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1. General Laboratory Safety

2. Lesson objectives:
1. Introduction laboratory safety
2. Roles and responsibility of the
employers/employees
3. Describe the hierarchy of controls as it relates to
personal protective equipment.
4. Identify types of personal protective equipment
utilized in general industry
5. Explain personal protective equipment training
requirements.
6. Discuss in brief method for hazard identification

3. Why does it matter?
• Safe working protects:
– You
– Other lab workers
– Cleaners
– Visitors
– Your work

4. Introduction
aboratory safety is the key to reducing injury and illness.
here are many exposures in the laboratory that pose a hazard to your
health and you may have never considered them as a hazard before.
t is important to have proper training so you, as the employee, are
aware of the potential dangers that may threaten your health or life.

5. Roles and Responsibilities
Biorisk management committee:
•Established in support of the BRM system based on the nature of the
organization and its activities
•consist of members who are independent of activities being reviewed for
BRM issues.
•establish a mechanism by which committee members detach them selves
from participating in decision-making procedures leading to conflict of
interest
•document and record all activities discussed and present to top
management
•Committee responsibilities can be assumed by other existing committees,
such as an Institutional Biosafety Committee, occupational safety & hygiene
committee
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6. Institution BRM Committees
Key committee members:
• Management delegate
• Biosafety officer
• Scientific officer
• Facility engineering officer
• Infection prevention & control officer
• Security officer
• Occupational Health Provider
• Veterinary staff (when applicable)
• Other expertise as needed:
o Example: Radiation safety, Chemical safety, etc.
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7. How to do a Risk Assessment?
• Determine hazards
hazards and evaluate risks
risks
• Use all relevant available data
available data
• Determine controls
controls needed to minimise
those risks
• Document
Document the assessment
• Agree
Agree it with your supervisor
• Use
Use those control measures

8. Hierarchy of Controls
Source: OSHA

9. Control Measures (ELIMINATION)
1. Use a less risky substance
2. Use a safer form of that
substance (eg solution
instead of powder)

10. Control Measures (ENGINEERING
CONTROL)
3. Totally enclose the process (eg a
glove-box)
4. Partially enclose the process (eg
with a fume cupboard)
5. Ensure good general ventilation

11. Control Measures (ADMINISTRATIVE
CONTROL)
6. Safe systems of work
7. Reduce exposure times,
increase distance, reduce
volumes
8. Personal protective equipment
(as a last resort for primary protection)

12. Safe Practices
These safe practices should be followed to ensure safe working
conditions:
 Do not use chipped or cracked glassware
 When working with hazardous materials, have a second person
nearby
 Know emergency procedures
 Keep the laboratory neat and clean
 Use hazardous chemicals under a fume hood and biohazardous
materials under a biosafety cabinet (BSC)
 Decontaminate as needed
 All procedures should be performed to minimize aerosol

13. Personal Habits
 Do not eat, drink, smoke, chew gum or apply
cosmetics, or remove/insert contact lenses while in
the laboratory
 Do not store food or beverages in the lab or in
chemical refrigerator
 Do not mouth pipette
 Wash hands before leaving laboratory or after
handling contaminated material
Personal habits play a large role in minimizing hazards. The
following measures must be taken:

14. Lab Attire
 No open-toed shoes
 No shorts unless a lab coat is used
 Restrain hair when working with hazardous materials
 Remove protective clothing in public
 Use the proper Personal Protective Equipment for the job
You should remember the following:

15. PPE
• PPE is all equipment which protects a person against
one or more risks
• It is the last resort in controlling risk
• Blue signs indicate mandatory PPE requirements
• PPE should be:
– Checked before use
– Kept in Good condition (clean/maintained)
– Worn Correctly
– Any defects reported

16. Fabric Gloves
Leather Gloves
Disposable Gloves

17. Protecting yourself - gloves
• There are many different types of
protective glove
• Use the correct ones for the job
you will be doing
• Remember that you need to select
chemical protection gloves
according to the materials and/or
substances with which you will be
working
• Remove your gloves before using
instruments, telephone, and
leaving the laboratory

18. Laboratory hygiene
• Never eat, drink or smoke in
a laboratory
• Never apply cosmetics
• Never touch your face,
mouth or eyes
• Never suck pens or chew
pencils
• Always wash your hands
before you leave and
especially before eating

19. Know What Hazards are
Present

20. What are the general hazards in a
laboratory?
• Fire
• Breakage of glassware
• Sharps
• Spillages
• Pressure equipment & gas cylinders
• Extremes of heat & cold
• Chemical hazards
• Biological hazards
• Radiation
And many more!
And many more!

