lab safety principles

food, beverages, chewing gum

potential contamination should not be in lab or consumed in lab

shoes

completely cover foot, closed toe in case of spills and dropping sharp objects

lab coats/aprons

protect students from contamination by microorganism or corrosive substances, never wear outside of lab unless properly decontaminated first

protective eyewear

worn when working with chemicals or microbial cultures that could splash in eyes , required when working with uv, aerosols or chemicals

gloves

protect hands from contamination or contact with chemicals/ staining reagents, worn when working with microorganisms

long hair or loose clothing

tied back and secured

safety data sheet (SDS) previously called

material safety data sheets (MSDS)

safety data sheet

(sds) exists for each substance in lab, specifies the correct handling and disposal procedure for that material

properly dispose of broken glass, needles, used glass pipettes

sharps containers

dispose of items contaminated with microorganisms (agar plates w/ cultures), any gloves with these materials

biohazard bins

dispose of paper towels used to wipe bleach at beginning of lab, non contaminated trash

regular trash can

dispose of bacterial culture tubes containing old cultures, reusable materials

recycled and sterilized using autoclave

disposal of chemical waste from staining bacterial cells

as listed in their MSDS/SDS

why is hand washing important

cleanse hands of potentially hazardous substances (microorganism/chemicals) & removes SOME microorganisms from your hands that come into lab (helps reduce contamination. or experiments)

hand washing steps

remove jewelry (including wrist), wet hands & apply soap, lather, rub hands for at least 20s or happy birthday twice, scrub back of hands, between fingers, and under nails, rinse hand, use towel to turn off faucet preventing contamination to clean hands

lab safety procedures are

designed for protection of all laboratory personnel and safe use of lab equipment, involves strict protocols.

lab settings prevents

hazards that are considered from completing any lab exercise

potential lab hazards

corrosive chemicals, sharp tools/ glass item, use of open flame (extreme caution pay attention to materials near)

four biosafety levels based on

ease of transmission and pathogenicity BSL-1 through 4

most undergraduate lab is BSL-1 organisms

do not usually cause disease in immunocompentet persons

working with BSL-4 requires

extensive safety measures: personal protective gear, organisms included Marburg virus and hantavirus, specialized places like center for disease control

applying makeup or adjusting contacts in lab

not allowed

appropriate materials for clean lab bench

lab manual, pencil/pen (personal items should be stowed away)

when to disinfect bench top

before and after every lab experiment

in case of a lab emergency

notify instructor first, these include biological spills, injuries, broken glass, broken equipment, and other

reusable materials that do not require sterilization

washed in sink after use, dissection tools, trays, glassware for non hazardous materials, staining tray