Safety Training Information and Standard Operating Protocols

LABORATORY NAME

Arizona State University

DEPARTMENT NAME

Effective Date

Note: Review must occur at least annually, when updates are added, or as needed.

By signing below you agree to the following statement:

I have read the procedures contained in this plan. I understand all procedures contained in this plan and agree to comply with them at all times. I have been given an opportunity to ask questions and all of my questions have been answered.

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LAB NAME CONTACT INFORMATION

Research

Name / Position / Email / Phone

Facility Managers, Support Staff and Safety Contacts

Name / Position / Email / Phone

1. Introduction and general policies

The [Insert] Lab Name research group at ASU is a [Insert] Lab Type. [Insert] Lab Description. We are classed as a Biosafety Level [Insert] Number (BSL [Insert] Number) laboratory. This biosafety containment level is determined by CDC/NIH Guidelines. [Insert] Biosafety Level Specifications. Our National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) class is “[Insert] NFPA Ratings, each separated by ‘-‘. E.g. 4-4-3-W ” and is explained below, as well as in Section 1.1.5.

Blue = health and toxicity information
4 = Very short exposure could cause death or major residual injury
Red = flammability
4 = Will rapidly or completely vaporize at normal atmospheric pressure and temperature, or is readily dispersed in air and will burn readily. Flash point below 23°C (73°F).
Yellow = reactivity
3 = Capable of detonation or explosive decomposition but requires a strong initiating source, must be heated under confinement before initiation, reacts explosively with water, or will detonate if severely shocked.
White = other possible hazards
W is used to denote compounds that are highly reactive with water.

The following guidelines and SOPs should help explain normal laboratory operations, as well as provide guidance in specific situations. If you have questions or concerns about ANY safety issue, please contact [Insert] Responsible Person’s Name(s) (Position).

1.1.  General notes about maintaining a safe workspace

1.1.1.  Securing the space

The laboratory should be kept locked whenever there is no one present. This includes daytime hours if you intend to be elsewhere in the department or on campus.

1.1.2.  Laboratory clutter

It is everyone’s responsibility to maintain a safe and clutter-free lab environment. Fire code requires maintaining a clear passageway of at least 4 feet. Piles of cardboard or garbage larger than what will fit in the standard trash must be removed promptly. Personal belongings should be kept in appropriate locations and not stored on the counters or floors.

1.1.3.  Food and drink in the laboratory space

Absolutely no food or drink is permitted in the lab.

1.1.4.  Electrical equipment

Periodically check all electrical equipment to ensure that all cords and connections are intact. Do not use anything with frayed or damaged electrical components! If a component is damaged, you make take it to [Insert] Responsible person’s name(s) and [Insert] if exists, location of the repair shop.

1.1.5.  Required Safety Training

All employees who are paid by ASU whether it is through regular payroll or through grants or stipends must have the following training:

Fire Safety and Prevention-Initial and annual refresher

Laboratory Safety-Initial and annual refresher

Hazardous Waste Management-One time training

nitial training must be attended in person however refreshers are available on line via BlackBoard. Hazardous Waste Management is also available on Blackboard. Go to the EH&S website to register for classes http://uabf.asu.edu/ehs_training.

1.2.  Labeling & storage of chemicals, solutions and samples

All chemicals, solutions and samples must be clearly labeled with the content, full name and the NFPA (National Fire Prevention Agency) hazard diamond. NFPA hazard diamond is the “Standard System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials for Emergency Response”. This classification system uses a series of numbers from 0-4 to denote chemical hazards in four classes. If the chemical is a stock chemical (i.e. purchased from a vendor) it should have the appropriate information already on the label. If not, or if the chemical is a homemade stock or buffer, a label with the required information must be affixed. The following image and table should help explain the meaning and use of the NFPA classifications.

Blue = health and toxicity information
Red = flammability
Yellow = reactivity
White = other possible hazards
Figure 1.2 – NFPA hazard diamond.

An explanation of each of the numbers in each hazard class is detailed below.

