Safety rules specifics

  • 1) Wear your goggles at all times.Prescription glasses and sunglasses are not acceptable forms of eye protection. You will be provided with a pair of goggles. However, if you decide to purchase a pair of your own, they should be ANSI Z-87.1, 1989 and designated as chemical splash goggles. Under no circumstances should you wear contact lenses in the laboratory, even under goggles.Chemical vapors may dissolve in the liquids covering the eye and concentrate behind the lenses. "Soft" contact lenses are especially dangeraous as chemicals can dissolve in the lenses themselves and be released over a period of several hours.
    If you should get a chemical in your eyes or on your face immediately wash your eyes/face in the eyewash station for at least five minutes. Make sure you notify your GSI of the chemical contact.
  • 2) Do not ingest anything.Eating, drinking, and smoking are prohibited in the lab at all times.
  • 3) Dress like a chemist. Wear clothing in the laboratory that will provide maximum body coverage. Shorts, mini-skirts, etc. are completely inappropriate. Your clothing should cover you completely from your shoulders to your knees. Open-toed shoes and sandals are not allowed in lab.
    We advise wearing old clothes in the lab in case of spills. Long hair should be tied back to avoid setting it on fire or getting it contaminated with chemicals.
    If large amounts of chemicals are spilled on you, remove any contaminated clothing and stand under the water in the safety shower for at least five minutes.
  • 4) Don't touch any chemicals. Never taste or touch any chemical. Many chemicals are absorbed thorugh the skin. Wash off all chemicals with large quantities of running water. If you are directed to smell a chemical, gently waft its vapors towards your nose without smelling the source of the vapors directly. For more information about chemicals, you can consult the resources available in the lab such as the Aldrich catalog or the CRC.
    Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are written for every chemical and most are available via the internet. They contain all of the safety and waste disposal informatin on a particular compound. Typically, the MSDS will list the name, formula, registry numbers, and physical and chemical properties of the compound along with safety precautions to be taken when handling the material, and what to do if there is a spill or accidental ingestion. The LD50 (the lethal dose for 50% of the population) gives an indication of the toxicity of the compound. For example, the LD50 for NaCl is 3000mg/Kg (oral dose in a rat), while the LD50 for NaCN is 6.8 mg/Kg
  • 5) Come to lab prepared. Be familiar with the procedures and chemicals that you will be using.
  • 6) Know what to do if there is an accident. In case of an accident, no matter what the size (even a small cut), call your GSI at once. Know where the fire extinguishers, safety showers, eye wash stations, and emergency phone are.
  • 7) Work safely. Do not point a test tube at anyone while you are heating it; it may erupt. Watch for hot plates. Clean up after yourself. A little bit of acid on the bench top can burn badly. Perform any reactions involving toxic, irritating or otherwise dangerous chemicals or unpleasant odors in the hood. If you are not sure about a procedure; ask your GSI.
  • 8) Beware of glass. It breaks. When inserting glass tubing or thermometers into stoppers, lubricate both the tubing and the hole in the stopper with water. Wrap the tubing in a towel, grasp it as close to the end being inserted as possible, and push gently, using a twisting motion. If you break a piece of glassware, notify your GSI and clean up all of the pieces.
  • 9) Work defensively. Do not assume that others are as safe as workers as you are. Wear your goggles at all times.
  • 10) Avoid distractions Do not wear headphones or rollerblades. Try to eat and use the bathroom before coming to the lab. Read the procedures carefully. Think about what you are doing and if it makes sense.

Adapted from: Cooper, M.M. Cooperative Chemistry Laboratory Manual; 2nd Edition; McGraw Hill: New York, 2003.