General Laboratory
Safety
Abubakar Imran
Assistant Professor MLT
Nur International University, Lahore
Why does it matter?
Safe working
protects:
You
Other lab workers
Cleaners
Visitors
Your work
What does the law say? (Global)
Occupational Safety and
Health Administration
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration is an agency of the
United States Department of Labor.
Congress established the agency
under the Occupational Safety and
Health Act, which President Richard
M. Nixon signed into law on
December 29, 1970
What does the law say? (Global)
International Health Regulations
(IHR) (2005)
Prevent, protect, and provide a public health
response to the international threat and
spread of diseases
Avoid unnecessary disruption of international
travel and trade
IHR are not limited to specific diseases
Applicable to health risks - irrespective of
their origin or source
Follow evolution of diseases and factors
affecting their emergence and transmission
What does the law say? (Local)
Pakistan Environmental Protection
Act, 1997 (XXXIV of 1997)
Pakistan Biosafety Rules 2005
The Balochistan Clinical Laboratories
Regulatory Authority Ordinance, 2001
(ORDINANCE XLV OF 2001)
National Laboratory Policy, 2017 (NIH
Publication No. PHLD/NLWG-001-
2018)
National Laboratory Policy 2017
Component 11: Bio-risk management and waste management
Outcome: Laboratory services that are safe to staff, clients, the community and the
environment.
Waste management
1. All institutions dealing with biological materials shall have an effective
waste management program that incorporates waste segregation at the
time of waste generation, waste minimization, waste disposal and
documented traceability of the disposed material.
2. All institutes/laboratories shall provide proper training of staff in waste
handling.
3. 3. In case of third party involvement for the waste disposal, the institute
shall assess this third party's capacity and capability (EPA approved or
similar).
National Laboratory Policy 2017
Biorisk management
4.Each laboratory shall have a laboratory safety focal person.
5.There shall be a National Biosafety Committee comprising of experts in laboratory biosafety and biosecurity
from all sectors and endorsed at Federal and Provincial levels. This Committee shall be responsible for
overall implementation and monitoring of biosafety and biosecurity legislation and guidelines.
6.All safety guidelines will be regularly reviewed, updated and communicated to laboratory personnel and
administration.
7.Each laboratory dealing with biological materials shall have an institutional biosafety/biosecurity committee.
8.All laboratories shall have emergency management plans in place.
9.Each laboratory dealing with biological materials shall have an approved annual budget to implement its
biosafety and biosecurity program.
How to do a Risk Assessment?
Determine hazards and evaluate
risks
Use all relevant available data
Determine controls needed to
minimise those risks
Document the assessment
Agree it with your supervisor
Use those control measures
You will receive specific training on how to do this
in your department
OSHA’s Laboratory Standard
Protects staff who Determine staff
exposure to any
use and handle substances regulated
hazardous by the standard
Conduct initial
chemicals in training & additional
laboratories training if a new
hazard is introduced
into the lab
Develop a Chemical
Hygiene Plan
Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE)
PPE Should Be Minimum
Considered Only Recommended
After PPE:
Administrative and Chemical Resistant Gloves,
Engineering Splash Proof Goggles,
Lab Coat, Face Shield,
Controls Have and Rubber Apron when
Been Applied. Necessary
Control Measures (in order of preference)
1. Use a less risky
substance
2. Use a safer form of
that substance (eg
solution instead of
powder)
Control Measures (in order of preference)
3. Totally enclose the
process (eg a glove-
box)
4. Partially enclose the
process (eg with a
fume cupboard)
5. Ensure good general
ventilation
Control Measures (in order of preference)
6. Safe systems of work
7. Reduce exposure
times, increase
distance, reduce
volumes
8. Personal protective
equipment (as a last
resort for primary protection)
Protecting yourself
Wear the clothing and
protective wear identified
in your risk assessment
Laboratory coats must be
kept fastened
Don’t wear sandals or
open shoes
Long hair must be tied
back
Protecting yourself - gloves
There are many different types
of protective glove
Use the correct ones for the
job you will be doing
Remember that you need to
select chemical protection
gloves according to the
materials and/or substances
with which you will be working
Remove your gloves before
using instruments, telephone,
and leaving the laboratory
Laboratory hygiene
Never eat, drink or smoke
in a laboratory
Never apply cosmetics
Never touch your face,
mouth or eyes
Never suck pens or chew
pencils
Always wash your hands
before you leave and
especially before eating
What are the general hazards in a
laboratory?
