Chemistry

Lab Safety Regulations

Safety and Housekeeping Rules for the Chemistry Laboratory

Long-sleeved/long-legged clothing should be worn. Short-sleeved shirts, short trousers, and skirts should be avoided. A laboratory coat or cotton over-shirt worn over street clothes is recommended to prevent contact with dirt, chemical dust, and minor chemical splashes.
Shoes must be worn in the lab at all times. Sandals and perforated shoes are not appropriate.
Eye protection is required for all personnel, students, and any visitors present in the lab. You must wear safety glasses/goggles at all times when you are in the lab, even if you are not performing an experiment.
Do not wear contact lenses when working in the lab. Gases and vapors can be concentrated under the lenses and cause permanent eye damage. Chemical splashes to the eye can get behind the lenses and may be difficult to remove with a typical eyewash.
Long hair and loose clothing must be confined.

Never work alone in the lab.
Never perform unauthorized experiments.
If you are ever in doubt about an equipment or a procedure, ask the instructor.
Keep all aisles and workbenches clear of clutter and obstructions.
Eating, drinking, smoking, taking medicine, and applying cosmetics is forbidden while in the lab.
Never pipet liquids by mouth.
Notify your instructor in the event of accident, illness, injury, fire, or chemical spill, no matter how minor.
Wipe up spills (including those on the balances) immediately.
Report broken thermometers and mercury spills to your instructor or a lab assistant.
Notify your instructor or a lab assistant if your glassware is cracked or chipped.
Make sure that all gas, water, and electrical devices are turned off and that your work area is clean before leaving the laboratory each day.
Return all reagents and equipment to their proper place.

Know important safety numbers – Campus Safety ext. 888; Health Center ext. 5245; Local Ambulance/Fire/Police 911.
Be familiar with the location and operation of the eyewash stations, safety showers, fire extinguishers, fire blankets, and exits.
Avoid direct contact with any chemical. Keep chemicals off your hands, face, and clothing. Wash thoroughly with soap and water after handling any chemical. If chemicals come in contact with skin or clothes, ask for help and flush the contaminated area with copious quantities of water for 15 minutes.
If chemicals come in contact with your eyes, ask for help and flush your eyes at the eye wash station for 15 minutes.
Never smell, inhale, or taste a hazardous chemical.
In case of a fire, evacuate the lab.

Read the label before using a chemical. It is also a good idea to consult the manufacturer’s or supplier’s Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). You can access a chemical’s MSDS online – http://hazard.com/msds/index.php. Some MSDS are in the Chemistry office (BR 117).
Recap all reagent bottles immediately after use.
Keep all bottles of flammable, poisonous, and corrosive materials closed. Use these materials in the fume hood and with adequate traps.
Many organic solvents are highly flammable. Check with your instructor before lighting any flames.

Be sure to dispose of waste in its proper place:
Broken glass ONLY appropriately labeled containers.
Trash ONLY in trash barrels.
Syringes ONLY in “sharps” containers.
Solid and liquid waste in properly labeled “Hazardous Waste” containers. If no such labeled container exists, alert your instructor.
Keep waste containers capped when not in use. “In use” means that someone is in the act of placing waste into the container.
Report problems with the waste containers immediately (overfilling, bad odors, bubbling, smoking, leaking, lack of appropriate labels, etc.)
Never pour chemicals down a sink’s drain.

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