LABORATORY REGULATIONS
The below rules are not meant in a formal way. All risks are very real and great efforts
have been made to describe the numerous dangerous combinations of materials and working
steps which are obvious to specialists only. Many examples have been learned the hard way,
either by serious accidents (and hospitalization) – or by near accidents which were prevented
by some guardian angel in the last moment.
The different groups of the Biophysics institute use a number of potentially lethal
materials and procedures, thus you can easily endanger your own life and the lives of your
comrades if you don't follow all safety rules.
The situation is particularly dangerous at our institute because many rooms are shared
by different groups who do not know or do not even understand the hazards of the
materials/procedures used by other groups.
The situation is further aggravated by the fact that we have many novices from
bachelor studies and Fachhochschule who do not have a basis for understanding the risks of
the materials which we use.
The list can never be complete. Please report all additional potential hazards for
incorporation into this list.
Hermann Gruber ([email protected], 0732-2468-7597 or 0650-3426048)
Important phone numbers:
Info center on toxins
Fire brigade
Police
Ambulance (Rettung)
Internal emergency call
phone
phone
phone
phone
phone
0 – 01 – 406 43 43 – 0
0 – 122
0 – 133
0 – 144
9100 (no zero in front)
The first 0 is required to get from campus phone net into the public net. It is not needed
if you use your mobile phone.
Information must include:
Where did the emergency happen?
What happened?
How many are injured?
What kind of injuries?
Wait for questions!
In the case of an emergency (e.g. fire, release of gases, fumes, dust, liquids):
•
•
•
•
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Keep calm! Watch your own safety.
Rescue from danger areas those who are injured.
Warn endangered people.
Switch off dangerous experiments, gas, and electricity. Let the coolant always flow
further on in any apparatuses.
If the fire is small, try to extinguish it. The first few minutes of a fire are vital.
Laboratory regulations, Biophysics Institute, University of Linz, 2014-11-24
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General Safety Rules
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The instructions of the supervisor are to be obeyed!
•
Never work alone in the lab environment with significant hazard potential. At least one
supervisor has to be present – or an experienced colleague who can run and bring the
supervisor from a nearby office.
•
In the chemistry lab, EYE PROTECTIONS MUST BE WORN AT ALL TIMES.
People wearing corrective glasses must use side shields or suitable goggles. Contact
lenses are undesired.
•
Protective clothing must be worn: mid-height footwear, long trousers, and a long, cotton
lab coat. Do not wear shorts, skirt, nylons or sandals. Do not wear the lab coat outside
the lab (e.g. library).
•
No food, drinks, nor smoking are allowed inside the lab.
•
Emergency exits must be clear all the time and must not be blocked with any items.
•
Before starting to work, inform yourself about physical, chemical, and
physiological properties of the used substances and solvents (R- and S-sentences,
these are soon to be replaced by the H- and P-statements), as well about the
function and operation of the used instruments.
•
When working with hazardous materials gloves must be worn. The material of the
gloves should match the hazardous material. Disposable latex gloves are no protection
against organic solvents (penetration within few seconds is possible). Nitrile gloves help
for few minutes but must also be disposed if spilled upon.
•
When using toxic or corrosive compounds, use a respirator with adequate filter. This
rule applies to gases but also to liquids (vapor pressure!) and solids (dust!).
•
Read instructions carefully and critical. If you have questions, ask the supervisor. Only
the designated instruments are to be used for a particular purpose. Refrain from work
not included in your plan and/or not related to the experiment.
•
During the experimental procedure the experiment must be constantly monitored.
•
Unexpected observations or disturbances during an experiment must immediately be
reported to the supervisor.
•
All spill, explosion, fire, accident and injury must immediately be reported to the
supervisor.
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Any damage of devices, installations or of the building must immediately be reported.
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Use the Bunsen burner only if it is really necessary. No unshielded flame close to
flammable solvents.
•
Stay away from electric devices, switches, and plugs when working with highly
flammable solvents (diethyl ether, alcohols, ethyl acetate, petrol ether, pentane, and
similar).