Fire
Breakage of glassware
Sharps
Spillages
Pressure equipment & gas
cylinders
Extremes of heat & cold
Chemical hazards
Biological hazards
Radiation
And many more!
Avoiding Fires
Flammable substances
Use minimum quantity
Store in special storage
cabinet
Use temperature-
controlled heating
sources
(eg water-bath rather than
hot-plate or Bunsen
burner)
Minimise fire damage
Make sure corridor
fire doors and
laboratory doors are
kept shut at all times
Fire Safety
Make sure that you know
what to do:
If you have a fire
If you hear a fire alarm
If you are a member of
staff you must attend fire
training periodically.
Glassware
Use correct techniques for the
insertion of tubing onto glassware
Never use glassware under
pressure or vacuum unless it is
designed for the job and suitably
shielded
Dispose off chipped or broken
glassware – it is a risk to you and
others
Always dispose off broken glass in
a glass bin or sharps bin and not in
a general waste bin
Spillages
Clear up spillage promptly
You will already have
determined how to do this
as part of your risk
assessment
Dispose of any hazardous
material as toxic waste
Messy workers are usually
poor workers!!
Gas cylinders
Never use without formal training
Minimise the number in a laboratory
Store externally whenever possible
Cylinders are heavy and can do serious
damage to you if they fall
Ensure that they are chained when in use
Move only with a cylinder trolley
Use regulators & control equipment
suitable for the gas concerned
Consider the consequences if your
cylinder leaks
Cryogenics
Liquid gasses are extremely
cold and can cause burns
Liquid gases evaporate and
many can cause asphyxiation
If you need to take cryogens
in a lift, there are special
procedures to follow – speak
to your supervisor or a senior
member of technical staff
You must have special
training to use them
Electrical Equipment
Always do a visual check
on electrical equipment
before use, looking for
obvious wear or defects
All portable electrical
equipment must have a
current “PAT test” sticker
NEVER use defective
equipment
General Tidiness
Keep your workplace tidy
Clear up waste, deal with
washing up and put
things away as you finish
X
with them
Make sure everything is
safe before you leave
things unattended
A tidy laboratory avoids
accidents to everyone
Laboratory Equipment
Never use any
laboratory equipment
unless you are trained
& have been
authorised to do so
As well as injuring
yourself you may
cause very costly
damage
First Aid
All laboratory workers
should undergo simple first
aid training
For ALL chemical splashes,
wash with plenty of water for
10 minutes
Control bleeding with direct
pressure, avoiding any foreign
bodies such as glass
Report all accidents to your
supervisor or departmental
safety officer
Protecting your health
If you have an allergy
to lab materials or
suffer from a medical
condition which may
affect you in the
laboratory (eg
diabetes or epilepsy),
ensure that your
supervisor knows
Safe Laboratory
Construct
Safe Practice: Maintain a
Chemical Inventory!
Conduct a yearly inventory of chemicals and
update the file of material safety data sheets
(MSDS) to prevent the accumulation of orphaned
chemicals
Some of these chemicals become
unstable, react with the container, slowly
degrade or evaporate
31
You Have the
Right to Know!
OSHA’s Hazard Communication
Standard requires that
ALL Containers Must be Labeled With :
Chemica
l Name
& Name &
Physical/ Address of
Health the
Hazards Manufactur
er &
Emergency
Contact
Numbers
100 Main St., Philadelphia, PA
1-800-555-1212
32
Types of Labels
NFPA Diamonds and
HMIS Bars are Color
& Number Coded with
Hazard Information
DOT Symbols Are
Usually Found on
Shipping Cartons
Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS)
An MSDS Must Be on File & Available for Each
Chemical in the Lab.
