Lab Safety Protocols

General

1. Wear long pants in the lab: no shorts etc.
2. Wear closed-toe shoes only, no sandals.
3. Wear nitrile/latex gloves at all times when handling lab materials.
4. Please do not eat or drink in the laboratory.
5. Please do not use laboratory glassware as containers for food or beverages.
6. Please do not use the lab microwaves to heat food or drinks.
7. Please keep work areas clean and tidy at all times.
8. Please don’t obstruct work areas, floors or exits! Please keep backpacks, jackets etc. off the benches and out of the aisles, preferably against the wall.
9. Please don’t block sink drains with debris. If you notice a sink is not draining or is otherwise obstructed, please let your instructor know.
10. Handle hot glassware carefully!
11. Keep flammable objects away from your workstation. Keep Bunsen burners away from objects and people, and be careful not to turn them up too high.
12. Don’t leave Bunsen burners unattended, and be aware that Bunsen burners may be on.
13. Turn off all heating appliances when not in use.
14. Please report spills, cuts, and broken glass to your instructor immediately.
15. Please know the location of sinks.
16. Please know the location of showers and eyewash stations.
17. Please know the location of waste containers, including the sharps container and the medical waste container.
18. After completing a lab, please clean up and disinfect your work space, and wash your hands.

Biological Waste

1. All materials that have been in contact with potentially infectious agents must be treated as Regulated Medical Waste (RMW.) This includes all culture plates! Please do not throw used plates in the trash. We will provide waste receptacles for them.
2. All sharps (e.g. broken glass, needles, razor blades, slides and coverslips) must be disposed of in a sharps container.