1. Kevin Solomon 4 February, 2009 P RATHER L AB L AB S PECIFIC T RAINING

2. To 56 To Ames St To Stata Lab Safety Features 2 Eyewash Stations 1 Safety Shower 1 Fire Extinguisher MSDS binder located on bookshelf by Lab Entrance 2 Emergency Exits

3. Personal Protective Equipment Safety/Prescription glasses should be worn at all times Be mindful of UV hazards near the EtBr area Gloves should be worn most times Protection of self from biohazards Protection of experiments from human-hazards Latex Examination Gloves serve only as water permeable barrier Consult MSDS and Glove Manufacturers for permeability to hazardous reagents Lab coats provided, but optional Recommend wearing for handling of hazardous materials (e.g. Ethidium Bromide)

4. Good Microbial Practices Work with live cultures is permissible on open bench (BL1) For sterility Should be in Biosafety Cabinet, or Near open flame on benchtop Know the biohazard level of purchased strains & materials BL2 or higher organisms pose additional risks for personnel and requires lab re-certification Always wear gloves when working with cultures Be mindful of glove contamination

5. Waste Disposal EHS, Federal Regulations and QuANGOs require the separation of waste streams according to hazard type Solid Waste Nonhazardous Waste Recycling Bin Solid Biohazardous Waste Biosharps Chem Sharps EtBr Solid Waste

6. Waste Disposal Cont’d Liquid Waste Sink Qiagen/Zymo Waste Guanidine Thiocyanate (QG/ADB) Chemical Waste Alkaline Aqueous Waste – For pH ≥ 7 solutions that are not oxidizing or predominately organic. Acidic Aqueous Waste – For pH ≤ 7 solutions that are not oxidizing or predominately organic. Organic Waste – For waste that is predominantly organic in nature (ethanol, acetone, butanol, etc.), except for waste containing strong oxidizers. Oxidizer Waste – For waste containing any amount of a strong oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide, permanganate, chromates, nitric acid, etc.).

7. Waste Disposal Guidelines Treat liquid biowaste w/ 10% (v/v) bleach solution for 5+ mins before sewering Check Sink Disposal sign under sink for chemicals that may be safely sewered All liquid waste (including biohazardous garbage) must be kept in secondary containment at all times All liquid waste must have a Red Tag When waste is full, date the tag and call EHS for pickup If a waste stream does NOT have a Red Tag, it is Effluent. Do not call it Waste If you add to a waste stream, update the Red Tag (exception: Miniprep and QG/ADB Waste) When in common areas, please empty and replace waste receptacles if full Do not overflow HPLC Effluent For Mixed Waste: Bio designation takes priority except with volatile organics May need separate containment for mixed

8. Miscellany Break down boxes before recycling Do not throw boxes or other garbage in the hall way (exception: Biosharps) Storage of hazardous reagents should be in the solvent cabinet and not personal benches/shelves. When new chemicals are introduced to the lab, obtain the MSDS and add to the binder HOUSEKEEPING – more important as lab becomes more crowded.

9. Final Notes To be safe, you must be aware of your surroundings. Assume any new chemical is unsafe until you find out otherwise. Assume any material to be discarded is hazardous unless you know otherwise.

10. EHS Rep Weekly Inspection Occurs every Friday by our EHS Rep See level 1 checklist at: http://web.mit.edu/environment/ehs/rep_tools.html http://web.mit.edu/environment/ehs/rep_tools.html

11. Be CAREFUL and use COMMON SENSE! KNOW what you are working with LABEL – especially when using common areas CLEAN up common areas immediately and periodically maintain your lab bench Be RESPECTFUL of other people’s experiments, solutions, reagents, etc.