Biology

Laboratory Safety
General Safety Module

 This presentation is designed to

train students in General Biology
Laboratory Safety
It will cover
Types of hazards that might be encountered
Preventive safety measures, including good
laboratory practices
What to do in case of an emergency
Your rights & responsibilities as a student at
Northern Michigan University

What YOU do
As part of your training you will
Independently work through & comprehend
training materials in this presentation
Confirm that you have viewed the safety
presentation
Take a quiz on the material in this presentation.
You must answer all questions of the quiz
correctly to participate in your Biology course.

You may also be asked to complete a short

course on a specific hazard, e.g.,
chemical safety, field work safety,
biohazard training, etc. Your instructor
will inform you of these requirements
Documentation of your training for each
specific course will be kept by the
University for seven years.

Every student has

the Right to Know
*Hazards they may encounter
while pursuing their education
*Measures to take to protect
themselves.
According to the Chemical Hygiene plan,
employees and students are required to
obtain site-specific training for the hazards
that will be present in their respective areas.

Science laboratories pose a

variety of hazards.

NMU & the Biology Department take

laboratory safety very seriously & are
committed to providing a safe learning
environment.

Types of Hazards
Physical
Falling, heat burns, sharp equipment, glass

Chemical
Chemicals may be toxic, caustic or present other
hazards

Biological
Microbes, toxic plants, wild or captive animals

BEING VIGILANT & EDUCATED ABOUT

HAZARDS ARE YOUR BEST SAFETY
MEASURES!

 Eating food, drinking beverages,

or applying cosmetics in the laboratory is strictly forbidden
No exceptions!
Dress appropriately for the lab
that is to be conducted.
**Open-toed or perforated
shoes are not allowed in the
laboratory.
** Long hair should
be confined when working
in the lab
Follow all written & verbal instructions carefully.

Eyewear
Use of contact lenses in the laboratory is at the
students discretion, but is discouraged. (If
you wear contact lenses you should indicate
this to your instructor.)
Safety glasses or other eye protection may be
required for some courses,
particularly those using chemicals
or where physical hazards may be
encountered

Accident Prevention
Safety equipment found in all laboratories
includes:
Fume hood
Eye wash stations
Safety showers
Biological Safety Cabinets
(tissue culture laboratory only)
Telephone
Know the location of the safety equipment &
its proper use.

Prevention
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is
equipment designed to protect you from
physical, chemical and biological hazards
Examples include: gloves,
eye protection, lab
coats, life vests, etc.
Appropriate PPE will be clearly
explained & provided for each laboratory
exercise.

Prevention
Safety Data Sheets (SDS formerly referred to as
Material Safety Data Sheets, or MSDS) are
important sources of safety information & are issued
for each chemical substance
SDS for all hazardous substances are available at
NMU & may be accessed at the web site below.
Your instructor shall provide more detailed instructions on
obtaining & interpreting Safety Data Sheets

http://publicsafety.nmu.edu/Departments/PublicSaf
ety/SiteSections/EmployeeSafety/MSDSBinder.shtml

Prevention
SDS provide detailed information about chemicals
including:
Composition, information on ingredients (Section 2)
Hazards identification (Section 3)
First aid measures (Section 4)
Accidental Release measures (Section 6)
Handling & Storage (Section 7)
Exposure controls, personal protection (Section 8)
Stability & reactivity (Section 10)
Toxicological information (Section 11)

 SDSs for products known to be on campus are

located in the online database maintained by Public
Safety at
http://publicsafety.nmu.edu/Departments/PublicSaf
ety/SiteSections/EmployeeSafety/MSDSBinder.shtml
To look up new SDS, log on to the above website
with these passwords. This will direct you to a site
with over 2.7 million SDSs:
Add userid: nmumsds Password: msds

Prevention
NFPA-type label

3
4

Chemicals stored in secondary

containers (containers other
than the original container &
without the original label) must
display a National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA)
Hazardous Material
Classification label as well as
the name of the substance and
the responsible party.
These labels provide
information about health &
other hazards of a chemical.
Your instructor will give you
more information on these
labels as required.

Prevention
NFPA-type label

3
4

Colors represent kind of hazard

Red = fire
Yellow = reactivity
Blue = health
White = specific hazard

Numbers show degree of hazard

0 = Minimal
1 = Slight
2 = Moderate
3 = Serious
4 = Severe

Waste Disposal Proper Use

Normal trash:
scrap
papers, pop
bottles,
plastic bags,
used gloves

Biohazard Waste:
anything
contaminated with
biological material.
Eg: bacteria, blood

Broken glass:
broken or
chipped
glassware

Waste Disposal Improper Use

Normal trash:
No liquids
No biohazard bags
that are not
enclosed in
black bags
No sharps

Broken glass:
Do not use this
container for
paper towels or
other trash that
can go into
normal trash.

