SAFETY REGULATIONS FOR CHEMISTRY TEACHING LABORATORIES

Before you begin any work in the laboratory, you should read and understand the rules below. Your instructor will explain these rules to you and demonstrate proper techniques and first-aid measures. If you do not understand a rule, insist on a satisfactory explanation from your instructor or a faculty member. Afterwards, sign the safety rule verification form that will be kept on file with the chemistry department, and secondly, both you and your instructor must sign this document. Keep a copy of this document in your lab manual and refer to the safety rules frequently.

I have read and understand the safety rules (1-33) below and have had an opportunity to question my instructor about them. I agree to follow these regulations when I am in the chemistry laboratory.

Instructor's Signature:

 Your Signature:
Date of Safety Training:

 

Chemistry Department Safety Rules Comments and Examples

GENERAL RULES
1.  Do not work in the laboratory unless your instructor is present to supervise your work. 1. A qualified person must be present to:
(a) see that only safe procedures are used, and
(b) provide immediate aid in case of an accident.
2.  Do not carry out any unauthorized experiment. 2.  Perform only those experimental steps in the printed manual, or those given directly to you by your instructor.
3.  Do not work under any condition that you believe to be unsafe for you or others. 3.  If such a condition exists (e.g., overcrowded area, unsafe actions by another student), report it immediately to your instructor or to a faculty member in charge.
EYE PROTECTION
4.  Wear approved eye protection at all times in the laboratory. Approved eye protection means safety goggles with indirect venting sold at the Issue Room. 4.  This is a specific State of Oregon requirement. Failure to comply will result in exclusion from the laboratory. Eyes are very susceptible to chemical injury and must be fully protected all the time. Even when you are not working, a person nearby may be carrying out a chemical procedure that might affect you.
5.  Contact lenses should not be worn in the laboratory. 5.  All types of contact lenses may trap a chemical against the eye tissue and cause permanent eye damage.
Check with your instructor if needed.
6.  Do not work with a chemical above or near your face. 6.  For example, holding a beaker up to look at what is in the bottom, or filling a burette which is higher than eye-level, can result in a splash down onto your face.

HANDLING CHEMICALS
7.   Many chemicals are toxic and/or corrosive. 7. Chemical reagents require careful handling.
8.  Do not taste or ingest any chemical in the laboratory.
Do not keep food or drink items at your lab bench. 		8.  It may be toxic. Even NaCl may be contaminated and be unsafe. For the same reason, you can not bring food or drink into the laboratory, or eat in the laboratory (no chewing gum, tobacco, candy, bottled water or drinks, etc.)
9.  Never pipet by mouth. 9.  Drawing up a liquid (e.g., into a pipet) should be done only with a rubber bulb or water aspirator.
10.  Never pipet directly from a reagent bottle. 10.  Transfer only necessary amount of liquid reagents to a secondary container, such as a clean, dry beaker.
11.  Avoid skin contact with any chemical. 11.  Keep the outside of reagent containers, all of your equipment and the desk top, free from chemical spills. Wear gloves if instructed to do so.
12.  Do not inhale reagent fumes. 12.  Odor tests are to be made only when specifically directed to do so. Use a waving motion of your hand to bring the vapor near your nose (this is wafting).
13.  Fume hoods must be used whenever toxic or corrosive vapors are released during the work you are doing. 13.  Use the hood when directed to do so. If fumes develop unexpectedly, cover the container and take it to the hood at once. Work with concentrated hydrochloric, nitric, or acetic acids, or with bromine, chlorine, or hydrogen sulfide should be done only in a fume hood.
14.  Alkalis are particularly corrosive. Contact with NaOH and other alkaline (basic) chemicals must be avoided. Work with solid sodium or potassium hydroxide, or with solutions of these more concentrated than 0.1 molar, should be carried out only under the direct supervision of the instructor. 14.  Strong bases must be handled with great caution because they attack tissues so rapidly. Using 0.1 molar sodium hydroxide in a titration also requires great care. Your instructor will demonstrate proper techniques in handling a base in the laboratory.
15.  Do not heat a test tube containing a liquid over an open flame or directly on a hot plate. 15.  To heat a test tube, hold it in a beaker of hot water. Liquids heated over an open flame may erupt violently and splash onto you or a person nearby.
16.  Do not add water to a concentrated reagent, especially concentrated sulfuric acid. 16.  Keep the mixture as dilute as possible; add the reagent to water. Addition of concentrated sulfuric acid to water causes much heat formation and may result in spattering of this corrosive reagent.
17.  Handle liquid reagent containers with care. 17.  When pouring a liquid, grasp each container so that drops cannot contact your fingers. When using a flexible polyethylene bottle, think first; do not pour from it or squeeze it in any manner that might result in a stream of liquid getting on you, or someone nearby.
18.  Dry all wet glassware before storing it in the locker or returning it to the Issue Room. If you drop a beaker, for example, do not reach to catch it since this usually leads to getting cut.
 18.  Keep a cloth towel in your locker to use for drying glassware and one for wiping your hands. You may purchase these at the Issue room or bring a towel from home.

