OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY PREPARATIONS, TEACHING AND STOCKROOM ASSISTANT S GUIDE

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1 OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY PREPARATIONS, TEACHING AND STOCKROOM ASSISTANT S GUIDE TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR ACADEMIC COURSES issue date: August 15, 2008 safety document number: CM04 Revision 02 authors: Jeffrey A. Gray, Chair, Dept of Chemistry and Biochemistry Date Kristin Daws, Director of Labs/Scientific Materials Manager Date Edward Duliba, Department Safety Committee Member Date

2 I. PURPOSE AND SCOPE Teaching, preparations and stockroom assistants are responsible for helping the laboratory instructors and the Director of Laboratories/Scientific Materials Manager (DL/SMM) maintain proper working conditions in the academic laboratories, and for enforcing the safety guidelines outlined in this document (CM04). The safety precautions outlined in the Student s Guide to Standard Operating Procedures for Academic Laboratories (CM05) are also relevant to student assistants and should be reviewed before starting employment. II. III. OWNERSHIP A. Director of Laboratories/Scientific Materials Manager Student assistants will complete a short, required training course given by the Director of Laboratories before starting employment, and at the beginning of each academic year. Training covers standard laboratory operating procedures, avoidance or minimization of hazardous chemical exposure, operation of safety equipment, and emergency procedures. B. Instructors and Teaching Assistants (TAs) Lab instructors, assisted by TAs, will train students during the initial laboratory sessions of each course. Such training will be incorporated in the described curriculum. Teaching assistants will help document the training by collecting student signatures on a training acknowledgment form. SAFETY GUIDELINES A. Protective Clothing 1. Eye Protection Policy for Academic Laboratories. a. All employees, visitors, and students must wear approved safety eye protection (meeting the ANSI Z standard for chemical splash/impact resistance) at all times while in active chemistry laboratories, chemistry stockrooms, preparation areas and chemical storerooms. b. It is the responsibility of the laboratory instructor and teaching assistants to make sure that everyone wears approved eye protection. c. Contact lenses in the laboratory are not recommended. d. Experiments that involve special hazards such as concentrated acids or bases, systems under high pressure, sodium fusions, etc., should be conducted with extra precautions. The laboratory supervisor shall require the use of appropriate eye protection such as safety goggles and/or face shields, and may also require that the experiment be conducted in a hood with a safety window. 2. Availability of Eye Protection for Academic Laboratories. A. All students enrolled in laboratory courses are required to use approved eye protection. The Chemistry Department will provide one free pair of ANSI Z87 approved safety goggles to each student taking 2

3 laboratory classes. If these goggles are lost or destroyed a replacement pair, which bears an ANSI Z87 stamp, must be purchased by the student. Students who have lost their goggles may obtain a clean, used pair from their instructor. B. Limiting Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals 1. Laboratory fume hoods shall be used for all operations that have the potential to produce hazardous levels of fumes, gases, or volatile solvent vapors. 2. Laboratory fume hoods shall not be used as long-term chemical storage. 3. Use carts, trays, boxes, acid carriers, solvent carriers, or other containers to transport materials between the stockroom and labs or between labs. Do not carry glass jugs containing chemicals by their handles put them in a carrier. 4. Keep chemical inventories to a minimum in working laboratories. 5. Be sure you know the hazards of the materials used in the labs. If you have any questions, ask an instructor or read the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS - located in file cabinet in Meyer 262). They will give the following information: any hazardous ingredients physical and chemical characteristics health hazards precautionary measures proper storage and handling procedures how to handle leak and spill cleanup and proper disposal first-aid procedures 6. Consult with the instructor for safe handling of any body fluids used in experiments. Instructors and students using these materials must complete ONU's bloodborne pathogens training and treat these fluids as potentially infectious. Also consider purchased chemicals that are derived from human sources (e.g. human serum albumin) to be potentially infectious. Wear disposable latex gloves. When centrifuging, blending, sonicating, or vigorously mixing potentially infectious fluids, use hoods and containment devices and centrifuge safety caps. 7. All employees and students should thoroughly wash their hands following the completion of laboratory activities. C. Safety Check Before leaving the lab, preparation or storage areas, assistants must check the following: 1. Turn off any balances and melting point apparatus that have been left on and unplug all hot plates. 2. Check all gas, vacuum, water, and air valves. Turn off any left open. Check regulator valves whenever tanks are used. 3. Check bench tops, hood area, balance room, preparation and storage area, and floors to ensure all spills have been cleaned. 4. Report anything that you believe may be a safety hazard to either the laboratory instructor or the Director of Laboratories. 3

