Preston Brown, a graduate student at Texas Tech University was working on the highly energetic nickel hydrazine perchlorate (NHP) in early January 2010 when an almost fatal accident that scarred him for life occurred. In a series of events that involved disregard for his supervisor’s guidelines, failure to wear safety and personal protection equipment (PPE), he incurred a perforated eye, three lost digits, and severe lacerations on his arms following the explosion of the NHP.
To avoid such harmful repercussions, it is important to always put safety first by ensuring all lab members are well trained and adhere strictly to the rules and guidelines put in place. This post breaks down a number of these stipulations to enable new staff or students to navigate the lab environment in a way that reduces the risk of injury and damage to the lab.
The very first point of action for new staff or students is to go through a general orientation, usually by the lab manager or a graduate student. This encompasses the standard operating procedures, safety rules, and emergency response guidelines. It is imperative to take this training seriously, jot down notes if need be, request copies of these guidelines for in-depth study, and ask questions when things are not clear.
Regardless of the type of lab you are in, there are general rules on safety that you need to observe as discussed below:
You need to be familiar with what to do in case of an accident and whom to report to or contact. It is imperative to know where items like fire extinguishers, emergency showers, eyewash faucets, first aid kits, and fire blankets are stored and how to operate or use them. Ensure all accidents, however minor is reported to your supervisor.
Do not operate any equipment or conduct experiments without prior training.
If you are still unsure of a certain procedure, get help from your supervisor or any other trained staff. Write down protocols or make copies of the SOPs to refer to when in doubt.
This ensures that you are not alone for prolonged periods because working alone leaves you more vulnerable in case of accidents or injuries. Having other members around you also ensures you have extra pairs of eyes to point out potential risks that you might miss while performing your experiments.
This means that there should be no direct sniffing, touching, or tasting of chemicals or reaction mixes. In addition:
Malfunction of sockets or equipment can lead to injury from electric shocks and damage of lab from fires, therefore:
Safety guidelines depend on the classification of the laser, with high-powered laser requiring more safety measures. Generally, consider the following:
Chemistry labs have an assortment of chemicals and reagents that range from very toxic to generally innocuous chemicals. Fatal and harmful accidents can result from careless handling or non-compliance to rules and guidelines. The following guidelines apply;
It is essential for the new lab members to understand the usage of symbols and colors to signify chemical properties and their potential hazards. For example, color blue for health hazards, yellow for unstable chemicals, and red for flammable. There are also symbols and pictograms used to denote radioactive substances, carcinogens, irritants, etc. All these must be clear to everyone handling these chemicals.
Prior to the use of any chemical, ensure you have read and understood its material safety data sheet (MSDS). This contains instructions on safe use, potential hazards, and how to handle spills and disposal. All MSDS should be filed in a central place where lab members can easily access them when in need of clarification.
All lab preparations and aliquots of reagents should be clearly labeled with the following:
This should be stored in the appropriate container, for example; amber containers for light-sensitive reagents, and stored under the right temperature.
It is important to adhere to the storage guidelines of chemicals within the lab for instance:
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Each member of the lab must learn and adhere to the rules and guidelines set, to minimize the chances of harm befalling them within the work environment. These encompass dress code, use of personal protection equipment, and general behavior in the lab.
It is important to put into consideration what you wear to the lab because certain clothes and accessories could increase the probability of injury or give little protection in case of an accident. For example:
Always use the recommended PPE and safety equipment for each particular experiment, remember:
In case of chemical contact with your skin or general exposure to infectious material like blood, you need to:
Whilst in the lab, observe the following:
A laboratory is a shared workspace and each individual has the responsibility to ensure that it is tidy, clean, well-maintained, and free of contamination that might interfere with the work or wellbeing of the lab members. The following guidelines will ensure a safe and efficient working environment.
Make sure you are conversant with the lab’s rules on the handling of used glassware, spillage, and disposal of waste.
For a more efficient workspace, you should;
If there are designated spaces for storage of particular items, ensure you return them in the appropriate place after use to avoid inconveniencing the next user. Adhere to guidelines made to make the workspace more efficient, for example, frequently used items are stored closer or lower on the shelves while the less frequently used items are put much farther.
Many labs have inventories where the use of certain items is captured and this information is used to make new orders or monitor usage. Ensure you correctly identify reagents or items acquired from storage/stock. At the end of your experiments, turn off machines that were in use and if your lab guidelines require logging equipment usage, do not forget to do so.
The adherence to laboratory safety rules and guidelines cannot be overemphasized and with reports of a continually high number of accidents in academic and research laboratories, a culture of safety has to be ingrained in every staff, student, or researcher working in these spaces. This will ensure that life-altering harm does not befall lab members, data is not corrupted, and wastage of resources is avoided.
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