Common Laboratory Accidents

1. Common Laboratory Accidents Freshman Biotechnology Shop

2. 1. Cuts • Nature/Causes: • Small cuts caused by broken glass (e.g. test tubes, or glass tubing), tools (e.g. dissecting instruments, cork borer or cutter) or sharp edges. Notify the instructor of any cuts and know the location of the first-aid kits and sharps containers!!

3. Avoiding Cuts • Safety Precautions: • Be sure to handle sharp instruments (e.g. razor blades, scalpels) with care and do not play with them. • Unwanted razor blades and mounting needles should be properly wrapped up before disposal. • Glassware showing signs of cracking or those with broken edges should not be used for experiments. • Broken pieces of glass should be disposed of properly in a metal or plastic container assigned for such purpose (referred to as sharps container) and never into a general trash container.

4. 2. Heat burns/scalds • Nature/Causes: • Carelessness in handling hot objects (e.g. tripods, glassware, metal rods/plates, crucibles or combustion spoons), hot liquids, Bunsen flame or lighted matches. Notify the instructor of any burns/scalds and know the location of the burn kits!!

5. Avoiding burns/scalds • Safety Precautions: • Do not touch or hold hot objects with bare hands. • Crucible tongs or heat-resistant gloves should be used when picking up hot objects. Place them on a heat-resistant mat, not directly on the bench, for cooling. • Heat-resistant gloves should be worn when operating the autoclave. • Burners, wire gauzes and tripods remain hot for some time after use. They should also be handled with care. • Turn off Bunsen burners that will not be used for some time. • Arms or any parts of the body should not be stretched over lighted burners. • Long hair should be tied up and loose-fit clothing avoided. • Do not apply ointments or any other chemicals to the injured area of heat burn. Use the Burn Kit.

6. 3. Chemical on skin • Nature/Causes: • Spillage of chemicals during transfer or heating of chemical liquids, washing up of apparatus containing chemical mixtures, opening the container of chemical or breakage of glass containers. • Mischievous behavior or pouring chemicals to others. • Incorrect techniques utilized. Notify the instructor of any chemical spills and know the location of the safety shower!!

7. Avoiding chemical on skin • Safety Precautions: • Chemicals should always be handled with great care. • Avoid direct skin contact when transferring chemicals. • Protective gloves should be worn when chemicals are handled. • Proper laboratory scupula should be used for handling chemical solids. • All chemicals should never be tasted. • Wash hands after handling chemicals and before leaving the laboratory. • Do not fill substance to be heated in glassware as it can boil over. Always keep mouth of glassware away from face and skin.

8. 4. Eye accidents • Causes/Nature: • Chemical liquids or solids which splashed onto the eyes, giving rise to slight irritation or discomfort. • Unintentionally rubbing eyes with hands contaminated with chemicals. • Looking at bright light through a magnifying glass or directly at UV light. Notify the instructor of any eye injuries and know the location of the eye wash stations!!

9. Avoiding eye accidents • Safety Precautions: • Eye injuries can be very damaging and therefore accidents involving the eyes, medical advice should be sought immediately and the cases reported to the nurse as soon as possible. • Always wear safety glasses during experiments. • Wear safety glasses even when observing science experiments demonstrated by the teacher and when decontaminating lab benches or instrumentation.

10. 5. Fire • Nature/Causes: • Accidental ignition of flammable liquids (e.g. ethanol or ethyl ethanoate). • Ignition of gas coming out from defective burner. Notify the instructor of any fires and know the location of the safety shower and fire extinguishers!! Also, know the fire drill procedure!!!

11. Avoiding Fires • Safety Precautions: • For flammable chemicals, heating should always be done using a hot water bath with no open flame nearby. • The quantity of flammable chemicals used during experiments should be kept to a minimum. • Care should be taken when handling any flammable chemicals or open flames.

12. How to Use the Fire Extinguishers

13. Fire Drill Procedure • Exit in a quiet and orderly manner. • Stay together as a class. • Proceed to designated area between our building and main building. • Line up alphabetically. • Instructor will take attendance. • Instructor will hold up green card if all students are present and red card if not. • Remain in designated area until notified otherwise.

14. 6. Inhalation of gases • Nature/Causes: • Discomfort after inhaling a small amount of gas/vapour (e.g. sulphur dioxide, bromine or ammonia) from reaction mixtures. Notify the instructor if any gases have been inhaled and know the location of the chemical storage cabinet!!

15. Avoiding inhalation of gases • Safety Precautions: • Experiments involving harmful gases/vapor should be done on a small scale and inside a fume hood. • Good ventilation of the laboratory should always be maintained by opening the windows, switching on the exhaust fans as appropriate. It is helpful to leave the fan of the fume hooddoperating during the whole practical lesson when these experiments are being done. • When testing for the odor of a gas, fan the gas gently to the nose but not smell it directly over the container. • Asthmatics should not smell harmful or irritating gases/vapor.

16. 7. Electrical shock • Nature/Causes: • Exposed or frayed wires. • Liquids near receptacles or electrical instruments. Notify the instructor of any electrical shocks and know the emergency procedure for injuries (will be developed in our Emergency Plan)!!

17. Avoiding electrical shock • Safety Precautions: • If any wires are frayed or exposed on instrumentation, notify instructor immediately for proper repair/disposal. • Do not operate electrical instruments near water. • Be careful of liquid spillage near receptacles. • Make sure power cords are dry prior to plugging in.

18. 8. Slips and falls • Nature/Causes: • Liquids on the floor. • Objects in the aisles. Notify the instructor of any slips or falls and know the rules for objects in the classroom!!

19. Avoiding slips and falls • Safety Precautions: • Clean up any spills on the floor immediately. • Keep all objects off of the floor and any bags in your locker/cubby.

20. Remember!!! • Biotechnology is fun but can be dangerous so be sure to follow the rules and be safe!!!