HANDLING GLASS TUBING AND SHARPS
19.  Carry glass tubing and glass thermometers only in an upright position. 19.  On impact, glass tubing can snap and become a dagger. Do not run with it (or any other chemical equipment).
20.  To insert glass tubing or a thermometer into a rubber stopper:
(a) If needed, fire polish the ends of the tubing.


(b) Lubricate the stopper hole with water or glycerine.


(c) Insert the tubing cautiously, using a towel to protect your hands.

 20. 

(a) After heating glass tubing, set it aside in a place where you will remember that it is hot.

(b) There should not be more than two inches between the stopper and your fingertips on the tubing or thermometer.

(c) If handled improperly glass tubing can break and become razor sharp when inserted into a stopper.
21.  All broken glass laboratory waste must be placed into the special glass disposal boxes in the end aisles in each lab. 21.  Only paper products go into the regular trash cans. There are several paper recycling bags available near the issue rooms and instrument labs.
22.  Waste "Sharps" must be placed in the special red plastic "Sharps" disposal bottles provided in the lab. 22.  Examples of "Sharps" are: syringes, syringe needles, razor blades, and scalpels.
IN CASE OF ACCIDENT
Learn the basic laboratory first-aid measures.
23.  (a)  If a chemical splashes into your eye, get help immediately. Shout out, "I have chemical in my eye!" 23.  (a)  Seconds count! Immediate removal of the chemical is necessary to prevent possible damage to the eye.
23.  (b) If someone nearby gets a chemical in his/her eye, you should: (1) shout for help from the instructor, (2) provide help if the instructor is not there immediately. 23.  (b) A person who has just gotten a chemical in his/her eye usually is frightened, confused, and may be unable to help himself/herself.
23.  (c) Wash the eye thoroughly with a stream of water from the eye wash fountain, or any other water source. Hold the eyelids open. 23.  (c) After thorough washing (15 minutes is the recommended time) the affected person must be taken to get professional medical attention.
24.  Any chemical that comes in contact with your skin should be washed off with water right away. 24.  This is especially important for concentrated reagents and organic liquids.
25.  Know the location of fire extinguishers, fire blankets, and safety showers, in case of fire. Keep acetone and any other organic liquid at least ten feet from an open flame.
 25.  Use a wet towel to extinguish a small fire or the fire blanket if a person's clothes catch fire.
26.  Proceed cautiously when handling hot objects. Use a towel as a hot pad when handling hot objects. Hot glass looks just like cold glass. 26.  In case of burn, immerse in water immediately. Notify your instructor. Apply clean moist cloth or bandage. Seek medical attention if any question about treatment.
27.  Know the evacuation sirens and exit route from your lab. 27.  When the fire alarm sounds, stop what you are doing and immediately exit the lab, go down the stairs and exit the building. Wait outside for instructions.
28.  Immediately report any accident to your instructor no matter how minor it may seem to you. 28.  Cuts, burns, chemical burns, and inhalation or ingestion of chemicals should be treated as soon as possible by a professional medical person. Neither students nor chemistry staff are qualified to make medical decisions.
29.  You are advised to have private health insurance. 29.  In the case of very minor cuts or burns, an instructor or staff member may escort you to the Student Health Center for treatment, however, in case of an accident, if there is any question, the emergency response team will be called (9-911.)
CLOTHING IN THE LAB
30.  You must be covered continuously from shoulders to below the knees and must wear shoes that cover your feet. Bare feet, sandals, shorts, sleeveless shirts, short shirts, and short skirts are UNSAFE and must not be worn to laboratory. For fire safety, flammable materials, loose clothes, ties should not be worn, and long hair should be tied back. 30.  Full coverage by (cotton) clothing and leather shoes offers the best protection against chemical spills and fire. Older clothing is advised, as is the use of lab coats or aprons.

CHEMICAL WASTE DISPOSAL
31.  Only neutral aqueous solutions go down the sink drain. Waste determinations and disposal are done by faculty and staff. Check with your instructor before disposing of any chemical. 31.  All chemical waste is to be sorted into the appropriate waste container and the identity and amount must be logged onto the accompanying inventory sheet. Check with your instructor for specific details.

LEAVING LABORATORY
32.  Clean your work bench with a damp sponge. Neutralize all acid spills with sodium bicarbonate and wash with a wet sponge. Shut gas jets completely. Wash your hands.
 32.  Leave the area safe for the next person.
33.  Do not take any chemical out of the laboratory for any reason. It is illegal! 33.  You may be liable if another person is injured by a chemical (or unauthorized equipment) that you remove from the laboratory.