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Organic solvents must not be stored in refrigerators. As an exception, the few explosionproof refrigerators (with special label at the front door) of the institute may be used for
organic solvents – but even here diethylether and other solvents with boiling point
<50°C are forbidden.
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•
After a lab session, clean your work place. All glassware and instruments must be
cleaned before the glassware is given into the tray for the dishwasher.
•
All sorts of waste have to be collected separately in the appropriate vessels.
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It is not allowed to store food in the lab’s refrigerator or in the cold room.
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You must inform yourself about the various types of safety equipment, their usage
and their location (e.g. fire alarms, hand-held fire extinguisher, fire blankets, firstaid cabinets, emergency showers, eye bath, eye wash bottles with medication,
hexafluorine spray against injuries by HF and fluorides, cortisone spray against
inhalation of corrosive gas or aerosol).
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Inform the supervisor or safety manager about any hazardous faults, failures, and hazard
potential immediately.
•
Contaminants and deposits at the working environment, which could be source of
danger must be promptly removed, i.e. everyone must leave the working environment
clean and clear of any possible sources of accidents.
•
Outerwear (jackets) and bags are to be stored outside of the labs.
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Pregnant women and nursing mothers are not allowed to work in hazardous lab space.
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Chemicals must be kept in vessels that cannot be mistaken as vessels for food.
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All containers used for the storage of chemicals have to be labeled distinctively with the
name of the substance, as well as the name of the user, and the date of preparation.
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Chemicals are to be stored in adequate vessels. They are only to be transported in safe
transport containers (e.g. plastic buckets or carts).
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The contents of leaky or broken containers must be transferred into new containers – but
only if this can be done without endangering yourself. Otherwise you have to contact
authorized personnel who knows how to solve the problem.
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The sash (front panel) of the fume hood should always be closed as far as possible.
•
The exhaust vapors from oil pumps must escape into the room because the aerosol of the
pump oil is carcinogenic (dibutyl phthalate). They must be guided into the lower slit of a
strong hood.
•
Broken glassware, sharp needles or blades must be collected in special containers (ask
your technician where it is). If the needles of blades are infectious, they must first be
sterilized.
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Lab glassware is not suitable for glass recycling, the only exception being Pasteur
pipettes and glass rods or tubing with low melting point.
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Pasteur pipettes and small pieces of broken glass can be collected in mineral water
bottles. When full, the plastic bottle is closed with the srew cap and can be discarded in
the general waste.
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Empty solvent glass bottles must be rinsed free of dangerous contents and carried to the
public glass recycling container at the corner of Gruberstrasse – Körnerstrasse (at the
Southern end of our building). Empty plastic solvent bottles can be placed in the general
waste or fed into the public recycling system for light packaging material.
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Toxic, carcinogenic and corrosive chemicals (use and cleaning operations)
•
The fume hoods in our new location at Gruberstrasse are better than the old ones on
campus. However, they are not particularly strong. In case of working with toxic gas /
liquid / dust you must wear a gas mask with the appropriate filter.
•
Make sure that the filter of the respirator mask is the correct one for the expected
danger, otherwise it will not provide any protection. Make sure that the filter is regularly
exchanged. Write the date on the new filter when inserting it in place of the old filter.
•
Nobody is allowed to use the respirator mask without prior instruction. Many students
put the mask on in a way that they would get killed by toxic gas. There are many
incorrect ways to mount the mask on your head and only one correct way!
•
Before starting the work with materials that are not familiar to the user, inquiries about
there possible toxicity and other risks have to be made (books like Toxikologie, W.
Wirth, C. H. Klogshuber; Handbuch der gefährlichen Güter, Springer Verlag, which are
available in the chemistry laboratory located in the TNF tower might be helpful in this
respect). Consult the internet with key words like "compound name, exposure limit,
toxicity, LD50 (lethal dose for 50% of the tested animals)".
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Before starting to work, write the planned procedure down and show it to your advisor
for approval.
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Disposal of organic solvents in the public wastewater system is STRICTLY
FORBIDDEN. The only exception concerns small amounts of ethanol. Collect all
organic solvents and dispose of in the labeled container in the chemistry lab.