21. Avoiding Fires
• Flammable substances
– Use minimum quantity
– Store in special storage
cabinet
– Use temperature-
controlled heating sources
(eg water-bath rather than hot-
plate or Bunsen burner)

22. Minimise fire damage
• Make sure corridor fire
doors and laboratory
doors are kept shut at all
times

23. Fire Safety
• Make sure that you know
what to do:
– If you have a fire
– If you hear a fire alarm
• If you are a member of
staff you must attend fire
training annually. Post
graduates should also
seriously consider doing so.

24. Spillages
• Clear up spillage promptly
• You will already have
determined how to do this as
part of your risk assessment
• Dispose of any hazardous
material as toxic waste
Messy workers are usually poor
Messy workers are usually poor
workers!!
workers!!

25. Gas cylinders
• Never use without formal training
• Minimise the number in a laboratory
– Store externally whenever possible
• Cylinders are heavy and can do serious
damage to you if they fall
– Ensure that they are chained when in use
– Move only with a cylinder trolley
• Use regulators & control equipment suitable
for the gas concerned
• Consider the consequences if your cylinder
leaks

26. Electrical Equipment
• Always do a visual check on
electrical equipment before
use, looking for obvious
wear or defects
• All portable electrical
equipment must have a
current “PAT test” sticker
• NEVER
NEVER use defective
equipment

27. General Tidiness
• Keep your workplace tidy
• Clear up waste, deal with
washing up and put things
away as you finish with them
• Make sure everything is safe
before you leave things
unattended
• A tidy laboratory avoids
accidents to everyone
X

28. What is a Sharp?

29. What is a “Sharp”?
A sharp is defined as any instrument, tool, or item that has
rigid, acute edges, protuberances or corners capable of
cutting, piercing, ripping or puncturing such as syringes,
blades, and broken glass. Items that have the potential
for shattering or breaking are also considered sharps.
http://www.ehrs.upenn.edu/training/bloodborne/bloodborne.html

31. Glassware
• Use correct techniques for the
insertion of tubing onto glassware
• Never use glassware under pressure or
vacuum unless it is designed for the
job and suitably shielded
• Dispose of chipped or broken
glassware – it is a risk to you and
others
• Always dispose of broken glass in a
glass bin or sharps bin and not in a
general waste bin

32. Laboratory Equipment
• Never use any
laboratory equipment
unless you are trained &
have been authorised to
do so
• As well as injuring
yourself you may cause
very costly damage

33. First Aid
• All laboratory workers should
undergo simple first aid
training
– For ALL
ALL chemical splashes, wash
with plenty of water for 10
minutes
– Control bleeding with direct
pressure, avoiding any foreign
bodies such as glass
• Report all accidents to your
supervisor or departmental
safety officer

34. Protecting your health
• If you have an allergy to
lab materials or suffer
from a medical
condition which may
affect you in the
laboratory (eg diabetes
or epilepsy), ensure that
your supervisor knows

35. Waste Materials
• Part of your risk assessment will
be to determine how to dispose
of waste lab materials safely
– Solvents and oils must be
segregated into the correct waste
bottle or drum
– Your department will help you
determine what to do with
chemical or biological materials
• Do not put materials down the
drain or in with normal waste
unless authorised to do so

36. Working outside normal hours and at
weekends
• You will need to attend
training courses and have
permission from your Head
of Department before
working outside normal
hours
• Most experimental work is
not permitted
• Your supervisor will explain
the requirements in more
detail

37. When in doubt – ASK!!!
• Do not carry out a new
or unfamiliar procedure
until you have been fully
trained & understand
the precautions
necessary for safe
working
• DO NOT GUESS!!!!
DO NOT GUESS!!!!

38. Signs
Signs are a way of communicating
important information. It is a way to
heighten awareness about hazards that
exist.
There may be signs on laboratory
refrigerators reminding you that no food or
drink can be stored in it. There may be
radioactive or biological materials that could
possibly be absorbed in food.
There may also be signs which denote that
PPE must be used.

39. Be Aware of
Your
Surrounding
s

40. Know the potential hazards and appropriate safety
precautions before beginning work. Ask and be able to
answer the following questions:
• What are the hazards?
• What are the worst things that could happen?
• What do I need to do to be prepared?
• What work practices, facilities or personal
protective equipment are needed to minimize the
risk?

41. National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA)
Globally Harmonized System
(GHS)
LABELS