1. Inorganic Chemistry Lab

2. 1. PPE
Personal Protective Equipment: What must be worn when you work in the laboratory.
Eye Protection
Lab Coat
Long Pants
Closed Toed Shoes and Socks– no exposed skin around feet
Lab gloves – when required

3. Eye Protection
Contact lenses are OK as long as glasses/goggles are worn
Prescription glasses – you must wear goggles over them
Safety goggles are provided in organic labs in UV irradiating cabinets
Eye wash stations are present in all labs

4. Clothing and Foot Protection
Clothing must cover all exposed skin including legs/ankles
Socks as required PPE
Stockings or leggings do not provide good coverage
Sandals, flip-flops, Crocs, open-toe and open-top (i.e. ballet flat) shoes and canvas shoes (i.e. Toms) are not appropriate. These are not going to protect your feet if you drop a piece of glass with a liquid chemical reagent in it.   

5. 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.
Glove video

6. Glove Recycling
Contaminated Gloves with visible signs of chemical exposure or those used with
hazardous substances should be collected in solid waste or
Uncontaminated Gloves that have no visible sign of chemical exposure or residue can be placed in
the glove recycling container.
The College is recycling nitrile gloves.  Gloves with visible signs of
chemical exposure or those used with
hazardous substances
should be collected in
solid waste or
biohazard containers.  Uncontaminated gloves with no visible sign of chemical exposure can be placed in the glove recycling container.  
No other waste (paper, etc) can be in the glove recycling boxes.
biohazard containers.
If there’s any questions or the boxes need attention, please contact Dr. Katherine Mullaugh.
Phone:

7. 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.

8. Eye Wash

9. Using the Fume Hoods properly
This
window/bar
is called
the sash.
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.

10. ✓ ✓ × ✓ 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. × ✓

11. When using a laboratory hood, Check that the airflow is in the normal range on the digital display
Turn on the hood light
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.
It’s a good idea to put liquid reagent containers in trays to catch all spills and drips

12. Fire Alarms – know the location of one close to your lab

13. Fire Extinguishers – we have several in the labs and in the hallways.

15. 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.
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.

16. 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
If possible shutdown any reaction in progress by removing heat/energy source
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 for a positive headcount

17. 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.
Throw away used paper towels and used gloves, immediately.

18. Injury procedure, continued
First Aid kits are available in the lab with band aids and other items for treating small cuts and burns.
Campus public safety can be reached at for non-emergencies.
If it is a serious injury, call 911 for emergencies.
The LiveSafe app can also be used to report emergencies and non-emergencies.
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.

19. Cryogens
Cryogens: liquefied gases that are kept in their liquid state at very low temperatures.
Used to access low temperatures
Boiling points below -150°C (- 238°F)
High expansion ratios (average 700:1)
When they are heated (room temperature) they vaporize very rapidly
If volume cannot be expanded, the pressure will increase and possibly blow something up

20. Handling Cryogens
Know the properties of the cryogens before handling them
Examine equipment before use
Many materials shrink, become brittle, or crack at such low temperatures, so take care when selecting materials to be used with cryogens.
Spilled cryogens can expand to gas rapidly and displace air in enclosed areas

21. Handling Cryogens
If using cryogens to cool an object, insert the object slowly using tongs
this minimizes boiling and splashing
Jewelry can freeze to exposed skin
Exposure can cause severe frostbite
Always wear proper PPE that covers
Legs, feet, and arms, safety glasses or
Face shield and thermal gloves

22. 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:
To your instructor
Dr. Marcello Forconi– 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.