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Toxic compounds without vapor pressure MUST be stored in poison cabinets (poison
cupboards, Giftschrank). Any additions/removals must be noted down in the list of
poisons (Giftbuch).
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Toxic compounds with vapor pressure MUST be stored in a well ventilated steel
cabinet, i.e. the same kind as used for organic solvents.
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Toxic compounds with vapor pressure MUST NOT be stored in a simple poison cabinet
(poison cupboards, Giftschrank) because the typical small poison cabinets are not
equipped with active or passive ventilation. As a consequence, high concentrations of
toxic vapors would accumulate inside the cabinet during storage. Upon opening, the
toxic vapors would suddenly escape at very high concentration and pose life-threatening
danger.
Laboratory regulations, Biophysics Institute, University of Linz, 2014-11-24
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•
By the same rationale, it is forbidden to store toxic compounds in plastic boxes. Toxic
vapors would accumulate inside the box and suddenly escape at high concentration upon
opening.
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Every box (plastic, …) containing any kind of vial or vessel MUST NOT be opened
outside the hood, preferably with a respirator mask in addition. Gloves are mandatory.
The reason for caution: Previous staff members may have been so irresponsible to store
highly carcinogenic/toxic compounds with high vapour pressure inside the box and
these vapors are highly dangerous to your health.
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Working with methanol (gel staining and de-staining) is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN
outside the exhaust hood. Repeated exposure to low levels of methanol vapor will
cumulate into a high effective cancer risk. Methanol is metabolized into carcinogenic
formaldehyde! Latex gloves are forbidden when working with methanol (permeation
time 1-2 seconds). Nitrile gloves can be used for short term exposure.
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Hexane is far more toxic than all other alkanes. Use heptane if you can. Please shift
from hexane to heptane wherever possible! Do not purchase new hexane when the old
bottles are finished!
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Acrylamide and bis-acrylamide are severly neurotoxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, and
teratogenic. Working with these compounds is forbidden outside the hood. Do not
breath vapors! Strictly avoid contact with skin and eyes! Use googles, nitrile gloves or
better, labcoat, long trousers, and closed shoes. Change glove in case of contact. Only
after polymerization the gel may be taken out of the hood. Even then the gel still
contains unpolymerized acrylamide and must not be touched without gloves.
Unpolymerized acrylamide/bis-acrylamide must not get into the wastewater but should
be mixed with more radical starter to induce polymerization.
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Beryllium and its salt are extremely carcinogenic when inhaled. Beryllium is
STRICTLY FORBIDDEN UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, without exception!
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Phorbol esters are extremely carcinogenic!
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All oxidants are potentially carcinogenic: Chromium trioxide (CrO3, in chromic acid,
Chromschwefelsäure), Iodine vapors, Osmium tetroxide, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde,
and H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) are all very volatile which potentiates the risk of
exposure. Permanganate is less volatile but dust is also a risk.
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Silica dust is carcinogenic and causes silicosis. Sources are blue gel (for drying), as well
as silica 60 (on thin layer chromatography plates and in silica column chromatography).
Do not handle outside the hood and use respirator (gas mask) at all times.
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Blue gel is particularly toxic because of the cobalt salt which it contains (blue color,
turning pink when it becomes wet). Cobalt is highly carcinogenic when inhaled in the
lung. Cobalt is less dangerous when ingested orally.
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Orange gel is an alternative to blue gel with significantly lower toxicity, nevertheless the
danger of silicosis is the same as with blue gel and silica 60.
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Molecular sieves also release dust which causes silicosis. Do not handle outside the
hood. Use a respirator mask (P3) when transferring molecular sieves! Never pour
solvent onto dry molecular sieves because this will result in heating and release of dust.
Always pour the solvent into the bottle first, and only then add the molecular sieves with
the help of a powder funnel. A powder funnel has a much shorter and wider stem (exit)
than a funnel for liquids.
