air flow monitor will alarm. Close the hood to re-establish the air flow and press “mute” to silence the alarm.
If this is not saying NORMAL, then the hood
is not protecting you. Keeping the sash
and sliding panels in proper position keeps this
NORMAL, otherwise the alarm goes off.
If the alarm goes off, you need to reposition
things to the correct positions, then press the
“mute” button to reset the controller.
The sash should never be raised above
the green “operation” level when you
are working in the hood.

25. ✓ ✓ × ✓ In use, side-to-side panel used as shield Closed, not in use
In use, sash (window) raised
to less than 18 inches
Don’t open side shields
to make one big window.
When you leave the lab, or when it is not in use, your hood should be fully closed. Side-to-side panels can be moved to allow a space for each arm. The center panel serves as a face shield. The hood sash can also be raised to less than 18 inches, and your arms can work underneath the sash. If chemicals are being used, your hood should not be wide open, as the air flow does not work properly. This last position may be necessary, though, to set up equipment prior to opening any chemicals. × ✓

26. Fume Hood Use
Video on use of Fume Hood

27. Keep liquid reagent containers in trays to catch all spills and drips
When using a laboratory hood, set the equipment and chemicals back at least 6 inches.
Never lean in and/or put your head in the hood when you are working. This is worse than doing the experiment with no hood at all.
Keep liquid reagent containers in trays to catch all spills and drips
Keep your head out of the hood at all times. Trays can be used to prevent spills. All chemicals should be at least 6 inches into the hood.

28. 4. Know the risks of the chemical reagents you are working with
Read procedures ahead of time so that you are aware of the chemicals being used in lab and so that you are aware of any known hazards.

29. Labels are important
Older NFPA labels with hazard levels identified on the diamond
New GHS label system with pictogram hazards
Even if it seems obvious.
In the chemistry lab, nothing is ever obvious.
If you prepare a solution, prepare a label. You may want to bring a sharpie marker to lab and take advantage of label tape and stickers to make labels. Labs are in the process of transitioning away from the older NFPA labels to the newly required GHS labels. When a student makes a solution, it is important to have the chemical name, your initials, and the date on a label at a minimum.
Students may want to bring a sharpie to lab for writing labels on solutions that they make. At a minimum, a student made solution should have the chemical name, the date, and the student’s initials.

30. Older: NFPA Diamond (National Fire Protection Agency)
The Chemistry department formerly used the NFPA Diamond to alert lab workers of hazards of chemicals. The diamond notes known health hazards, fire hazard rating based on flash point, reactivity, and other hazards such as radioactivity, water sensitivity, etc. You will still see many reagents with NFPA diamonds

31. New Standard: GHS (Globally Harmonized System)
Under GHS regulations, each chemical product label must contain the following: Product Identifier, Signal Word, Pictogram, Hazard Statement, and Supplier Information.
OSHA now requires the use of the GHS system (Globally Harmonized System) that uses pictograms for immediate identification of Hazard Class. GHS labels from manufacturers also require signal words, hazard statements, and supplier information.

32. MSDS (SDS)
Provides procedures for handling or working with that substance in a safe manner
Includes physical data
melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc. toxicity, health effects, first aid
reactivity, storage, disposal
protective equipment, & spill-handling procedures.
Many MSDS sheets can be easily found with a google search.
SDS has replaced the MSDS acronym
MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheet. The MSDS for chemicals used in your lab will be located in a yellow and black folder in your lab. The MSDS sheet is a source of information for the hazards of a chemical. Many MSDS sheets can also be found on line, by typing the a search phrase “MSDS and the chemical name”.

33. 5. Fire Safety

34. Fire Alarms – know the location of one close to your lab
It is imperative that you know the locations of the nearest fire alarms. Take a moment now to locate these. The nearest alarm is probably in the hall outside of your lab.

35. Fire Extinguishers – we have several in the labs and in the hallways.
Fire extinguishers are also available near the doors of the labs. Take a moment now to locate the nearest fire extinguishers.

36. The proper sequence for operating a fire extinguisher can be remembered with the acronym PASS. Pull the trigger, Aim the nozzle, Squeeze the trigger, and Sweep the foam back and forth at the base of the fire.

37. Types of Fire Extinguishers
This is a special fire extinguisher for combustible metal fires. It is a type D fire extinguisher. You won’t need to use this unless you work in a research lab with combustible metals.
Fire extinguishers come in types A, B, C, and D. Most of ours are an ABC combo, which makes them appropriate for use on most types of laboratory fires. We have some Type D fire extinguishers which are intended for flammable metals.
Most of our fire extinguishers are ABC.
It contains a dry powder to put out the kinds of fires we might encounter in the chemistry labs where we have class.