4 D. General Emergency Procedures 1. In any emergency, follow instructions from your laboratory instructor. 2. Help to maintain order in the lab if special instructions were not given. 3. In the event of an accident involving the instructor, call security (extension 2222) and the department Chair (extension 2337 or ) or Director of Laboratories (extension 2345) immediately. E. Injury 1. Report any injury or accident immediately to the laboratory instructor or supervisor. If the instructor or supervisor is not readily available, report the incident to any available faculty member. Inform the Department Chair, Laboratory Coordinator, and the Director of Laboratories as soon as possible. 2. In most cases, it is recommended that medical staff treat cuts, burns, or inhalation of fumes. Assist by helping to identify the chemical to which the individual may have been exposed, the conditions of exposure, and any signs and symptoms the individual is experiencing. 3. Assist the laboratory instructor in filling out an Injury/Accident, Incident and Near-Miss Report Log. The Chemistry Department Safety Committee will review the logs regularly and implement process or facility changes designed to eliminate or significantly reduce the reoccurrence of such accidents and incidents. IV. SIGNAGE AND LABELING A. All Stock Bottles must be labeled with the following information: Date of preparation (month and year) Initials of preparer Complete formula of substance present, even if only 1 ionic species is the focus of use Chemical hazards (e.g. corrosive), if applicable. B. All Laboratory Bottles (used by students) must be labeled with the following information: Date of preparation Complete formula of substance present, even if only 1 ionic species is the focus of use Chemical hazards (e.g. corrosive), if applicable C. Any materials placed in the flame-proof storage cabinets, or any of the chemical refrigerators or freezer units must be labeled with the following information: Name of substance Chemical hazards, if known Date placed in refrigerator, freezer, or flammable materials unit Initials or name of faculty member in charge Note: Research students or preps assistants may also mark with their names, but the faculty member responsible must be identified. Any materials found without this information are at risk of being discarded! 4

5 D. Any substance left at sinks in prep areas (rooms 226 and 228) must be clearly identified with: Name of the substance Initial or name of the faculty member in charge V. STORAGE OF LABORATORY CHEMICALS A. Do not use the laboratory fume hoods as long term chemical storage areas. Bottles sitting in a hood interfere with the proper air flow. Toxic gas cylinders are exceptions. B. Help keep chemical inventories to a minimum in working laboratories. C. Cap or lid all chemical containers when not withdrawing or adding any substance. Containers for collecting used hazardous chemicals may be uncapped during lab, but must be recapped as soon as the lab is over. D. Store and dispense chemicals safely and properly. Dispense flammable liquids in containers complying with National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) and U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) codes, and store them in special cabinets also complying with NFPA and OSHA codes. E. Prolong the shelf-life of some chemicals by low temperature storage. Use refrigerators and freezers that are clearly marked as either explosion- resistant or explosion-proof for chemical storage. Absolutely NO storage of food is permitted in chemical coolers. F. Report any deterioration or contamination of a chemical or any broken container or cap to your lab supervisor or instructor. G. Do not store chemicals near heat, in sunlight, or near other substances with which they might react. H. Do not store chemicals and equipment on bench tops. Put them away each day, or at the minimum, placed at the very back of the bench top away from the countertop edge. Exceptions are the reagents for the current laboratory exercises. VI. DISPOSAL OF CHEMICALS AND HAZARDOUS WASTE A. Elementary neutralization of simple corrosive solutions will minimize this category of hazardous wastes. DO NOT put any chemicals or chemical materials down the drain or in the trash without prior authorization. Any sink (sewer) or trash disposal of chemicals from the laboratory is the responsibility of the lab instructor in consultation with the laboratory coordinator. Check with them for disposal instructions. B. Rinse all emptied chemical bottles if not intended for refill and return them to the prep areas. The stockroom or preps assistants will either remove the label and wash the container or properly dispose of it. C. If solvent bottles are to be refilled, do NOT rinse them. To dispose of ether containers, flood them to overflowing with water and drain before putting them in the trash. D. Dispose of used hazardous chemicals in the appropriately labeled container. On the log provided, enter the substance, amount, and date of the addition. Collection 5

6 containers are labeled as follows: Used-Non Chlorinated Hydrocarbons, Used- Chlorinated Hydrocarbons, Used Metals [When possible, keep each metal (e.g., chromium, cadmium, mercury, and lead) in separate containers. Label the container with the metal enclosed and any organic solvents present.], Used Solids [specify names/formulas of all solids contained. It is best to keep solids separate unless you are told to combine them by your instructor or the Director of Laboratories], Used Acid, [specify the acids contained and all solvents present] Used Base [specify the bases contained and all solvents present]. E. NEVER take chemicals out of the laboratory without the knowledge and consent of your laboratory supervisor. Hazardous materials are not allowed in areas where food is stored or consumed. F. Carcinogens and mercury present special hazards and require special procedures. Immediately inform your instructor and the Scientific Materials Manager of any such spill. Follow the clean-up procedure they give you. 6