FCH551 Fall Semester 2005

SUNY – ESF

 

LABORATORY SAFETY GUIDELINES:

 

** You will be asked to leave the laboratory if any of the following safety standards are violated. ** 

 

1.       Eye protection (safety goggles) must be worn at all times while experiments are being conducted in the laboratory.  IMPORTANT:  If you need to be reminded more than once to put on your safety goggles during an experiment, you will be asked to leave the lab for violation of course safety and you will receive a grade of zero for the experiment. 

 

2.       Gloves are provided and should be worn when handling materials and performing experiments.

 

3.       Appropriate attire should be worn in lab at all times (no shorts, short skirts, tank tops, or open footwear).  Long hair must be tied back.  If attire is inappropriate, you will be asked to leave the lab and change before performing the experiment. 

 

4.       Contact lenses should not be worn in the laboratory.  Chemical vapors can become trapped between the eye and the contact lens, causing permanent damage.

 

5.       Never taste anything in the laboratory or put anything in your mouth. 

 

6.       Never directly smell the source of any vapor or gas.  Instead, waft the vapor or gas toward your nose with a cupped hand.

 

7.       Never point a test tube that is being heated towards you or those working around you. 

 

8.       Never heat a graduated cylinder or glass bottle because they break easily.  Also, heating can distort their calibrations. 

 

9.       Perform reactions involving dangerous chemicals (or chemicals with strong odors) in the fume hood.

 

10.   Neutralize acid or base spills as follows:

a.       Acid on clothing, use dilute sodium bicarbonate solution

b.      Base on clothing, use boric acid solution

c.       Acid / Base on the bench or hood, use solid sodium bicarbonate and then clean with water 

 

11.   Know where to find and how to use all safety and first-aid equipment (eye-wash, water shower, fire extinguisher).  Report all accidents (cuts, burns, etc.) even if you think they are minor. 

 

12.   Never perform any unauthorized experiments. 

 

13.   Observe specific safety issues and waste disposal procedures for each experiment. 

 

14.   Generated hazardous waste will be collected after each experiment according to EPA guidelines.  Solid, organic, and inorganic wastes are each collected separately.  Never dispose of material in the sink, unless specifically directed.

 

15.    Before you come to the lab you should be familiar with hazardous aspects of all reagents and products.  You should be able to find MSDS sheets online easily.

 

1.       Know where telephones are located- public safety may be reached at 6666.

 

 

[W T. Winter Aug, 2005; A. Baird, SUNY ESF, July 2004]