38. Demonstration of PASS and Use of a Fire Extinguisher

39. Student Reaction in a Fire
Although we want you to be informed on the operation of a fire extinguisher, we do not expect you to use it. If a fire is ignited in your area, the proper STUDENT response is to:
Notify everyone in the room
Proceed to the nearest exit and pull the nearest fire alarm
Evacuate the building
Assemble in front of the library or in the YWCA parking lot
Students are not expected to put out fires. Your response should be to notify the instructor and your classmates, proceed to the nearest safe exit, pull the fire alarm, and evacuate the building. Designated meeting points are in front of the library on Calhoun Street OR in the YWCA parking lot on Coming Street.

40. Working with flames
Never leave experiments unattended unless you take special precautions to avoid accidents and you notify the responsible individuals.
Flames are never allowed when flammable gases or liquids are in use.
Always alert others before lighting a flame.
Never leave a flame unattended under any circumstances.
Many labs make use of open flames of Bunsen burners. Before lighting your burner, notify your neighbors and check for any flammable solvents in the vicinity of your flame. Never heat a volatile solvent over an open flame. Never leave your flame unattended. Be sure to turn your gas flow off when you extinguish your flame. The handle of the gas should be perpendicular to the hose in the closed position.

41. 6. Gas Cylinder Safety

42. Gas Cylinders http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mReuQCuJNQQ
A gas cylinder will become a missile if the valve is broken or cracked.
Gas cylinders must always be securely chained to a wall. The chain should not be loose.
If a cylinder is not in use or is going to be moved, it must be capped to protect you and everyone else in the building.
Do not attempt to move a gas cylinder or to adjust regulators attached to a cylinder.
Do not open a gas valve if it does not have a regulator attached to the valve
Gas cylinders in general chemistry and organic labs are likely part of the operation of instruments; students should not attempt to adjust the regulators or move the cylinders.
Many experiments or instruments in upper level or research labs require the use of compressed gases that are stored in cylinders. A cylinder in use will have a regulator attached to it to control the gas flow from the cylinder. Do not touch the regulators as they have been set to deliver a particular pressure and increasing that pressure can break instruments or cause a dangerous build up of pressure in an apparatus. When they are not in use, they will have a protective cap on them. The cap helps protect the valve. Never, ever open a cylinder from the main valve without a regulator attached.
Exposed valve
regulator

43. Gas Cylinder Safety × ✓
Gas cylinders should only be moved with a cart. Gas cylinders must be chained to the wall, whether in use with a regulator or not in use with a cap. You should not attempt to move a gas cylinder unless you have been trained to do so.

44. 7. Disposal Procedures

45. Broken Glassware
Always check your glassware and discard any with chips, breaks, or obvious flaws.
Throw away broken glassware into special glass waste containers
Chipped glassware is not safe to use. Check all glassware for cracks and “stars” prior to use. Dispose of any broken glass in specially marked glass disposal boxes. Do not throw paper or other waste in the glass boxes and do not throw glass waste in the regular trash. Do not use your hands to pick up broken pieces of glass. Labs are equipped with brooms and dust pans for this purpose.

46. Waste Disposal
Waste containers are provided for chemical waste generated in laboratories
Some things can go down the sink, some can’t. Always check with your instructor.
Care must be used to avoid mixing incompatible chemicals such as
Acids with Bases
Oxidizers and Flammables
Water reactive and aqueous solutions
Cyanides and acids
Waste containers are available for disposal of your chemicals. Waste containers must be labeled with the contents. Do not overfill a waste container. Tightly cap the container at the end of lab. Some chemicals are incompatible and should not be added to the same container. Check with your instructor.

47. University of Maryland September 26, 2011
Students were conducting an experiment with nitric acid and sulfuric acid was added into a chemical waste container, causing a violent chemical reaction sparked a small fire in and near the laboratory chemical ventilation hood.
Two female students were injured as a result
Sustained first- and second-degree chemical burns and superficial cuts.
At University of Maryland, students mixed incompatible chemicals together in a waste container and ignited a fire, injuring several students

48. 8. How to be a good lab citizen

49. Must-have habits for good lab students
Begin with a clean work surface with your instructions clearly posted and available; have a clear, clean work space and eliminate unnecessary books, book bags, equipment, etc.
Return all lab materials and equipment to their proper places after use as instructed; clean your lab space as instructed by your teacher or lab instructor/supervisor leaving it in proper order for the next person.
Keep the lab tidy. Return all common equipment. Close all reagent bottles after you use them to prevent spills. Read procedures ahead of time.

50. Keep your lab area clean.× ×
Don’t block the floor in front of the eyewash/shower station.
Don’t leave cords dangling because someone will trip over them. × ×
Don’t leave things in the floor because someone will trip over it.
These examples show poor attention to safety. Clean labs are safer labs. Look for tripping hazards and make sure nothing obstructs access to safety equipment such as eye washes or fire extinguishers.
Throw away used paper towels and used gloves, immediately.

