BISC209/S10:ReadMe

LABORATORY SAFETY RULES

Laboratory safety is the responsibility of everyone working in the laboratory. The following laboratory rules are provided to help ensure your safety and the safety of others during the BISC 110 lab sessions. You should also be sure to read the Wellesley College Lab Safety Manual available at http://www.wellesley.edu/ScienceCenter/Safety/safety_index.html.

1. There is NO eating, drinking, chewing gum or smoking permitted in the laboratory at anytime. Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the Science Center.
2. To avoid possible damage, coats should be hung on the hooks provided in the corridor outside the laboratory.
3. Unneeded books may be placed in the lockers outside the laboratory or stored in your book bag under the lab bench. This reduces clutter in the lab and protects others against tripping over books or bags in the aisles.
4. Each laboratory is equipped with fire alarms, fire extinguishers, a fire blanket, a safety shower, an eyewash and a first aid kit. Your instructor will indicate the location of each during the first laboratory period.
5. If you have long hair, it is advisable to pin or tie it out of your face. Loose hair can contaminate an experiment or catch on fire when using open flame.
6. Should your hair or clothing catch on fire: DO NOT RUN. Shout for help and someone will give you the fire blanket. Wrap yourself in the blanket, then fall to the floor and roll slowly back and forth to put out the flames.
7. All accidents such as burns, cuts, eye contamination, spills, etc., should be reported to your instructor immediately.
8. Keep your hands away from your face to prevent undesirable material being transferred to your face. Always wash your hands before leaving the laboratory.
9. Chemical and Biological materials must be disposed of in the proper manner. Pay attention to “Clean-Up” instructions that indicate how each material should be discarded or stored. It is the responsibility of each student to follow these directions. When in doubt, double-check with your instructor.
10. Non-toxic paper products can be placed in the wastebaskets. Disposable glassware should be put in the large blue and white recycle containers at the front of the lab. Non-disposable glassware should be rinsed out and placed either on your bench to dry or in baskets by the sink at the front of the lab. Broken glass and Pasteur pipettes should be discarded in the red “sharps” container at the front of the lab. Wet trash, such as wet leaves, can be discarded in the small garbage pail lined with a plastic bag.

11. It is the responsibility of all Science Center personnel working in laboratories to know and to follow the provisions of the Chemical Hygiene Plan. The purpose of the Chemical Hygiene Plan is to describe proper practices, procedures, equipment and facilities for faculty, students, staff, and visitors in order to protect them from potential health hazards presented by chemicals used in the laboratory workplace, and to keep exposures below specified limits. You may view the Chemical Hygiene Plan at the Science Center Lab Safety web site at http://www.wellesley.edu/ScienceCenter/Safety/hygiene_plan.html.

The following rules must be observed for the safety and convenience of everyone working in the laboratory.

1. No mouth pipetting.

2. Coats and sweaters must be left outside the laboratory on the clothes rack provided.

3. Pencils, labels, or other materials should never be placed in your mouth.

4. Transfer needles and loops are sterilized by heating the entire length of the wire to redness before and after using. Spattering is avoided by first holding the needle above the flame.

5. If a culture is spilled, cover the area with towels and soak them with disinfectant. Notify your lab instructor immediately. Let the towels stand for half an hour. Place the contaminated materials in a container with disinfectant or in a plastic autoclave bag which can be sealed.

6. Cultures are never to be taken from the laboratory.

7. Inoculated media placed in the incubator must be properly labeled (i.e. with your name, date, and the nature of the specimen), and put on the assigned shelf.

8. Gas burners must be turned down or off when not in use during the laboratory period. Be sure that gas burners are turned off at the end of the laboratory period.

9. Eyepiece, lenses and objectives, as well as the microscope stage, should be clean before and after use. Lenses of the microscope must be wiped off with lens paper only (NO PAPER TOWELS OR KIMWIPES). Return microscopes to lockers at the end of lab.

10. All reagents and equipment should be returned to their proper place at the end of each laboratory period.

11. All used tubes, petri dishes, pipettes, etc. should be placed in designated receptacles at the end of the lab period. Please remove all labeling tape.

12. All non-contaminated waste material should be placed in wastebaskets, not left on benchtops or on the floor.

13. The laboratory desk top should be cleaned with a disinfectant at the beginning and at the end of each laboratory period.

14. Personal accidents, such as cuts and burns, must be reported immediately to your instructor - this is for your own safety.

15. Every student must wash her hands, with disinfectant if necessary, before leaving the laboratory.

16. Please wear a protective lab coat or apron when you are working with cultures. If possible, avoid wearing clothing with long, full sleeves to the laboratory.

17. Tie long hair back or put it up. If hair hangs loose, it becomes both a contamination and a fire hazard.

18. Decontaminate work surfaces at the beginning and end of each laboratory. Use the disinfectant provided in the laboratory.

19. Mix liquid cultures gently to avoid foaming and splashing, either of which may produce an aerosol of the bacterial culture.

20. Open cuts should be covered with bandages. If cuts are on the hands, it is advisable to wear disposable gloves.

21. Students who have suppressed immunity are urged to discuss your relevant medical history with your instructor, privately, before beginning this laboratory course.