The document outlines safety protocols for a biochemistry lab, emphasizing the importance of proper dress and personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure to hazardous materials. It details specific safety equipment, emergency procedures, and behavior guidelines to ensure a safe laboratory environment. Additionally, it highlights the necessity of understanding chemical hazards through safety data sheets and labels, as well as safe handling and disposal practices.

1. CHEM 216: BIOCHEMISTRY
TOPIC:
1st
SEMESTER | A.Y. 2022-2023
Proper Dress and PPE
The lab environment is hazardous by nature. The actual risk is
largely determined by you and those working with you. It's your
responsibility to know and follow the rules and be able to
recognize potential safety hazards.
Proper dress
~can help prevent serious, even fatal
injuries.
The best way to prevent skin exposure
from chemicals that may harm you is to
wear clothes that cover your entire
body. Shorts and sandals leave your
skin exposed, so instead wear long
pants and closed-toed shoes.
Bring only the
things that you
need into the lab
Remove jewelry before entering the
lab and tie back long hair. Leave all
personal items, like backpacks, purses,
or jackets outside, so they don't
become contaminated.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
For general lab work, a lab coat, safety glasses or goggles,
and gloves are required.
Always button your coat and try to keep the cuffs tucked into
your gloves. Wear a chemical apron if you're working with
splash hazards, volatile, or reactive solutions.
Safety glasses can protect your eyes from flying debris.
However, these glasses won't protect you from splash
hazards. That's why you may need to wear chemical resistant
safety goggles.
Always wear gloves in the lab. Be sure to choose the most
appropriate type. You need gloves that are resistant to the
chemicals you'll be handling.
These gloves are non-absorptive. Even so, chemicals can
leach through over time, so it's a good idea to change your
gloves and wash your hands frequently, especially if they've
come into contact with chemicals. Thermal and puncture-
resistant gloves are used for handling extremely hot or cold
materials such as when using the autoclave, handling dry ice,
or handling sharps.
Some chemicals produce dangerous vapors. A respirator can
protect you, however by law you must first complete the
proper training. So ask your lab manager or instructor about
respirator training.
Always remove PPE and wash your hands before leaving the
lab and entering public areas.
Be aware that you can spread chemical or biological
contamination by touching items such as light
switches...door knobs...or even phones while your gloves are
still on.
Dressing for the lab and wearing personal protective
equipment will minimize the risk for exposure or harm. But
clothing and PPE aren't enough to keep you safe.
Safety Equipment
Safety shower
if chemical exposure occurs - yell or
move to nearrest safety shower, drench
your entire body
eyewash station
to rinse eyes if exposed to hazardous
chemicals (hold eyes open and rinse for
10 mins)
fire extinguisher to lessen the flame
4 Types of fires:
Class A fires
- ordinary combustibles such as wood, cloth, and paper.
- can be extinguished by water or general purpose
extinguishers.
Class B fires
- organic solvents and flammable liquids,
Class C fires
- involve electrical equipment.
Class D fires
- involve combustible metals which aren’t very common in
the lab.
Class B and C fires must be smothered with chemical foam
extinguishers. Putting water on these fires will only make
matters worse. Water will actually cause the fire to spread
and you can even electrocute yourself.
Dry chemical extinguishers are effective against class A, B,
and C fires.
Fire blanket
- used to extinguish small fires on work
benches and floors.
Never wrap a person while they’re
standing. (to prevent the flames going
upward toward their head and neck
area) Help the person to the floor, wrap
the fire blanket around them and help
them roll until the fire is out.
Chemical fume
hood.
It’s a ventilated, enclosed work area
that protects you from toxic vapors.
Turn on the
exhaust fan.
(Make sure the
hood is venting
properly.)
The opening is covered by a window,
called a sash, which can be raised and
lowered. For most applications, the
sash should be opened to either 8 or 16
inches.
Each lab should have a first aid kit that contains bandages
and antiseptic for minor injuries.
Never store chemicals under the hood and always clean and
remove materials when you’re finished working.
Test your safety equipment regularly to make sure each item
is ready in case there’s an emergency.

