Ober Group Lab Safety Tutorial

2/15/2010

Overview

                Basic Information General Lab Safety Housekeeping Hazardous Waste and Used Oil Glass Disposal and Regular Trash Syringes Fume Hoods Pumps Gas Cylinders Chemical Safety/Chemical Inventory Electrical Hazards Mercury Hydrofluoric Acid Emergencies New Ober Group Safety Procedures Questions?

Basic Information

     Lab Safety Manual and Chemical Hygiene Plan – http://www.ehs.cornell.edu/LRS/LSM.cfm

– Hard copy in Thurston333 MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) – http://www.ehs.cornell.edu/msds/msds.cfm

– Hard copy in Thurston 333 – OSHA requires that employees have access to MSDS’s within 5 minutes Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) – located in each lab – Safe handling instructions for highly hazardous, highly toxic and carcinogenic chemicals Hazard Assessment Signage Program (HASP) signs – on the door of each lab – Hazard identification sign indicating primary hazards, responsible persons and contact information, updated annually Cornell Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) – http://www.ehs.cornell.edu

– Safety information and training

General Lab Safety

   All containers must be identified with labels, including non-hazardous chemicals and materials – Labels should include a chemical name/structure, any solvents, your name and a date – Please keep an updated List of Abbreviations Always wear safety glasses when working in any lab; wear gloves and/or lab coat when working with hazardous materials – Don’t ever wear gloves outside the lab and be aware of what you are touching while wearing gloves Don’t ever eat or drink or bring food or drinks into any lab

Housekeeping

      Keep working spaces clean and tidy Aisle spaces must have 3 feet clearance Floors must be clear, without any tripping or slipping hazards – Never leave boxes, packing material, trash, etc. on the floor Windowsills should remain clear – they are NOT shelves Never block doorways or exits Heavy equipment and heavy boxes should not be stored overhead

Hazardous Waste and Used Oil

   Solvent Waste – Full bottles should be kept together in a flammable storage area in each lab – Waste bottles in use should be kept closed and in a fume hood – Must be labeled with “Hazardous Waste” and contents – if using an old solvent bottle, you must cross out the old solvent name – All solvent waste must be tagged with a green Hazardous Waste tag and pick-up requested by EH&S Solid Waste – Must be labeled with “Hazardous Waste” and contents – You may use an old silica gel bucket or the chemistry stockroom sells white buckets that may be used for solid waste – Must be tagged with a green Hazardous Waste tag and pick-up requested by EH&S – Solid waste containers must be kept closed Used Oil – All old pump oil must be kept in containers (old solvent bottles) and labeled “Used Oil” – Used Oil may be disposed of in a large collecting drum in the basement of Bard

Glass Disposal and Regular Trash

  Glass Disposal – ALL glass goes into the glass disposal bins (these may be ordered from Fisher, or the chemistry stockroom sells them) – You may dispose of empty glass chemical bottles, but you must first make sure they are clean/non-hazardous and cross out the labels – When glass boxes are full, tape them very securely and take them to the dumpster behind Kimball Regular Trash – Don’t ever throw any type of glass, needles or syringes into the regular trash – Never throw hazardous materials into the regular trash – You may dispose of old plastic or metal chemical containers in the regular trash, but you must first make sure they are clean/non-hazardous and cross out the labels

Syringes

   Syringes must be kept in a locked cabinet and inventoried with a Needle Log and sign-out sheet All syringes and needles must be disposed of in the red biohazard/sharps containers, even if they are clean/unused Regulated Medical Waste disposal – Must be tagged with a red RMW waste tag and pick-up by EH&S requested

Fume Hoods

 Keep the back of your fume hoods clear, otherwise you will block the airflow and the hood won’t work properly  Always keep the hood sash lowered within its working limit  Keep the hood sash down when not in use

Pumps

 Pump Oil in all oil-based pumps needs to be changed periodically to keep pumps working properly  Oil pumps must be kept in trays/containers (these are available in the stockroom)

Gas Cylinders

      All gas cylinders must be secured at all times and stored away from heat, electrical or ignition sources Gas cylinders must be labeled with contents and full/partially full/empty tags Gas cylinders must always have their caps readily available nearby Cylinders must be capped when “stored” and have a regulator when “in use” (never a bare valve system) Cylinders must be capped during transport Flammable gases and oxidizing gases must be separated by a fire rated wall or a minimum of 20 feet

Chemicals

       All chemicals must have intact and readable labels (either original labels or Right-to-Know labels) Incompatible chemicals must be kept segregated Chemical containers must be in good condition Flammables must be stored in a flammables cabinet Secondary containment should be used when appropriate Peroxide forming solvents/chemicals must be tested every 6 months (THF, ether, dioxane) Hazardous chemicals should not be stored above eye level or on the floor

Electrical Hazards

     There must be 3 feet of clearance in front of all electrical panels Never store combustibles or flammables near an electrical panel All wiring must be in intact and in good condition (no fraying, etc.) You may not use extension cords Power strips must be used correctly and not plugged into other power strips or extension cords

Mercury

 There is currently mercury-containing equipment in Bard 350, labeled with small “Hg-containing” signs  We will keep a Mercury spill kit in Bard 350  Mercury thermometers and other mercury containing equipment may be disposed of through EH&S

HF

 If using Hydrofluoric Acid, the area should be clearly labeled  If using Hydrofluoric Acid, special first aid equipment should be readily available nearby (calcium gluconate)  There is a specific HF hood in Bard

Emergencies

 An Emergency Response Guide is posted in each lab  Know the location of emergency eyewashes, showers, spill kits, first aid kits, fire extinguishers and fire blankets

New Ober Group Safety/Housekeeping Procedures

 Safety officer (Priscilla and Carol)  Chemical Inventory  Hazardous Waste disposal/Syringe inventory and disposal  Spin-coater  Glove box  Hazardous Materials shipping

Questions?

 Safety Officer  Michele Conrad or Verne Thalheimer  EH&S representative