Lidstrom:Health & Safety:Bunsen Burner

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Basics

• Know where the closest fire extinguisher and shower is.
• Keep flammable materials more than 1 foot away.
• Before using flame, consider where fire will spread if it catches.
  • flaming ethanol dripping off the counter onto your lap or your trash?
  • up papers taped above your bench?
• Wear a lab coat.
  • Though it will catch on fire as easily as most clothing, you will be able to rip it off more easily.
• Tie hair back if longer than shoulder length.
• Do not leave flame on unattended.
• If you turn off your flame briefly, then turn the gas back on the flame will reignite.
  • Don't have turn gas back on with your body, clothes, or flammable materials nearby.

Most Common Ways to Ignite a Fire

• When sterilizing objects with ethanol + flame
  • If you have a cap for your ethanol container, you can cap it to suffocate the fire.
  • Take time to be careful about suffocating it: you don't want to knock it over.
  • An ice bucket may melt if used to suffocate the fire.

Additional Info

• The Lidstrom lab doesn't have smoke detectors, we have sprinklers that are activated by heat
  • If turned on, they will spray the whole room (not just your bench)
• The fire extinguishers release a yellow powder that is essentially ground up rock
  • It is a real pain to clean up. If you have time to move nearby electronics like laptops, you can minimize damage.