2. CHEM 216: BIOCHEMISTRY
TOPIC:
1st
SEMESTER | A.Y. 2022-2023
Behavior
Your behavior goes a long way to insuring that the lab is a safe
environment for everyone. The first consideration is to follow
the written Standard Operating Procedures step-by-step.
1. Never eat, drink, chew gum or apply makeup while in the
lab.
- You don’t want to contaminate your skin or risk ingesting
poisonous chemicals. You could also contaminate your
experiment and ruin your results.)
2. Never work alone.
- Always have at least one other person in the lab so that you
can help each other in case of an emergency.
3. Good housekeeping will prevent accidents too
- A cluttered lab is a dangerous lab. Dispose of any trash or
debris on the floor which could cause someone to fall.
- Never place any chemical bottles on the floor, not even
temporarily. If you do make a spill, check the safety data sheet
for the appropriate response. For a routine spill, clean it
immediately and place a “wet floor” sign.
4. Keep your workbench clean and organized.
- Have only the materials you need - store away all unneeded
items. Don’t place materials near the edge of the workbench
where they can be easily knocked off
5. Never try to pick up broken glass with your bare hands.
- A cut or puncture caused by broken glass may introduce a
hazardous chemical directly into your blood stream.
6. Dispose the glass in a designated broken glass container.
- After you’ve finished an experiment, wash and dry glassware.
7. Return reagents to the storage area, and clean the
workbench surface with ethanol or isopropyl alcohol.
8. If a safety violation occurs, or you notice any unsafe
condition in the lab, report it immediately to your supervisor.
Chemical Hazard
There are 2 main tools that we use to identify chemical hazards:
safety data sheets and chemical labels.
safety data sheet
-Every chemical in the lab is required to have this technical
document usually provided by the manufacturer.
-a one-stop-shop to find out about a chemical’s properties,
hazards, and safety precautions.
Know the location of the safety data sheets in your lab and
review them before working with a chemical for the first time.
G-H-S is an acronym for the Globally Harmonized System of
Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. This new system
provides an international standard format for safety data sheets.
All SDS must now be organized into 16 sections.
1. Identification.
-chemical’s name, description, and the manufacturer’s contact
information.
2. Hazard Identification.
-lists signal words, warnings, and safety symbols.
3. Composition...
-a list of ingredients.
4. First-Aid Measures
-What’s the required treatment for a person who’s been
exposed?
5. Fire fighting measures
6. Accidental Release Measures
-instructions for containment and cleanup of spills or leaks.
7. Handling and Storage requirements
8. Exposure controls and personal protection.
-This describes OSHA’s exposure limits and recommendations for
PPE.
9. Physical and chemical properties...such as appearance, odor,
pH, flash point, solubility, and evaporation rate.
10. Stability and Reactivity...how to avoid hazardous reactions.
11. Toxicological information...find out about the likely routes of
exposure, symptoms, as well as short and long-term effects.
Sections 12 - 16 aren't mandatory, Ecological, Disposal,
Transport, and Regulatory considerations.
Section 16 is for any other pertinent information.
This is where you’ll find the date that the SDS was prepared
along with the last known revision. Safety Data Sheets provide a
lot of information about how to use chemicals safely in the lab.
But there’s also another way to learn about a chemical...and
that’s by reading its label.
The new GHS format requires each chemical in the lab to be
labeled with
 product name
 a signal Word, such as “Danger” or “Caution”
 Physical, Health and Environmental Hazard
Statements...
 Precautionary Statements
 Pictograms
 First Aid instructions
 Supplier’s contact information
Pictograms consist of a symbol on a white background, framed in
a red border.

3. CHEM 216: BIOCHEMISTRY
TOPIC:
1st
SEMESTER | A.Y. 2022-2023
Hazard Signs
Health
Flammability
Toxicity
Compressed gasses
Skin and eye protection
Unstable explosives
Oxidizers.
An oxidizer is a chemical that
initiates combustion through
the release of oxygen
Environmental hazards
Acute toxicity
Danger
(high leaf arbol)
Corrosive substance
Harmful
Dangerous to the
environment
compressed gases
(stored in special cylinders)
danger high voltage
Safe Chemical Handling
1. When diluting acid or bases, ALWAYS add them to the
solvent, such as water.
- Otherwise, it may causes chemical reaction and
you might get burned.
2. Never remove chemicals from the lab.
- Use a break resistant secondary container in
transporting chemicals between lab spaces.
3. Use Chemical-resistant lab apron, Chemical Splash
Goggles for potential splash hazard. Z 87.1
- Face shield
4. Use full-arm length rubber gloves instead of typical
nitrile gloves when dealing with corrosive chemical.
5. Never smell chemicals.
- Be aware of inhalation exposure, always work
with toxic chemical under a fume hood.
If large chemical spill occurs, evacuate and seal off
the lab, and notify authorities as large spill could
produce excessive vapors.
For flammable chemicals
1. Always know the flammability and explosive
potential for each chemical.
2. Keep flammables away from all the ignition
sources such as Bunsen burners or hot places
3. Store flammable chemicals in a dedicated and
grounded storage cabinet.

4. CHEM 216: BIOCHEMISTRY
TOPIC:
1st
SEMESTER | A.Y. 2022-2023
6. When finished with lab, properly dispose the
chemicals and waste. (use chemical-resistant plastic
or metal containers for waste disposal.)
7. Solvent should never be evaporated under a fume
hood as a means of disposal.
8. Any materials used to clean up a chemical spill should
also be disposed