Introduction
Lab Safety 101
We spend a lot of time in our labs, and they can start to feel like a second home with long hours, demanding projects, and important public safety projects coming across our agendas every week. While it is important for us all to fdeel comfortable and relaxed in our labs, its important to make sure they are first and foremost, Safe.
From chemical handling and storage, to PPE and documentation, there are certain steps we must follow to ensure the safety of our colleagues, and the defensibility, accuracy, and precision of our data and deliverables.
The goal of this lesson is to prepare you with tools and resources to protect yourself, and to get answers about lab safety if they arise.
Task
Identify what PPE and safe handling protocols are always required, and which ones are only sometimes required.
Identify where and how to get PPE should you need some
Gain deeper understanding of why safe chemical handling is important
Process
Proper Dress and PPE / Lab Safety Video Part 1
This video describes many different types of PPE for many different lab applications. Watch it, and write down which types of PPE are required in your lab, and any others that this video may have missed.
How have you approached PPE differently at other work places? in school?
Watch this video from 1:00 to 7:00. Have you ever experienced a chemical handling mistake? share if you want to.
Chemical Handling Safety (The Basics)
Our Union contract has an agreement with the city that your employer must provide all items of PPE requested by employees at no cost to them. If you ever feel like you want a piece of PPE that you don't already have, contact your supervisor and they will provide it to you. If you are not sure if you need PPE while handling a chemical or substance, copies of your lab's SDS are required to be readily accessible near the main entrance / exit. Your SDS (or a quick google) will tell you what you should need for safe handling. Remember all spills must be reported using the Cat 4 form available in SAP under Forms. There are also templated available in the Y drive under the "safety" folder. Submit non-reportable quantity spills within 8 hours of the incident to your Lab Safety Officer.
Lastly, look through this webpage of PPE items for commercial kitchens. Many of them are similar to lab safety equipment. If you cook at home, do you use the same PPE while handling hot surfaces or propane that you might in a lab? why or why not? Would you be willing to implement lab safety strategies at home for you or your family? reflect.
List of Personal Protective Equipment in the Kitchen - Kitchen Services
Evaluation
Work with your table (up to 6 people) for the following questions. Write them down, and submit your answers through our quizziz page.
1. What PPE do you use in your lab? can be required or preferred.
2. In your past experience, are any of the City's rules and regulations regarding chemical handling and PPE "over the top" or too strict?
3. Where can you go to get resources you need but don't already have?
Work on your own to answer the following questions and submit them through the Quizziz page.
4. What PPE is REQUIRED by our employer to be worn at all times when in a lab? Why?
5. Do you approach lab safety differently when others are in your lab vs when you're alone? Explain.
Lets have a group discussion with todays training block. Feel free to raise your hand and share a story, or submit your answer in the teams group chat.
1. Who should you contact if you need PPE you don't have, or clarification on checmical handling and storage?
2. why do YOU believe it's important to adhere to PPE and Chem handling SOPs?
3. How would you deal with a small spill of Peroxide in your lab?
Conclusion
At the end of the day, the work we do is important for public health and safety, but our safety comes first. We all want to make it home safely at the end of the day, and cutting corners with safety practices brings an element of unnecessary danger into our labs. Adhering to compliance regulations is necessary not just for lab certifications, but also for the health of our neighbors and community members. We often have some wiggleroom with what / how much PPE we wear and what chemical handling practices we use. Using Union protocol and your judgement as mid-career scientists, make decisions you and your lab mates are comfortable with.
Mistakes happen. Just be sure to document, and keep yourselves safe!