An MSDS lists:
Product Identity
Hazardous Ingredients
Physical Data
Fire & Explosion Hazard Data
Reactivity Data
Health Hazard Data
Precautions for Safe Handling & Use
Control Measures
What Should the Ideal
Laboratory Look Like?
Practices Equipment &
Ventilation
If you were setting up a laboratory,
what would it look like?
What equipment would you have?
What type of ventilation would you have?
What safety practices would you implement?
General Ventilation
Supply Air Diffusers & Room Air Exhausts
Should be
Located So As to Avoid Intake of
Contaminated Air
Windows Should be Operable
Local Ventilation
Fume Hoods Used For Operations that Give Off:
Noxious Odors
Flammable or Poisonous Vapors
HOW DOES YOUR VENTILATION MEASURE
UP?
Safety Showers
and Eyewashes
Must Be Available in All Lab Areas
That Use or Store Chemicals Which
Are Corrosive or an Irritant to the
Eyes or Skin
Combination Eye Wash & Drench
Hose Units at the Sink are Now
Available
Match the Extinguisher to the Risk!
Fire Extinguishers Must Be:
Clearly labeled to indicate the types of
fire they are designed to extinguish.
Visibly inspected monthly and
maintained annually.
Class ABC Extinguishers Should Be
Located:
–At the Laboratory Exit
–Within 50 Feet of Any Point
in the Lab.
Class D Extinguishers Are Required
for Combustible Metals.
Means of Egress/Exit
Two or more well- marked
& unobstructed
evacuation exits are
recommended in a lab.
It’s Shocking!
There should be no accessible live, exposed electrical
wiring.
Consideration should be given to installing
ground-fault circuit interrupters on electrical
circuits within 6 feet of water sources.
Electrical Safety in the High School
Lab
Chemical Storage
Safe Storage of Chemicals is a Necessity in
Every School Laboratory!
Minimizes Exposure to Students and Staff to Corrosive and
Toxic Chemicals
Lessens the Risk of Fire
Prevents the Mixing of Incompatibles & the Creation of an
Emergency Situation
The “Don’ts” of Chemical
Storage!
Avoid storing any chemical above eye level
Don’t store incompatible chemicals together
Don’t store chemicals near sources of heat or sunlight
Don’t store chemicals in the hoods or acids on metal shelves
Avoid storing anything on the floor, especially glass bottles
Ideal Storage Area Set-Up
Na, Li Acids
Base
Room Should Have: s
•Eye Wash
Oxidizers
•Safety Shower
Dry
•Emergency Phone Chemical
•Fire Extinguisher s
Spill
Materials Metal Flammables
Salts Cabinet
44 Nitrates
Be Prepared for Small
Incidental Spills
Chemical Categories
Found in Most
Secondary Schools
Include:
Organic
Solvents
Proper Incidental Spill Control
Acids Equipment Includes:
Spill Control Materials Such As Spill
Control Pillows, Pads, Booms, etc.
Alkalis (Bases) Scoops, Brooms, Pails & Bags
Absorbent – such as Diatomaceous Earth
Neutralizers – for Acids & Alkalis
Mercury Mercury Spill Control Kit
45
Waste Chemical Disposal
Requires:
Proper storage– same rules apply – make sure waste
chemicals are compatible
Proper labeling – tags should be placed on bottles
name of chemical
Pre-planning – know what waste you’re creating prior
to carrying out experiments; minimize purchases
Record-keeping – of all waste chemicals on hand
and those already picked up for disposal
46
Waste Materials
Part of your risk assessment
will be to determine how to
dispose of waste lab materials
safely
Solvents and oils must be
segregated into the correct
waste bottle or drum
Your department will help you
determine what to do with
chemical or biological materials
Do not put materials down the
drain or in with normal waste
unless authorised to do so
When in doubt – ASK!!!
Do not carry out a
new or unfamiliar
procedure until you
have been fully
trained & understand
the precautions
necessary for safe
working
DO NOT GUESS!!!!
