Kevin Solomon4 February, 2009

PRATHER LABLAB SPECIFIC TRAINING

To 56

To Ames St

To Stata

Lab Safety Features 2 Eyewash Stations 1 Safety Shower 1 Fire Extinguisher MSDS binder located on bookshelf by Lab Entrance 2 Emergency Exits

Personal Protective Equipment

Safety/Prescription glasses should be worn at all timesBe mindful of UV hazards near the EtBr area

Gloves should be worn most timesProtection of self from biohazardsProtection of experiments from human-hazardsLatex Examination Gloves serve only as water

permeable barrierConsult MSDS and Glove Manufacturers for

permeability to hazardous reagents

Lab coats provided, but optionalRecommend wearing for handling of hazardous

materials (e.g. Ethidium Bromide)

Good Microbial PracticesWork with live cultures is permissible on open

bench (BL1)

For sterility Should be in Biosafety Cabinet, orNear open flame on benchtop

Know the biohazard level of purchased strains & materialsBL2 or higher organisms pose additional risks for

personnel and requires lab re-certification

Always wear gloves when working with cultures

Be mindful of glove contamination

Waste DisposalEHS, Federal Regulations

and QuANGOs require the separation of waste streams according to hazard type

Solid WasteNonhazardous WasteRecycling BinSolid Biohazardous WasteBiosharps Chem SharpsEtBr Solid Waste

Waste Disposal Cont’dLiquid Waste

SinkQiagen/Zymo WasteGuanidine Thiocyanate

(QG/ADB)Chemical Waste

Alkaline Aqueous Waste – For pH ≥ 7 solutions that are not oxidizing or predominately organic.

Acidic Aqueous Waste – For pH ≤ 7 solutions that are not oxidizing or predominately organic.

Organic Waste – For waste that is predominantly organic in nature (ethanol, acetone, butanol, etc.), except for waste containing strong oxidizers.

Oxidizer Waste – For waste containing any amount of a strong oxidizer (hydrogen peroxide, permanganate, chromates, nitric acid, etc.).

Waste Disposal Guidelines Treat liquid biowaste w/ 10% (v/v) bleach solution for 5+ mins

before sewering Check Sink Disposal sign under sink for chemicals that may

be safely sewered All liquid waste (including biohazardous garbage) must be

kept in secondary containment at all times All liquid waste must have a Red Tag When waste is full, date the tag and call EHS for pickup If a waste stream does NOT have a Red Tag, it is Effluent.

Do not call it Waste If you add to a waste stream, update the Red Tag (exception:

Miniprep and QG/ADB Waste) When in common areas, please empty and replace waste

receptacles if full Do not overflow HPLC Effluent For Mixed Waste: Bio designation takes priority except with

volatile organics May need separate containment for mixed

MiscellanyBreak down boxes before recyclingDo not throw boxes or other garbage in the

hall way (exception: Biosharps)Storage of hazardous reagents should be in

the solvent cabinet and not personal benches/shelves.

When new chemicals are introduced to the lab, obtain the MSDS and add to the binder

HOUSEKEEPING – more important as lab becomes more crowded.

Final NotesTo be safe, you must be aware of your

surroundings.Assume any new chemical is unsafe until

you find out otherwise.Assume any material to be discarded is

hazardous unless you know otherwise.

EHS Rep Weekly Inspection

• Occurs every Friday by our EHS Rep• See level 1 checklist at:

http://web.mit.edu/environment/ehs/rep_tools.html

Be CAREFUL and use COMMON SENSE!KNOW what you are working with LABEL – especially when using common areasCLEAN up common areas immediately and

periodically maintain your lab benchBe RESPECTFUL of other people’s

experiments, solutions, reagents, etc.