Laboratory regulations, Biophysics Institute, University of Linz, 2014-11-24
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•
Nickel salts are very carcinogenic and very toxic, whether you inhale dust or ingest it
orally or through the skin.
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Chloroform is a co-carcinogen. Chlorinated solvents are toxic to the liver.
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Dimethylformamide is extremely toxic. Avoid contact and inhalation.
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Hydrofluoric acid and fluorides are among the most dangerous compounds in this lab.
Do not touch them before thorough instruction. Skin wounds caused by HF or fluorides
can be lethal (deadly) even after a lag time of weeks or months. The most helpful
treatment is with "hexafluorine" (from Prevor). It should be applied within seconds!
•
Hexafluorine solution/spray must be at hand before opening any container containing
HF or fluorides. Hexafluorine should be applied within seconds of any skin/eye contact
with HF/fluorides. It helps less when applied after several minutes but even this is much
better than no treatment. Hexafluorine is found in the work group of Prof. Peter Pohl.
•
Eye wash bottles (Previn solution) must be kept in all places where hazardous chemicals
are used. They contain an antidote against acids, bases, oxidants, reductants, as well as
against organic solvents. You must use the solution immediately after eye injury, every
second counts! You can use them for small scale skin injuries also. Used bottles must be
replaced by new ones (consult safety manager).
•
Elemental bromine reacts violently with almost all organic substances. Bromine
containing solutions and etches like Br2-methanol should not be used in plastic
containers.
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All containers and wash flasks containing chemicals have to be fabricated from
appropriate materials and each of them has to be labeled with its content.
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Substances of moderate toxicity (isopropanol, acetone, acetonitrile, etc.) have to be
handled in a hood (Abzug); except when using small quantities for short times.
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For all substances with significant toxicity (chlorinated solvents, methanol etc.),
working in the exhaust hood is mandatory AND additional protective measures are
required if working for prolonged times, i.e. more than few minutes. (gas
mask/respirator, gloves, warning of comrades).
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For compounds with high or very high toxicity (furan, mesyl chloride, allyl bromide,
etc.) special protection (hood + respirator + thick gloves) is required even for short term
manipulation and the hood must be closed immediately.
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Concerning nanomaterials, even a respirator mask does not provide adequate protection.
Here it is necessary to wear a respirator with pressurized air bottles as air supply.
Comrades must be warned not to enter the endangered area.
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Sonication of nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes) is forbidden (even inside the hood)
without consulting the safety manager each time you want to do it.
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All sonication steps with unsealed containers must be performed inside the fume hood.
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Acids, bases and strong oxidizers under no circumstances are allowed to be taken out of
the chemistry laboratories.
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Always dilute acids by adding the acid into the water and not the other way around.
•
Avoid using chromic acid. CrO3 evaporates and is highly carcinogenic. Cleaning with
chromic acid is often less effective than with piranha or NH3/H2O2/water or oxygen
plasma.
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•
NH3/H2O2/water is extremely hazardous to your throat and lung. One breath can injure
your lung for years. No gas mask filter is known for certain to absorb the toxic fumes.
Do not perform cleaning in hoods with weak flow! At present, no hood of the
biophysics institute is adequate, the operation can only be performed at CBL.
•
Concentrated nitric acid (or dilute nitric acid at elevated temperature) is a most
malicious compound if fumes are inhaled. The fumes cause lung edema after a lag
period of up to 24 hours. Handling outside the hood is strictly forbidden. Any inhalation
must immediately be treated with cortisone spray and then at the hospital in order to
prevent fatal lung edema.
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Inhalation of acid fumes (HCl, aqua regia, SO2 from sulfite etc.) or other corrosive
vapors cause lung irritation which can cause fatal lung edema even with up to one day
delay. This injury is very treacherous because the problem may seem to weaken in the
first hours after injury and then a fatal lung edema may develop within short time. After
any inhalation and irritation, however weak, immediately seek help from the safety
manager or immediately get transferred to the lung department of AKH Linz. They
know how to handle it. Do NOT go to Unfallspital, they have no idea of the risks of
corrosive gas and of the proper treatment.
