Student Handbook
General Lab Safety
Student Handbook |
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The first topic of your first laboratory course will be laboratory safety. You will be reminded of the need to practice safe techniques throughout the curriculum. The CLS laboratories maintain a safety manual in VFS 104A. If you have specific questions about safe practices, refer to this manual or ask your instructor. Here is a summary of general safety rules for CLS laboratories: 1. Do not smoke, eat, drink, chew gum, or apply make-up in the laboratories.2. Do not put fingers, pencils, or other objects in your mouth. 3. Do not store food in the laboratory, or in laboratory refrigerators or freezers. 4. Wash your hands with soap and water after handling patient specimens or cultures, and before leaving the laboratory. 5. Never pipette by mouth. Use a mechanical pipette, or a glass pipette and rubber bulb. 6. If you are working with particularly hazardous specimens or cultures, work in the biological safety cabinet. 7. Use the chemical fume hood when working with volatile, caustic or toxic chemicals. If your work is likely to splash or spray, wear safety glasses, rubber gloves, and a protective apron. 8. Learn how to dispose of specimens, contaminated waste, glassware, and sharp objects. If you need to dispose of an environmentally-damaging chemical, consult the Chemical Hygiene Plan or ask an instructor what to do. To dispose of biologic hazards, consult the Medical Waste Disposal Procedure. 9. If you spill or drop anything, clean it up immediately. If you're not sure HOW to clean it up, consult an instructor for guidance. 10. You are responsible for the proper handling, storage, and disposal of the samples and cultures you are assigned to work on. Do not abandon your microbiological cultures. 11. When you are finished with reagents and equipment, return them to where you found them, unless instructed otherwise. 12. Learn where to put glassware to be washed. Be sure to remove any markings you have made on the glassware. 13. If you are handling hot glassware or other warm materials, use asbestos gloves or hand protectors. 14. Don't take any biological or chemical materials, or any laboratory equipment out of the laboratory without permission of your instructor. 15. Turn off the incinerators in microbiology when you are finished with them. 16. Radios and music are not allowed in the laboratory. 17. Avoid sitting on any laboratory bench, or sitting with your feet propped up on the bench. 18. Put your coat, hat, backpack, and other materials that you don't need in your locker. Bring only what you need for your laboratory session. This avoids crowding, and prevents contamination of your belongings. 19. Keep the books and notebooks that you need on the bench or in the drawers, not on the floor. 20. Open the drawers and cupboards only when you need to put something in or get something out. Close them when you're finished. 21. Push your chair under the bench when you get up. 22. Clean the bench top where you are working before and after each laboratory session. Use the spray disinfectant provided. Spray the area, allow the solution to sit for about a minute, and wipe with paper towels. 23. Report any accident or injury to an instructor, no matter how minor. If you need treatment at the Health Center, you will not be charged if you have followed proper procedures. 24. Note the location of the fire extinguishers, eye wash stations, safety showers, fire blankets, first aid kits, and telephones in each laboratory. You may never need to use them, but it's good to be prepared. 25. Learn the procedures to follow in case of fire alarm, tornado warning, or other emergencies. These are posted near the main door of each laboratory. |