Blue (health)

0 / Material that on exposure would offer no hazard beyond ordinary material.
1 / Material that on exposure would cause irritation but only minor residual injury.
2 / Material that on intense or continued but not chronic exposure could cause temporary incapacitation or possible residual injury.
3 / Material that on short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury.
4 / Material that on very short exposure could cause death or major residual injury.

Red (flammability)

0 / Material will not burn.
1 / Material must be preheated before ignition can occur.
2 / Material must be moderately heated or exposed to high ambient temperature for ignition to occur.
3 / Liquids and solids that can be ignited under ambient temperature conditions.
4 / Materials that will rapidly or completely vaporize at atmospheric pressure and normal ambient temperature, or that are readily dispersed in air and that will burn readily.

Yellow (reactivity)

0 / Material that in itself is normally stable, even under fire exposure conditions and is not reactive with water.
1 / Material that in itself is normally stable but which can become unstable at elevated temperatures and pressures.
2 / Material that readily undergoes violent chemical change at elevated temperatures and pressures or which reacts violently with water or which may form explosive mixtures with water.
3 / Material that in itself is capable of detonation or explosive decomposition or reaction but requires a strong initiating source or which much be heated under confinement before initiation or which reacts explosively with water.
4 / Material that in itself is readily capable of detonation or explosive decomposition or reaction at normal temperatures and pressures.

White (other hazard information)

At the bottom of the NFPA diamond is a white space used for additional information about the chemical or material. Examples are: W indicating reactivity with water, COR for corrosives, RAD (radiation), OXY (oxidizer), and CARC for carcinogen. When in doubt, ask or look it up within a reference!

1.2.1.  All carcinogens and toxic chemicals must be labeled as such!

Any chemicals with special hazards must be labeled as such. This includes any buffers or solutions made with said chemicals in ANY proportion.

1.2.2.  Secondary containment policies

All reactions involving corrosive or potentially hazardous chemicals must be performed with the safeguard of a secondary container. If any part of a laboratory experiment must be transported to another area that crosses any point of public access such as a hallway or elevator, clean, closed secondary containment must be used to transport the material. Remove PPE including gloves before leaving the laboratory and when in public areas. Even if the PPE is clean, the perception is that it is not and you are therefore contaminating public areas. [Insert] Details, if any.

1.3.  Non-chemical Hazards

1.3.1.  Sharps

All sharps (syringes, razor blades, etc.) must be disposed of after use in a red sharps container. Razor blades may be reused only if they are stored with the blade fully protected in a piece of Styrofoam. Needles must not be recapped unless you have received documented training using the one-handed scoop method (see SOP on page 19). Syringes must be then disposed of along with needles and not disconnected.

Note: Plastic pipette tips such as those used in automatic pipettors (such as Eppendorf type pipettes) must be placed in sharps containers. They cannot go in the regular trash. Alternately they can be placed in red biohazard bags and autoclaved. Custodial staffs have no way of telling if these pipette tips were used for biohazardous materials, chemically hazardous materials or water. These tips can poke through trash can liners and cause an injury that breaks the skin.

1.3.2.  Broken glassware

Empty glassware of hazardous materials, then dispose of the glass in the ASU “broken glassware” yellow color coded metal can or a box lined with an impermeable liner. When the “broken glassware” collection container is full, it can be collected by ASU Custodial Services. Any questions regarding hazardous materials should be directed to EH&S.

1.4.  Working in the hoods

1.4.1.  Fume hoods

Fume hoods are designed for temporary chemical storage (preparation of chemicals, temporary reaction setups, etc.) and not for long-term storage. Waste bottles may be temporarily stored in the fume hood until full and ready to be picked up by EH&S (see Section 1.5 on the Generation and Storage of Waste).

1.4.2.  Laminar flow hoods

Laminar flow hoods are designed to maintain a sterile working environment inside the hood. They are not designed to protect the operator from any chemical hazards.

1.5.  Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

1.5.1.  Contact lenses in the laboratory

Contacts may not be worn in the laboratory. Gas permeable lenses are a safety risk. If corrective lenses are required, safety glasses must be worn in addition to corrective lenses.

