Common Laboratory Accidents

1. Common Laboratory Accidents Freshman Biotechnology Shop

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

3. Avoiding Cuts • Safety Precautions: • Be sure to handle sharp instruments (e.g. razor blades, scalpels) with care and ____________________. • Unwanted razor blades and mounting needles should be _______________before disposal. • Glassware showing signs of __________or those with broken edges should _______________for experiments. • Broken pieces of glass should be ______________________________assigned for such purpose (referred to as _______________) and never into a general trash container.

4. 2. Heat burns/scalds Notify the instructor of any burns/scalds and know the location of the _______________!! • Nature/Causes: • Carelessness in handling _______________(e.g. tripods, glassware, metal rods/plates, crucibles or combustion spoons), __________, __________or __________.

5. Avoiding burns/scalds • Safety Precautions: • Do not touch or hold hot objects with __________. • Crucible tongs or _______________should be used when picking up __________. Place them on a heat-resistant mat, not directly on the bench, for cooling. • Heat-resistant gloves should be worn when operating the __________. • Burners, wire gauzes and tripods remain hot for some time after use. They should also be _______________. • Turn off _______________that will not be used for some time. • Arms or any parts of the body should not be ___________________. • Long hair should be __________and loose-fit clothing avoided. • Do not apply ointments or any other chemicals to the injured area of heat burn. Use the _______________.

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

7. Avoiding chemical on skin • Safety Precautions: • ___________ should always be handled with great care. • Avoid direct skin contact when transferring chemicals. • _______________ should be worn when chemicals are handled. • Proper laboratory __________ should be used for handling chemical solids. • All chemicals should __________________. • Wash hands after handling chemicals and ___________________ . • Do not fill substance to be heated in glassware as it can boil over. Always keep mouth of glassware __________________ and skin.

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

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

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

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

12. How to Use the Fire Extinguishers

13. Fire Drill Procedure Exit in a __________ and __________ manner. Stay together as a class. Proceed to _______________ between our building and main building. Line up _________________ . Instructor will take attendance. Instructor will hold up __________ if all students are present and __________ if not. Remain in designated area until notified otherwise.

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

15. Avoiding inhalation of gases • Safety Precautions: • Experiments involving harmful gases/vapor should be done on a small scale and inside a _______________. • Good ventilation of the laboratory should always be maintained by _______________, switching on the exhaust fans as appropriate. It is helpful to leave the fan of the fume hood operating 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 __________________ . • __________ should not smell harmful or irritating gases/vapor.

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

17. Avoiding electrical shock • Safety Precautions: • If any wires are frayed or exposed on instrumentation, notify instructor immediately for ___________________ . • Do not operate electrical instruments __________ . • Be careful of _______________ near receptacles. • Make sure _______________ are dry prior to plugging in.

18. 8. Slips and falls Notify the instructor of any slips or falls and know the ___________________ in the classroom!! • Nature/Causes: • __________ on the floor. • Objects in __________ .

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

20. Remember!!! Biotechnology is fun but can be dangerous so be sure to _______________ and __________ !!!