•
Do not dissolve NaOH in water outside the hood because the solution gets hot and a
highly corrosive aerosol is generated.
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Do not sonicate solutions with acids or bases or other harmful solutions outside the hood
and pull the shield of the hood completely down.
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Do not inhale potentially harmful dust or aerosol from any material, including proteins.
You have just one layer of epithelial cells in your lung, it is easily damaged and your
life depends on this thin layer. Sonication is a very effective way to generate an aerosol.
Any sonication must be performed inside the exhaust hood with the front shield pulled
completely down.
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When preparing cleaning solutions with Extran (NaOH + detergent) or with SDS, use a
gas mask and work inside the hood. Always fill the container FIRST with water, then go
to the hood and add the solid as the second component.
•
Avoid using OsO4, it is volatile and highly carcinogenic. Potassium osmate is less
dangerous to handle but is also converted into OsO4 during oxidation reactions.
•
Hydrofluoric acid must not be used in glass containers. During the work with HF an
anti-hydroflouric acid solution has always to be hold in readiness.
•
Elemental bromine reacts violently with almost all organic substances. Bromine
containing solutions and etches like Br2-methanol should not be used in plastic
containers. In the solid state physics group the use of bromine is not allowed at all.
•
DTT (dithiothreitol) is a serious irritant when used for prolonged time (personal
experience!). 2-Mercaptoethanol is much preferred because its strong smell warns you
much better of the danger and irritation of the lung will not occur when working with
small amounts, in contrast to DTT. TCEP is an even much better alternative if
compatible with your protein or procedure. TCEP has no vapor pressure because it is
ionic.
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Heavy metals like Hg, Cd and Pb are extremely toxic in the form of their salts. They
also accumulate in the body and therefore their use is problematic even in small
quantities. Therefore special care is necessary when using these materials. Arsenic is not
Laboratory regulations, Biophysics Institute, University of Linz, 2014-11-24
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toxic in its elemental form and not in the form of GaAs. In contrast, arsenic oxide is
toxic and arsenic hydrogen (AsH3) is highly toxic.
•
According to the Austrian regulations for health control at the working environment
(VGÜ) employees routinely working with heavy metals and other toxics [listed in VGÜ
§2.(1)] have to undertake (undergo) a health test before starting the work as well as
periodic health tests upon continuing the work. Furthermore, the occupational health
practitioner of the Johannes Kepler University has to be informed.
•
Upon grinding and polishing of samples fine powders may be generated that are
dangerous if inhaled. Wearing of respirators and working inside the hood is mandatory.
•
Unused remainders of chemicals of whatever kind are not allowed to be returned into
the original containers.
•
It is strictly forbidden to suck any liquids into the pipettes by mouth, you must use a
pipette bulb. The same is valid if you want to fill some tubing with any kind of liquid.
•
Chemicals, etching solvents or other mixtures are not allowed to be stored in the exhaust
hoods, except after permission by the safety manager and only in the labeled designated
area (rack with glass boards) on the back side of the hood. All containers must be
labeled (name of person, date, exact declaration of contents).
•
No bottles are allowed on the rack, except for the standard solutions used by all people
and the etchants to be re-used, as described in the previous item. You may keep labeled
bottles for one night in the hood, pushing them far back on the tile surface of the table.
•
You MUST NOT heat any solution or liquid outside the hood, except for pure water.
Even with water, you must place a sign in front telling that it is pure water. We have
seen people heating HCl or HNO3 ourtside the hood and walking away. This is a severe
crime because you can easily kill your comrades in this way.
•
For any activities in the chemistry labs the appropriate security equipment has to be
used, such as suitable gloves and aprons that are resistant against acids or solvents,
closed shoes, and if necessary safety goggles and respirators. The supervisor of each
person working in the chemistry lab is responsible for providing the necessary safety
equipment.
•
Acid resistant aprons, gloves and safety goggles have to be used in any case, when an
etching solution is prepared from acids and bases, or when such solutions are heated.
Bottles containing acids or bases should never be touched by bare hands, because
remaining chemicals at the bottles may give rise to cauterization.