Transporting chemicals and

other laboratory materials
When transporting chemicals or other materials
between laboratories, make sure that they are
carried in a secondary container

Solutions, dry chemicals, microplates, etc. should be carried

in a tub
Slides should be placed in a slide box
Test tubes or vials should be in a
rack that is carried in a tub
A cart should be used to transport
bulky materials. If using a cart,
materials should still be in a
secondary container.
Make sure you have at least one ungloved hand to open
doors etc. remember that lab gloves are to be considered
potentially contaminated at all times

Fire Alarm Procedure

In the event of a fire alarm
Turn off all equipment
Cap all containers
Gather personal belongings
Exit building in an orderly fashion
Do not return to the building until the all
clear has been given by your instructor
and/or Public Safety.

Accident Procedure
Report any accident (spill, breakage, etc.) or
injury (cut, burn, etc.) to the instructor
immediately, no matter how trivial it may
appear.

Chemical Spill Procedure

Review all SDSs prior to using hazardous materials for PPE,
First Aid and disposal protocols.
In the event of a chemical spill on you or a coworker
flush with running water for at least 15 minutes.
If appropriate, remove contaminated clothing & use the safety
shower.
If chemical is splashed into eyes, use the eyewash station & flush for
at least 15 minutes.
Check the SDS if this occurs with an unfamiliar chemical where water
flushing may not be recommended.

In the event of a chemical spill on the benchtop or floor,

but not on another person, contact the instructor and get
specific instructions on how to proceed.

Biohazard Awareness
A variety of materials can be classified as
biohazards (materials that hold some risk for
production of disease) including

Contaminated cells & tissues, including blood products

Live organisms
Environmental samples, including soil samples
Secretions & excretions

Biohazards are classified into Risk Groups & are

controlled according to this classification

Biohazardous Agents by Risk

Groups (RG)
RG1

Agents that are not associated with disease in healthy adult

humans

RG2

Agents associated with human disease that is rarely serious or for

which preventive or therapeutic interventions are often available

RG3

Agents that are associated with serious or lethal human disease for
which preventive or therapeutic interventions may be available.
The agent is of low risk for the community

RG4

Agents that are likely to cause serious or lethal human disease for
which preventive or therapeutic interventions are not usually
available. The agent is of low risk for the community.

Agents = any infectious entity or any molecule produced by them capable of

producing disease in humans

At NMU, we are approved to work with RG1 and RG2 agents for research
purposes. However, students could be exposed to RG3 agents from the
environment.

Routes of transmission of
biohazardous infectious agents
Oral Ingestion

Eating, drinking, smoking

Broken skin

Needle-stick
Cuts
Scratches
Bites

Mucosa

Splash of liquids
Handling eye contact lenses
Applying make-up

Upper respiratory tract Inhalation of aerosols, spores, etc.

Other Potential Sources of Infection

Blood and Other Potentially Infectious Material (OPIM)
Apply "Universal Precautions" : Treat all human blood
and certain human body fluids as if known to be infectious

Environmental Samples: soil, plants, water samples,

animals, etc.
Apply NMU Precautions" :Treat all environmental samples
as a potential health hazard

International Biohazard Symbol

Universal Symbol
Communicates potential exposure
Red or orange

Any container with biohazard potential must be labeled

with this symbol

Biohazard disposal
Any materials that may constitute a biohazard should be
disposed of appropriately
Disposal methods vary for different materials including
contaminated glass
cultures and fluids
other organics
Special disposal materials are required for biohazard
disposal
Contact your instructor for guidance in cleaning up
any potential biohazard, including human blood

Emergency Preparedness
Emergencies can happen, so
Do not work alone in the lab.
Know where emergency phone numbers are
posted.
Review SDS.
Know where to go & what to do in an emergency.
Know location of closest safety showers and
eyewashes.

Emergency Response
In case of an accident, you may need to use an
eyewash or safety shower.
Be sure you know where these items are located,
and how to use them.
Some eyewashes are
located behind sinks.
Pull out the hose and
squeeze the spray
lever to activate.

Pull down on the

appropriate lever to
activate the eyewash or
safety shower located in
each laboratory

Emergency Contacts
Fire, medical or chemical emergencies
call 911
Public Safety 227-2151
Biology Main Office 227-2310

A note about 911

If you call 911 from a cell phone, campus or
off-campus phone, the call will be routed to
the local or regional 911 system
We recommend using a Campus phone for
911 (if possible) when you are on campus
since it will result in a more precise location
being reported to the authorities.

Your Responsibility
Your responsibility extends beyond your own
personal activities. Each person who uses a
laboratory is expected to take appropriate
action when an unsafe condition exists. You
may need to
Correct a potentially hazardous situation yourself
Report the situation to those qualified or
authorized to correct the hazard
Intervene when another person is creating a
hazard for themselves or others.

 You always have the right to ask

questions of, or report hazards to - either
directly or anonymously without fear of
reprisalANY of the following:
Your lab instructor &/or the course instructor
Department Head & Chemical Hygiene Officer
Dr. John Rebers (jrebers@nmu.edu)
Public Safety (227-2151)

Next
Complete the PRESENTATION REVIEW
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Then complete the QUIZ that follows the
confirmation
You must achieve a perfect score on the quiz to
successfully complete your safety training. You
may retake the quiz as many times as necessary.
Failure to complete your safety training will
result in your exclusion from the laboratory
portion of your course

After the quiz

Remember to complete any additional Safety
Training modules (and their quizzes) required
for your course.