51. Don’t put anything on your face or in your mouth while you’re in lab.
Take care not to ingest anything in the laboratory!
Food, gum, beverages, candy, and tobacco products are never allowed in the laboratory.
Don’t apply makeup, chapstick, lotion, or anything to your face or hands during lab. Wash your hands with soap then leave the lab before touching your face or other exposed skin.
In the seating areas of labs, sealed water bottles or beverages should be in and stay in a backpack for the duration of the lab.
In the lab, there are: No food. No drinks. No makeup. No lotions. Do not use chemical refrigerators to store food and do not use food refrigerators to store chemicals. In the classroom area of labs, sealed water bottles or beverages should be in and stay in a backpack.

52. Stay aware of what’s happening around you while you’re working in the lab.
Don’t use any distracting electronic devices while in laboratory. If you touch your phone during lab, you’re contaminating it with whatever chemicals you’ve been working with.
Do not wear earbuds in the lab. You need to be able to hear important announcements, especially in an emergency or when a safety concern is addressed.
It is useful to have your phone in the lab for emergency use. However, keep it safely away from chemicals and do not use it during lab except for an emergency. Do not use ipads, iphones, or ipods. Earbuds are not allowed. Loud, distracting music is not allowed.

53. Chemical Spills
Notify your instructor and your neighbors if you spill chemicals on the floor or bench.
Don’t try to clean it up yourself. Your instructor may need to use a specially designed chemical spill kit.
Each lab is equipped with a spill kit that contains absorbent materials such as spill mats, snakes, and vermiculite.
In the event of a chemical spill, notify your instructor and your neighbors. Your instructor will utilize a spill kit similar to the one shown ihere.

54. Texas Tech January 7, 2010
Conducting research funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on energetic / explosive compounds
Attempting to produce 100 times more of an explosive compound than the informal lab limit (100mg)
Lesson:
Follow instructions
in the lab.
In January 2010, two graduate students at Texas Tech University were conducting research funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on energetic or explosive compounds; at the time of the accident a senior graduate student had been working on the project for about a year and was helping train a first-year graduate student. The students were tasked with synthesizing and performing tests on a new compound, a derivative of nickel hydrazine perchlorate (NHP).
The two principal investigators for the research believed they had verbally established a 100 milligram limit on the production of energetic materials, but the CSB investigation found there was no formal system for communicating this limit or verifying compliance. Few of the graduate students interviewed during the investigation believed that a strict 100 mg limit existed.
The CSB found that initially, the compound was made in small batches of less than 300 milligrams, but the two students were concerned about potential variability among different small batches of the compound which could affect later test results. They decided to scale up the synthesis to make a single batch of approximately 10 grams, enough for all of their testing. The graduate students believed that keeping the compound wet with a solvent would prevent it from exploding. After producing the larger batch, the more senior graduate student observed that it contained clumps that he believed needed to be broken using a mortar and pestle up prior to testing. As the pestle pressed against the compound, it detonated. The graduate student was seriously injured: his left hand severely damaged by the force of the explosion, causing the loss of three fingers, perforation of his eye, and cuts and burns to other parts of his body.

55. Students must report any injuries, big or small.
Report all injuries to the instructor. We will not call emergency services unless the instructor determines it is a serious injury.
An incident report will be filled out whether it is small or serious.
All injuries in the lab must be reported to your instructor who will file an incident report with the department.

56. Injury procedure, continued
First Aid kits are available in the lab with band aids and other items for treating small cuts and burns.
If it is a serious injury, your instructor will call campus emergency services, Our campus officers will work with the instructor and/or injured student to determine whether or not 911 EMS should be called in.
Minor cuts or burns can be treated at the discretion of the instructor, but campus safety officials will be called if the instructor thinks it is necessary.

57. Please take a moment now to program this number into your cell phones
Once again, the number to call in an emergency is:
Please take a moment now to program this number into your cell phones
Program the emergency number into your cell phones.

58. The Responsibilities of your Lab Instructor
The number one responsibility of your lab instructor is to maintain a safe working environment for all students in the lab
This means that they will be in attendance during your lab, that they will be actively walking around lab helping to monitor experiments, and that they will insist on all students wearing appropriate PPE.
Do not ask permission to attend lab without PPE, as Chemistry and Biochemistry instructors risk dismissal if they approve of such requests.
Do not ask to be let into the lab if you arrive without the correct PPE and without the correct clothing.
Lab instructors will insist that all students are wearing PPE at all times while chemistry or cleanup is being conducted.
Lab instructors will stay in the lab while it is in session.

59. Report any concerns
If you have any safety concerns about the lab you are working in or the people working around you, you can contact:
Your lab instructor
Dr. Neal Tonks– Head of the departmental safety committee
Dr. Pamela Riggs-Gelasco – Department Chair for Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr. Jim Deavor, Associate Dean of the School of Science and Mathematics.

60. Summary Know & follow the Safety Rules
Look for & recognize safety hazards
Take proactive steps to minimize the risk of injury from the hazards.
Item number 2 requires that you READ the PROCEDURES before coming to lab. Safety concerns will be featured in pre-lab quizzes.