ChBE Safety Training
July 2016
Emily Edwards
Lab Coordinator
Chemical & Biological Engineering
Tufts University
4 Colby St., Room 151
617-627-2172
Required Training – Chemical Safety
Choose 1 of 3 Options
A chemical safety training certificate is required before admittance to any laboratory
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3 - Preferred
• 30-minute video + written test
• Must get 80% to pass
• Certificate expires after one
year
• Email me a copy of your
certificate – I need proof of
training for the annual lab
inspections
• Classroom training from
BME Lab Coordinator
• No set schedule, just when
demand is high
• Building-specific information
• No certificate – send me an
email so I can add a note to
my files
• Classroom training from
EH&S, usually at 200 Boston
• General information like
Option 1
• See website for scheduled
times and registration
• Email me a copy of your
certificate
Required Training – Bio Safety
Classroom Training
Required: Classroom training if working with bio materials
• Classroom training from EH&S, usually at 200 Boston
• General information about bio safety + OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
• See website for scheduled times and registration
• Email me a copy of your certificate
Combined: Classroom
training for chemical &
bio materials
• Option 3 above + bio
training to the left
• See website for
scheduled times and
registration
• Email me a copy of
your certificates
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Tufts EH&S does random unannounced
inspections looking for people not wearing PPE
Write your name
on your coat
Face shield and
thermal gloves are
required when
dispensing LN
Latex or Nitrile?
Check chemical
compatibility
before choosing
Put your name or initials
on them with a sticker
Hearing protection
and sign on door
are required when
using a sonicator
(dismembrator)
Lab Regulations
• No open-toed shoes allowed
in the lab
• Keep a pair of shoes at your
desk, if needed
Remove one glove before touching a
door knob or anything outside the lab
New Regulation:
Bunsen burner tubing must be a
special cloth-covered steel tubing
Lab Regulations
• No backpacks or jackets
allowed in the lab
• No food or drinks including
water bottles
• Request a locker if needed
• Leave outside the lab
Safety Warning Requirements
Sign on the door
reflects hazards
inside + contact
information for
after-hours
emergencies,
must be revised
when needed
The number in
each diamond
reflects the level
of danger:
0 through 4
Read the SDS for
your chemicals
before using
Lab Sink – Water Testing
• All lab sinks drain to the Machine Shop
• Giant pH neutralizing system and holding
tank for periodic testing
• Fines for too much metal in the waste
water – recent fine for mercury, not
sure what else they test for
• All chemicals must go into waste
containers, never down the sink
Labels – No Mystery Substances
Label your containers and samples:
No mystery liquids or solids are allowed in any lab.
This includes containers of water and reactor vessels
Use large labels for
stock solutions and
reactor vessels
Use small labels for
vials or small flasks
Emergency Procedures
Safety Features inside the lab
Calling for help:
• Tufts Emergency Number
• 617-627-6911 (or 911)
• Program this into your phone
• 6-6911 from a campus phone
Determining a true emergency:
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•
•
•
•
Fire
Non-minor injuries or burns
Very large chemical spills
Very large gas leaks
Anything involving especially dangerous
chemicals or gases
• Chemical fume hood failure if hood
contains dangerous chemicals or gases
Emergency Procedures
Spill Kit Procedure:
Minor Injuries:
• Wear PPE
• Use absorbent material inside
the bucket to soak up the
liquid
• Place into bag
• Fill out waste tag and attach it
to the bag
• Place the bag in your Pickup
SAA
• Inform your PI and request a
refill from the Lab Coordinator
• Use 1st Aid Kit
• See Lab Coordinator
• Go to Tufts Student
Health Services
After-hours Event:
• Fire alarm, chemical smell, etc.
• Call from Tufts Police to the
emergency contact number on
file or on door
Chemical Storage Locations
Flammables Cabinet or Special Fridge
• Alcohols
• Solvents
• Alcohol-fueled
Bunsen burners
• Special flame-proof fridge
Corrosives Cabinet
• Separate organic &
inorganic acids
• Separate acids & bases
Inside a Fume Hood
• Especially toxic chemicals
• Disrupts functionality and
safety of hood – must be
minimal
Biomaterial Storage Locations
Ultra-cold Freezer
• -80 °C (-112 °F)
• For long-term cell storage
• Frost builds up around door and prevents
door from closing – must scrape off to
maintain temperature
Fridge & Freezer
• 4 °C & -20 °C, check storage instructions carefully
• No auto-defrosting freezer – they cycle above
freezing periodically to melt the frost
• Freezers must be defrosted
• Must have stickers that say “no food” and “no
flammables”
Compressed Gas Cylinders
• Clamps mount to table or wall
• Chain or strap
• Allowed 3 cylinders on 1 clamp
• Top of tank is ceramic and could break if
dropped (see Myth Busters episode)
• Remove regulator and screw cap on tightly
before moving
• Cylinders are safe when cap is on – verified this
with our Airgas delivery person
Compressed Gas Cylinders
• Types of gases are color-coded: flammable, oxidizer, nonflammable
• Each individual gas has a different nozzle thread to avoid
mixing of incompatible gases inside the regulator; for
example, CGA 320 is for CO2
• Choose the proper PSI range when purchasing regulator
Flammable Gases have special rules
• Allowed only 1500 ft3 (STP) per section of our building, large cylinders
have ~285 ft3 = 6 large cylinders. We need more than 6 per section so
all flammables must now be “size 80” cylinders.