•
Eye wash stations have to be tested on a regular basis (1× per week) for their
functionality. The respective wash bottles have to be filled with clean water when
starting the work and emptied again after finishing.
•
After any activity in any laboratory the hands have to be carefully cleaned.
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Implosion Hazard
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Evacuation of containers / flasks / bottles from glass or plastic implies great risk of
implosion and incurable eye injury. Flat-bottomed flasks must not be evacuated, except
for vials <4 ml and thick-walled vacuum flasks. Use safety goggles with side protection
whenever evacuating any device. Wrap evacuated desiccators tightly into blankets/lab
coats and warn comrades by big sign saying "DANGER - VACUUM".
•
Any evacuated vessel (desiccator, flasks) must be labeled with a big sign which warns
all colleagues about implosion hazard. Please use the above pictogram on the sign.
•
Dewar vessels (for liquid nitrogen) also pose a significant implosion hazard. Goggles
must be worn whenever you work with/near a Dewar vessel, even before filling with
nitrogen.
Explosion and Fire Hazards
•
It is forbidden to put significant amounts of acid, base, oxidant, or reductant into the
solvent waste since this can result in violent reaction, fire, or explosion.
•
Pasteur pipettes on tubing connected to pressurized nitrogen gas is a potential "weapon".
o Protection of your comrades: You MUST turn the pressure adjustment to zero
pressure before finishing operation. It is FORBIDDEN to close the main valve
only without turning the pressure valve to zero.
o Protection of yourself: NEVER open the main valve before turning the
pressure adjustment valve to zero pressure.
•
DMSO will explode in combination with acid chlorides or with perchlorate.
•
Aqua regia will explode when in contact with combustible material/solvent.
•
Nitric acid and piranha bear the same risk of fire/explosion with oxidizable material.
•
Piranha can explode without warning.
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•
You are not allowed to take diethyl ether or THF to dryness before consulting the
supervisor and before testing for peroxides.
•
Reactive and especially hazardous substances (alkaline metals, metal hydrides, cyanides,
etc.) must be deactivated/neutralized. All hazardous waste has to be collected in the
provided vessels. Please use chemicals and solvents economically, sometimes the waste
disposal is more expensive than the chemicals themselves.
•
Use minimal volumes of piranha. Prepare by adding H2O2 to the beaker as the first
component and H2SO4 as the second component. Let used piranha deactivate itself in
the hood for 1 week before pouring it into a big volume of water and disposing of it.
Piranha easily explodes without warning and it quickly dissolves your skin and muscles.
Use complete protection of your body by heavy duty rubber gloves, lab coat and thick
coat under the lab coat, goggles with full protection. Pull the front shield of the hood
down as far as possible so that you can only insert your lower arms for manipulation!
•
Whenever you heat a liquid in a setup, there must be one outlet for pressure
equilibration against the ambient atmosphere. However, this outlet is only allowed at the
top of the condenser. If inert gas is necessary, then the argon bubbler is to be attached to
the top of the condenser. The argon bubbler must be examined, argon must constantly
bubble through silicon oil before starting the procedure. No outlet is allowed underneath
the condenser. Dropping funnels without pressure equilibration (i.e. without glass tube
on the side) must be used, to avoid condensation of boiling liquid into the top of the
dropping funnel.
•
Transfer of flammable solvents must be performed inside a hood. All electric devices
have to be unplugged (not only switched off) before transferring the solvent.
•
In case of large containers (e.g. 10 liter ethanol container) it is not possible to perform
the transfer inside the hood without risking a dangerous spill. Here the transfer must be
performed far away from all electric installations. It is not allowed to pour ethanol etc.
from a large container into a funnel on a small squeeze bottle because spilling would be
inevitable! Please pour ethanol first into a large glass beaker, and then from the beaker
through the funnel into the squeeze bottle.
•
If lipid vesicles or other air-sensitive material is to be frozen and thawed under inert gas,
then it is forbidden to use argon because it will condense inside the flask and, upon
thawing, high pressure is generated very rapidly. Use nitrogen gas, instead because it is
does not condense inside the flask during the short time needed to freeze the vesicles.
