How to survive in the DJ lab?
Good Laboratory Practice
Mateu Pla-Roca September 2008
Safety Rules in the DJ lab
NEVER WORK ALONE IN THE
LABORATORY
Personal Protective Equipment
The personal protective equipment is there to give you added protection against
any accidents that may occur while working in the lab.
When you are in the lab you should always
wear:
• Lab Coat
• Safety Glasses
When you are working in the lab you should
always wear:
• Lab Coat
• Safety Glasses
• Gloves
Gloves
When necessary gloves are a crucial component in keeping the chemicals
away from your skin.
But be careful! Just because you have gloves on doesn’t mean
you’re safe.
• Choose gloves that provide the proper
protection and limit the time you are in
contact with the chemical.
• It is always a good idea to frequently change
out your gloves when working with hazardous
chemicals.
Blue gloves
Green gloves
Never pick up the phone with the gloves on.
Never open the doors with gloves one
Handling Chemicals
Read the instructions carefully on bottles and containers before you begin to
use the substance and seek advice if necessary
Safety Hazard symbols
• Check
labels
for
symbols
indicating flammability, reactivity,
health concerns, and other
potential hazards associated with
the reagent.
• Be aware of the date on reagents
bottles, as some reagents will
decompose
and
may
pose
dangers if used.
Read the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
FUME HOODS are an essential component in the lab.
Use them to protect yourself from potential harmful fumes.
When you are working with:
• Toxic reagents
• Volatile reagents
Do not put your head inside
the fume hood.
Be aware that some toxic
substances are odourless.
A FUME HOOD is not a LAMINAR FLOW CABINET
Proper disposal of Waste
Never pour chemical waste down the sinks or into the garbage.
Waste containers are available in the lab.
LIQUID WASTE
Dilute the solutions with
water.
Diluted acids
and bases
Alcohols
acetone
Toluene
Check the pH before
waste if you don’t know
Good practice at the DJ lab
Work areas should be kept clean and tidy at all times.
Don’t leave sharps, glass..(razor blades, coverslips…) on
the benches. Other people could be hurt!!
Proper Labelling
Proper labelling ensures that you know what chemical you or your
colleagues are handling and prevents you from getting harmed by one that
is not labelled correctly.
Bottles, beakers, samples…must be
identified with:
• Substance
• Date
• Name
H2SO4 0.1M
03-10-2006
Pierre
Avoid Cross Contamination
Never return unused chemicals to their original container
Never pipette chemicals directly from the bottles.
Fire Prevention
Ways to prevent fires are:
• Have good housekeeping practice.
• Use the smallest amount of flammable solvents possible.
• Keep the flammable solvents away from ignition
sources.
• Store flammables in a flammable storage cabinet.
Clean your bench…
That's one small step for a researcher, one giant
leap for the DJ lab.