1.5.2.  Safety glasses

Safety glasses must be worn at all times, by all staff and while performing any tasks while in the laboratory. Regular or prescription glasses are not considered safety glasses unless they also have side shields. NO EXCEPTIONS!

1.5.3.  Gloves

Gloves should be used when appropriate for a task. Latex gloves do not provide protection from the hazards involved with some types of chemicals. Familiarize yourself with the MSDS sheets for the chemicals you are working with. Gloves must be removed before touching any computers or shared instrumentation. Do not touch door handles with dirty gloves! If you must carry an item between laboratories, use a clean, closed secondary container for transport. Remove PPE including gloves when leaving the laboratory and entering public areas such as hallways and elevators. Remember, even if your PPE is clean, public perception is that they are dirty and that you are contaminating public areas.

1.5.4.  Appropriate attire

Appropriate safety attire must be worn at all times. Closed-toed shoes are required at all times while in the laboratory environment. This includes instances of “just doing computer work” and “just stopping by to pick something up.” If you have open-toed shoes on, you cannot enter the laboratory for any reason. Lab coats with long sleeves are required when working with chemicals or any type or strength. Shorts are not appropriate when working with any potentially hazardous material, especially chemicals.

1.6.  Material safety data sheets (MSDS) & chemical hazards

1.6.1.  Location of MSDS

[Insert] MSDS sheets location details.

1.6.2.  Chemical storage

Chemicals must be stored with respect to compatibility issues. General chemicals may be stored on the shelf, provided they are properly labeled with the full name of the chemical and the appropriate NFPA hazard information. For storage of chemicals reference the chart below (X = incompatible).

Acids (inorganic) / Acids (organic) / Acids (oxidizing) / Bases (alkalis) / Oxidizers / Poisons (inorganic) / Poisons (organic) / Solvents (organic) / Water Reactives
Acids (inorganic) / X / X / X / X / X / X
Acids (organic) / X / X / X / X / X / X / X
Acids (oxidizing) / X / X / X / X / X / X
Bases (alkalis) / X / X / X / X / X / X
Oxidizers / X / X / X / X
Poisons (inorganic) / X / X / X / X / X / X
Poisons (organic) / X / X / X / X / X / X
Solvents (organic) / X / X / X / X / X
Water Reactive / X / X / X / X / X / X

Acids

·  Segregate acids from reactive metals such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

·  Segregate oxidizing acids from organic acid and flammable and combustible materials.

·  Store acetic acid as a flammable liquid. This is an organic (carboxylic) acid that will react if it comes in contact with an oxidizing acid.

·  Nitric acid and hydrochloric acid may be stored in the same corrosive storage cabinet, but they must be kept in separate drip trays. DO NOT MIX WASTE CONTAINING THESE TWO CHEMICALS! They can combine to form chlorine and nitrosyl chloride gases—both are toxic.

·  Segregate acids from chemicals that could generate toxic or flammable gases upon contact, such as sodium cyanide, iron sulfide and calcium carbide.

·  Segregate acids from bases.

Bases

·  Segregate bases from acids, metals, explosives, organic peroxides and easily ignitable materials.

·  Do not store aqueous sodium and potassium hydroxide solutions in aluminum drip trays. These bases will corrode aluminum.

Solvents (flammable and combustible liquids)

·  Store in approved safety cans or cabinets.

·  Segregate from oxidizing acids and oxidizers.

·  Keep away from any source of ignition: heat, sparks, or open flames.

Oxidizers

·  Keep away from combustible and flammable materials.

·  Keep away from reducing agents such as zinc, alkali metals, and formic acid.

Cyanides

·  Segregate from aqueous solutions, acids and oxidizers.

Water-Reactive Chemicals

·  Store in a cool, dry place, away from any water source.

·  Make certain that a Class D fire extinguisher is available in case of fire.

Pyrophoric Substances

·  Pyrophoric substances can spontaneously ignite in air

·  If in original container store in a cool, dry place, making provisions for an airtight seal.