• Tubing must be stainless steel
• Flashback arrestor is required: “fuel” for flammable gases and “oxygen”
for oxidizers
• Gas sniffers are required for any dangerous gas (H2, H2S, etc.)
Chemical Disposal
Do not pour chemicals down the drain – periodically inspected
Liquids – Separate Containers
• Acids
• Bases + Misc.
• Alcohols, solvents
Solids: “Sharps”
• Tips
• Broken glass
• Empty glass bottles
Solids: Non-sharp
•
•
•
•
•
Powder, “goop”
Chemically-soaked paper towels
Weigh boats
Empty plastic bottles
Pipets in sleeves
New Procedure!
Put pipet in sleeve
and place in nonsharps bucket
Chemical Disposal
Tags: Must be on all non-bio containers
SAAs – New Procedure!
Pickup SAA
Active SAA
Immediately fill in:
• Lab #
• PI
As you fill the container, the
following must be accurate at all
times:
• Chemicals
• % (best guess)
• Hazards
• Leave dates blank until picked up
+
Add new waste here
Keep the
bucket –
new bag
inside
Trash the sharps
bin – get new
one from Lab
Coordinator
Place full containers here
Weekly lab pickup
by waste
management
company
Bio-material Disposal
Liquids:
• Add bleach until
v/v % is ~10%
• wait at least 30
minutes
• pour down drain
Solids: “Sharps”
•
•
•
•
New Procedure!
Tips
Broken glass
Syringe needles
Blades
Put pipet in sleeve
and place in nonsharps bucket
Solids: Non-sharp
• Gloves
• Bio-soaked paper
towels
• Cuvettes
• Pipets in sleeves
Bag must be autoclave-able
Bio-material Disposal
New Procedure
Secure lid to bin with tie wraps
before leaving your lab
Cages for Sharps Bins
• Cages must remain locked
• Full bins must be logged in
logbook
• Picked up by Stericyle
every 2 weeks
Autoclave
• Sterilize glassware, media, lab supplies or
non-sharp bio waste
• Training required before using
• Must sign up for a timeslot before using
• Separate training for sterilizing bio waste
involving a logbook and tags
Bio vs. Chemical Disposal
What if you have an item that contains
both bio and chemical material?
Bio-related chemicals:
• Salt
• Buffer
• Media
Chemicals that would
destroy cells:
• Solvents
• Inorganic
compounds
• Alcohols
Autoclave
No chemicals are allowed in the
autoclave!
Other autoclave hazards
Non-sharps bio waste
in autoclave-able bag
All items must be in
autoclave-able tub when
inside the autoclave
Chemical Fume Hood vs. Bio Cabinet
Fume Hood
• Pulls air in from the room and
vents it outside to protect person
from fumes
• Air flow cannot be turned off
• Sash height and obstructions can
greatly affect your safety
Bio Cabinet (aka Laminar Flow Hood)
• Pulls in air from the room, filters and
recirculates to prevent bio material
from escaping into the room
• Air flow is turned on and off by the user
• Inside surfaces must be decontaminated
Fume Hood Safety
Proper use of chemical fume hood:
• Hoods are calibrated to be safe for use with the sash below
designated height shown on the sticker (usually 18”)
• Keep sash as low as possible without hindering your work –
below your shoulders to avoid breathing fumes
• Close the sash when not in use to contain the chemical fumes
Facilities Problems
Contact Lab Coordinator:
Fill out a Facilities Work Request:
• DI water, autoclave, vacuum
• Low flow in fume hood (containing nonhazardous chemicals or gas)
• Chemical smell
• Broken equipment
• Safety supplies
• Any random question
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•
•
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Dripping faucet
Electrical problems
Burned out lights
Restroom problems
Lab Inspections
Annual Lab Inspection:
Semi-Annual Chemical Audit:
Annual Testing:
• General lab safety
• Fill out form in advance
and fix issues
• Inspected by EH&S
• Receive report with
findings – fix and reply
• Search for especially hazardous
or explosive chemicals
• Also look for storage issues
• acids & bases not separated
• organic & inorganic acids
• Receive a report with findings –
fix and reply
• Flowrate of chemical
fume hoods & bio
cabinets
• Eyewash & showers
Eco-Friendly Practices
Try to avoid disposing of “disposables” in order to reduce our
dependence on oil:
• Try to minimize your use of weigh boats, jars & vials
• Re-use pipets & tips if using DI water or alcohols
• You must dispose of anything that came into contact with live cells
Eco-Friendly Practices
• Chemical fume hoods
consume a large
amount of energy
• Tufts is working hard to
reduce the amount of
energy consumed in our
building
• Close the sash when not
in use!
Eco-Friendly Practices
• Paper, rigid plastic, glass & metal are banned from landfills in MA
• See the signs at the recycling stations for more information
Eco-Friendly Practices
Which is more environmentally friendly?
Paper towels vs. Kimwipes
Must consider the energy used for manufacturing and transportation
Department Website
This presentation will
be available on the
ChBE website under the
Graduate Program tab