1. Laboratory Safety
Revised August 19, 2013

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

5. Eye Protection Contact lenses are OK if goggles are worn
Prescription glasses – you must wear goggles over them
Wish I'd Worn My Safety Glasses Video
Eye wash station
Splash zone video

6. UV Goggles Cabinet – in most labs

7. 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

8. 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 are not going to protect your feet if you drop a piece of glass with a liquid chemical reagent in it.   

9. Result of Improper Footwear in a Laboratory
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.

10. 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.
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.

11. 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 weeks after the exposure.
Dartmouth College

12. 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.

13. Wash your hands!
Always, even after wearing gloves, wash your hands with soap and water before leaving the lab.
Hand washing video

14. 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.

15. Lessons from UCLA accident
Lessons: know the proper procedures for transferring dangerous reagents. Wear your lab coat 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.

16. 2. Eyewash and Safety Shower: Know where these are in your lab.

17. 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.

18. Eye Wash

19. Safety Shower

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. ✓ ✓ × ✓ 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. × ✓

23. Fume Hood Use
Video on use of Fume Hood

24. 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

25. 4. Know the risks of the chemical reagents you are working with

26. Labels are important Even if it seems obvious.
In the chemistry lab, nothing is ever obvious.

27. NFPA Diamond

28. 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.

29. 5. Fire Safety

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

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

33. 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.

35. 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

36. 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.

37. 6. Gas Cylinder Safety

38. Gas Cylinders http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mReuQCuJNQQ
A gas cylinder will become a missile if the valve is broken or cracked.
For this reason, gas cylinders must always be securely chained to a wall or a permanent bench in the lab. 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 until you have been trained on this important procedure.

39. Gas Cylinder Safety × ✓

40. 7. Disposal Procedures

41. Broken Glassware
Always check your glassware and discard any with chips, breaks, or obvious flaws.
Throw away broken glassware into special glass waste containers

42. 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

43. 8. How to be a good lab citizen

44. 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.

45. 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.

46. 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.

47. 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.

48. 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.

49. 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.

50. 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.

51. 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.

52. 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

53. Chemical storage
Flammables/combustibles
Acids
Bases
Oxidizers

54. Mineral Acids – inorganic acids
Mineral Acids can be stored together except for Nitric Acid, which must be stored by itself because it is also strong oxidizer.
Strong Mineral Acids
Weak Mineral Acids
Hydrochloric Acid
Hydrobromic Acid
Hydroiodic Acid
Nitric Acid
Perchloric Acid
Sulfuric Acid
Phosphoric Acid
Boric Acid
Hydrofluoric Acid

55. Organic Acids
Organic Acids can be stored together, but they must be stored separately from both mineral acids and nitric acid.

56. Storing Acids and Bases
Mineral Acids can be stored in the same cabinet as Bases, as long as they are physically isolated from each other.
If your lab contains some of each of these categories of acids, you should have the following separate cabinets:
Mineral Acids + Bases
Organic Acids
Nitric Acid (Strong Oxidizer)

57. The color of the bottle cap has a meaning.
Cap color corresponds to concentrated solution of:
Red: Nitric Acid
Blue: Hydrochloric Acid
Yellow: Sulfuric Acid
Brown: Acetic Acid
White: Phosphoric Acid
Also one base:
Green: Ammonium Hydroxide

58. Acid bottles (+ ammonium hydroxide)
If you prepare an aqueous solution and store it in a glass or plastic bottle, you shouldn’t use one of these cap colors. Instead, try to use clear, black, orange, or purple caps.

59. Nitric Acid
If nitric acid is mixed with a flammable organic compound, such as acetic acid, the heat from the oxidation and neutralization reactions is enough to ignite the flammable material.
Nitric acid also slowly destroys its red plastic bottle cap. Always replace with a new red cap.
Nitric acid may turn yellow over time because of the release of nitrogen dioxide on exposure to light. The yellow color does not affect the product’s usefulness in the school laboratory.

60. Sulfuric Acid
Concentrated sulfuric acid is a strong dehydrating agent. Because of its strong ability to remove water, it reacts violently with many organic materials such as sugar, wood, and paper.
If sulfuric acid has turned brown, it has probably been contaminated with an organic material and its purity should be in question.

61. 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; they sustained first- and second-degree chemical burns and superficial cuts.

62. Hydrochloric Acid
Concentrated hydrochloric acid fumes continuously and cannot be stored without releasing hydrochloric acid vapor. These fumes are responsible for most of the corrosion damage in your chemical storeroom. Storing hydrochloric acid in a wood or plastic-lined acid cabinet is a must. Hydrochloric acid fumes will quickly corrode metal cabinets.
Hydrochloric acid fumes mixed with ammonia fumes will react to form ammonium chloride clouds and possibly toxic chloramines. Open containers of these two reagents should not be in the same hood.

63. 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.

64. 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.