Ober Group Lab Safety Tutorial

1. Ober Group Lab Safety Tutorial 2/15/2010

2. Overview • Basic Information • General Lab Safety • Housekeeping • Hazardous Waste and Used Oil • Glass Disposal and Regular Trash • Syringes • Fume Hoods • Pumps • Gas Cylinders • Chemical Safety/Chemical Inventory • Electrical Hazards • Mercury • Hydrofluoric Acid • Emergencies • New Ober Group Safety Procedures • Questions?

3. Basic Information • Lab Safety Manual and Chemical Hygiene Plan • http://www.ehs.cornell.edu/LRS/LSM.cfm • Hard copy in Thurston333 • MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) • http://www.ehs.cornell.edu/msds/msds.cfm • Hard copy in Thurston 333 • OSHA requires that employees have access to MSDS’s within 5 minutes • Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) • located in each lab • Safe handling instructions for highly hazardous, highly toxic and carcinogenic chemicals • Hazard Assessment Signage Program (HASP) signs • on the door of each lab • Hazard identification sign indicating primary hazards, responsible persons and contact information, updated annually • Cornell Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) • http://www.ehs.cornell.edu • Safety information and training

4. General Lab Safety • All containers must be identified with labels, including non-hazardous chemicals and materials • Labels should include a chemical name/structure, any solvents, your name and a date • Please keep an updated List of Abbreviations • Always wear safety glasses when working in any lab; wear gloves and/or lab coat when working with hazardous materials • Don’t ever wear gloves outside the lab and be aware of what you are touching while wearing gloves • Don’t ever eat or drink or bring food or drinks into any lab

5. Housekeeping • Keep working spaces clean and tidy • Aisle spaces must have 3 feet clearance • Floors must be clear, without any tripping or slipping hazards • Never leave boxes, packing material, trash, etc. on the floor • Windowsills should remain clear – they are NOT shelves • Never block doorways or exits • Heavy equipment and heavy boxes should not be stored overhead

6. Hazardous Waste and Used Oil • Solvent Waste • Full bottles should be kept together in a flammable storage area in each lab • Waste bottles in use should be kept closed and in a fume hood • Must be labeled with “Hazardous Waste” and contents • if using an old solvent bottle, you must cross out the old solvent name • All solvent waste must be tagged with a green Hazardous Waste tag and pick-up requested by EH&S • Solid Waste • Must be labeled with “Hazardous Waste” and contents • You may use an old silica gel bucket or the chemistry stockroom sells white buckets that may be used for solid waste • Must be tagged with a green Hazardous Waste tag and pick-up requested by EH&S • Solid waste containers must be kept closed • Used Oil • All old pump oil must be kept in containers (old solvent bottles) and labeled “Used Oil” • Used Oil may be disposed of in a large collecting drum in the basement of Bard

7. Glass Disposal and Regular Trash • Glass Disposal • ALL glass goes into the glass disposal bins (these may be ordered from Fisher, or the chemistry stockroom sells them) • You may dispose of empty glass chemical bottles, but you must first make sure they are clean/non-hazardous and cross out the labels • When glass boxes are full, tape them very securely and take them to the dumpster behind Kimball • Regular Trash • Don’t ever throw any type of glass, needles or syringes into the regular trash • Never throw hazardous materials into the regular trash • You may dispose of old plastic or metal chemical containers in the regular trash, but you must first make sure they are clean/non-hazardous and cross out the labels

8. Syringes • Syringes must be kept in a locked cabinet and inventoried with a Needle Log and sign-out sheet • All syringes and needles must be disposed of in the red biohazard/sharps containers, even if they are clean/unused • Regulated Medical Waste disposal • Must be tagged with a red RMW waste tag and pick-up by EH&S requested

9. Fume Hoods • Keep the back of your fume hoods clear, otherwise you will block the airflow and the hood won’t work properly • Always keep the hood sash lowered within its working limit • Keep the hood sash down when not in use

10. Pumps • Pump Oil in all oil-based pumps needs to be changed periodically to keep pumps working properly • Oil pumps must be kept in trays/containers (these are available in the stockroom)

11. Gas Cylinders • All gas cylinders must be secured at all times and stored away from heat, electrical or ignition sources • Gas cylinders must be labeled with contents and full/partially full/empty tags • Gas cylinders must always have their caps readily available nearby • Cylinders must be capped when “stored” and have a regulator when “in use” (never a bare valve system) • Cylinders must be capped during transport • Flammable gases and oxidizing gases must be separated by a fire rated wall or a minimum of 20 feet

12. Chemicals • All chemicals must have intact and readable labels (either original labels or Right-to-Know labels) • Incompatible chemicals must be kept segregated • Chemical containers must be in good condition • Flammables must be stored in a flammables cabinet • Secondary containment should be used when appropriate • Peroxide forming solvents/chemicals must be tested every 6 months (THF, ether, dioxane) • Hazardous chemicals should not be stored above eye level or on the floor

13. Electrical Hazards • There must be 3 feet of clearance in front of all electrical panels • Never store combustibles or flammables near an electrical panel • All wiring must be in intact and in good condition (no fraying, etc.) • You may not use extension cords • Power strips must be used correctly and not plugged into other power strips or extension cords

14. Mercury • There is currently mercury-containing equipment in Bard 350, labeled with small “Hg-containing” signs • We will keep a Mercury spill kit in Bard 350 • Mercury thermometers and other mercury-containing equipment may be disposed of through EH&S

15. HF • If using Hydrofluoric Acid, the area should be clearly labeled • If using Hydrofluoric Acid, special first aid equipment should be readily available nearby (calcium gluconate) • There is a specific HF hood in Bard

16. Emergencies • An Emergency Response Guide is posted in each lab • Know the location of emergency eyewashes, showers, spill kits, first aid kits, fire extinguishers and fire blankets

17. New Ober Group Safety/Housekeeping Procedures • Safety officer (Priscilla and Carol) • Chemical Inventory • Hazardous Waste disposal/Syringe inventory and disposal • Spin-coater • Glove box • Hazardous Materials shipping

18. Questions? • Safety Officer • Michele Conrad or Verne Thalheimer • EH&S representative