Safety

The safety rules listed below are very important.By following these rules you help protect yourself and those around you from potential harm.Your own common sense is also important in lab safety.If you have any questions or concerns regarding anything that may cause injury to you or others, bring up your concerns to the attention of your instructor immediately.

Safety Rules

1.Wear safety glasses at all times.

2.Know the location of the safety equipment

3.Never work alone in the laboratory.(In fact do not work in the laboratory at times other than your authorized lab period.)

4.Do not attempt unauthorized experiments.

5.Wear clothing that will provide the maximum possible protection.No open toed shoes or sandals.You will also not be allowed to wear shorts or short skirts.

6.Place items such as books sweaters etc. out of harms way.Aisles should not be blocked.

7.Never eat, drink, smoke or chew in the laboratory.Wash hands thoroughly upon completion of the experiment.

8.Dispose of waste properly.

9.Keep laboratory clean at all times

10.Use the fume hood when toxic vapors may be released.

11.Use good judgment and care when working in the laboratory.

a) Add concentrated acid to water.

b) Be careful when inserting glass tubing into rubber stoppers.

c) Waft fumes gently toward your face.

d) Never pipet by mouth.

e) Never point a heated test tube toward you or your neighbor.The contents may erupt and cause serious burns.

f) Do not heat glassware that is cracked or is severely etched.

g) Do not leave flames unattended.

h) Wash chemicals off your skin immediately.If you feel a burning sensation, immediately flush the area with cold water to remove any chemicals.

12.Avoid touching hot objects.

13.Read labels on reagent bottles carefully to make sure they contain the appropriate chemical at the right concentration.

a)MSD sheets are available if you have any safety concerns about the chemicals

b)Take what you need from the stock bottles.Do not return unused chemicals to the stock bottles because of the risk of contamination.Discard the excess in the appropriate waste containers.

14.Wash your hands before leaving the laboratory.

15.Report all accidents (Spills that leave your work area or any physical injury) to your instructor.

Material Safety Data Sheets

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are basic documents that communicate the hazards of chemicals to workers.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)requires that MSD sheets be accessible to employees.The information described on MSD sheets can help answer the following questions:

•Is the material toxic?

•Do I need to wear protective clothing?

•Is the material flammable?

•What should I do if it gets on my skin?

•How should the material be stored?

MSD sheets are created by the manufacturer and then are sent to the user.Unfortunately, not all MSD sheets are of the same quality.The amount of information may depend on the manufacturer or on the amount known about that material.Some MSD sheets may also be out of date and not contain the latest information about the substance, for example the latest information about the carcinogenic properties of the substance.

There are two large yellow notebooks in the stockroom area that are labeled MSD sheets.These are available if you are interested in the properties of a chemical.Please get your instructor to help you with this information.

National Fire Protection Agency Codes

On many bottles or packages of chemicals you may see a diamond shaped symbol(often colored with blue red yellow and whit sections) with numbers at each corner. An example is shown below.This system provides information on four areas; health, flammability, reactivity and other hazards from short term exposure to this compound.Each compound is assigned a number between zero and four in each of three areas, health (in blue), flammability ( in red) and reactivity with 0 representing the least hazardous and 4 representing the most hazardous.A 4 for the health rating indicates that very short exposure could cause death or serious injury.A 0 for the health rating indicates that the material provides no health hazards beyond that of normal combustible material.Special warnings like aWindicates that the compound reacts with water and so should be kept away from water.The code OX indicates that the compound is a strong oxidizer and must be kept away from combustible materials.The NFPA codes are not as comprehensive as the MSD sheets but they can alert you to potential hazards.