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Laser
•
Operating lasers as well as working in marked laser safety areas is allowed only after a
proper instruction by the person in charge for laser safety. In particular, the safety of
third parties has to be assured. When operating at high laser powers one has to be
particularly aware of combustion hazard.
•
The personal tutor is responsible for the availability of protective gear (laser protective
goggles). The person in charge of the laser instrument is responsible for the proper setup of the laser safety area.
•
The operational reliability of the warning lights for laser operation has to be assured.
•
Instructions displayed at the laboratory entrance area must be strictly followed. When
laser operation is indicated by the warning lights, entrance to the laboratory is allowed
only for well-instructed personnel wearing protective gear.
•
Obey elementary rules for operating lasers, e. g. avoid unnecessary reflections or do not
look directly into the laser beam.
•
The laboratory has to be secured in a proper way in order to assure that persons not
working in the lab are informed about the hazards. Any person who is working in the
same laboratory must not be endangered by the laser operation.
Electric Installations
•
According to Austrian regulations, all parts and leads under high voltage require
technical means for protection against touching or exposure. Only personnel trained in
the handling of high voltage components and circuits is entitled to perform installation
and repair work. During whatever work on high voltage containing facilities and
installations the high voltage source has to be switched off and disconnected from the
circuit. Also, keep in mind that capacitors can store high voltages for a long time
(minutes to hours), even if the high voltage source is disconnected. Therefore, after
disconnecting the high voltage source, capacitors have to be discharged by shorting with
an insulated discharge pole before any repair or installation work.
•
Electric installations have to be regularly inspected for faulty insulation. If such defects
are discovered, the facility or installation has to be shut down, disconnected and secured
against accidental reconnection immediately. Report the incidence immediately to the
person responsible for the facility or installation. The facility or installation with faulty
insulation must not be operated until the defect has been repaired.
•
Each flowbox requires a main switch for the activation of the incoming media (water,
nitrogen), the sink and the outlet to the waste chemical disposal tanks, as well as the
electric wall outlets inside and attached to the flowbox. After work in a flowbox has
been completed, the sliding windows on the front side have to be closed (gently, to
prevent the cables of the internal balancing system to jump off the guiding reels), and
the main switch has to be brought in the off position.
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Cryogenic Liquids and Dry Ice
•
New collaborators are introduced to the general rules of using and operating with
liquefied gases and cryogenic liquids by the respective person in charge.
•
During the manipulation of cryogenic liquids, precautionary measures regarding the
protection of eyes, hands, etc. have always to be taken. You MUST use goggles!
•
It is strictly forbidden to place dry ice in the cold room or in any other closed room.
Upon evaporation, the room will be filled with CO2 gas and the comrade can be killed
when entering the room.
•
Dry ice must be evaporated in a well ventilated area and a sheet written in English and
German must warn all persons of the danger of suffocation by CO2 if the box is carried
into a closed room.
•
It is also forbidden to use liquid nitrogen in a small room that does not have strong
ventilation.
•
It is strictly forbidden for a person use an elevator that is loaded with cryogenic liquids.
For transport of liquid nitrogen from ground level to another floor, you have to post
comrades at the elevator door of each level to ensure that the container reaches the
desired level while preventing anybody from using the elevator at the same time.
Please note the new pictograms for all kinds of hazards:
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GHS01
explosive
spontaneous reaction
organic peroxides
GHS02
flammable, highly flammable
spontaneous reaction,
spontaneous heating,
releases flammable gases
organic peroxides
GHS03
oxidizing (promotes fire)
GHS04
Gas under pressure
GHS05
corrosive
GHS06
toxic, highly toxic
Laboratory regulations, Biophysics Institute, University of Linz, 2014-11-24
13
GHS07
irritant
harmful
skin sensitization
toxid
anesthetic
irritant to respiratory system
GHS08
harmful
carcinogenic
harmful to respiratory system
GHS09
harmful to the environment
Laboratory regulations, Biophysics Institute, University of Linz, 2014-11-24
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