ChBE Safety Training

July 2016

Emily Edwards Lab Coordinator

Chemical & Biological Engineering Tufts University

4 Colby St., Room 151 617-627-2172

Required Training – Chemical Safety

Option 1 • 30-minute video + written test • Must get 80% to pass • Certificate expires after one

year • Email me a copy of your

certificate – I need proof of training for the annual lab inspections

A chemical safety training certificate is required before admittance to any laboratory

Choose 1 of 3 Options

Option 2 • Classroom training from

BME Lab Coordinator • No set schedule, just when

demand is high • Building-specific information • No certificate – send me an

email so I can add a note to my files

Option 3 - Preferred • Classroom training from

EH&S, usually at 200 Boston • General information like

Option 1 • See website for scheduled

times and registration • Email me a copy of your

certificate

Required Training – Bio Safety Classroom Training

Required: Classroom training if working with bio materials • Classroom training from EH&S, usually at 200 Boston • General information about bio safety + OSHA Blood-

borne Pathogen Standard • See website for scheduled times and registration • Email me a copy of your certificate

Combined: Classroom training for chemical & bio materials • Option 3 above + bio

training to the left • See website for

scheduled times and registration

• Email me a copy of your certificates

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Write your name on your coat

Put your name or initials on them with a sticker

Tufts EH&S does random unannounced inspections looking for people not wearing PPE

Latex or Nitrile? Check chemical compatibility before choosing

Face shield and thermal gloves are required when dispensing LN

Hearing protection and sign on door are required when using a sonicator (dismembrator)

Lab Regulations

• No open-toed shoes allowed in the lab

• Keep a pair of shoes at your desk, if needed

Remove one glove before touching a door knob or anything outside the lab

New Regulation: Bunsen burner tubing must be a special cloth-covered steel tubing

Lab Regulations

• No backpacks or jackets allowed in the lab

• Request a locker if needed

• No food or drinks including water bottles

• Leave outside the lab

Safety Warning Requirements

Read the SDS for your chemicals

before using

The number in each diamond

reflects the level of danger:

0 through 4

Sign on the door reflects hazards inside + contact information for

after-hours emergencies,

must be revised when needed

Lab Sink – Water Testing

• All lab sinks drain to the Machine Shop • Giant pH neutralizing system and holding

tank for periodic testing • Fines for too much metal in the waste

water – recent fine for mercury, not sure what else they test for

• All chemicals must go into waste containers, never down the sink

Labels – No Mystery Substances

Label your containers and samples:

No mystery liquids or solids are allowed in any lab. This includes containers of water and reactor vessels

Use large labels for stock solutions and

reactor vessels

Use small labels for vials or small flasks

Emergency Procedures

Calling for help: • Tufts Emergency Number

• 617-627-6911 (or 911) • Program this into your phone • 6-6911 from a campus phone

Safety Features inside the lab

Determining a true emergency: • Fire • Non-minor injuries or burns • Very large chemical spills • Very large gas leaks • Anything involving especially dangerous

chemicals or gases • Chemical fume hood failure if hood

contains dangerous chemicals or gases

Emergency Procedures

Spill Kit Procedure: • Wear PPE • Use absorbent material inside

the bucket to soak up the liquid

• Place into bag • Fill out waste tag and attach it

to the bag • Place the bag in your Pickup

SAA • Inform your PI and request a

refill from the Lab Coordinator

Minor Injuries: • Use 1st Aid Kit • See Lab Coordinator • Go to Tufts Student

Health Services

After-hours Event: • Fire alarm, chemical smell, etc. • Call from Tufts Police to the

emergency contact number on file or on door

Chemical Storage Locations

Flammables Cabinet or Special Fridge

Corrosives Cabinet • Separate organic &

inorganic acids • Separate acids & bases

Inside a Fume Hood • Especially toxic chemicals • Disrupts functionality and

safety of hood – must be minimal

• Alcohols • Solvents • Alcohol-fueled Bunsen burners • Special flame-proof fridge

Biomaterial Storage Locations

Ultra-cold Freezer • -80 °C (-112 °F) • For long-term cell storage • Frost builds up around door and prevents

door from closing – must scrape off to maintain temperature

Fridge & Freezer • 4 °C & -20 °C, check storage instructions carefully • No auto-defrosting freezer – they cycle above

freezing periodically to melt the frost • Freezers must be defrosted • Must have stickers that say “no food” and “no

flammables”

Compressed Gas Cylinders

• Clamps mount to table or wall • Chain or strap • Allowed 3 cylinders on 1 clamp

• Top of tank is ceramic and could break if dropped (see Myth Busters episode)

• Remove regulator and screw cap on tightly before moving

• Cylinders are safe when cap is on – verified this with our Airgas delivery person

Compressed Gas Cylinders

Flammable Gases have special rules • Allowed only 1500 ft3 (STP) per section of our building, large cylinders

have ~285 ft3 = 6 large cylinders. We need more than 6 per section so all flammables must now be “size 80” cylinders.

• Tubing must be stainless steel • Flashback arrestor is required: “fuel” for flammable gases and “oxygen”

for oxidizers • Gas sniffers are required for any dangerous gas (H2, H2S, etc.)

• Types of gases are color-coded: flammable, oxidizer, non-flammable

• Each individual gas has a different nozzle thread to avoid mixing of incompatible gases inside the regulator; for example, CGA 320 is for CO2

• Choose the proper PSI range when purchasing regulator

Chemical Disposal Do not pour chemicals down the drain – periodically inspected

Solids: Non-sharp • Powder, “goop” • Chemically-soaked paper towels • Weigh boats • Empty plastic bottles • Pipets in sleeves

Solids: “Sharps” • Tips • Broken glass • Empty glass bottles

Liquids – Separate Containers • Acids • Bases + Misc. • Alcohols, solvents

New Procedure!

Put pipet in sleeve and place in non-

sharps bucket

Chemical Disposal

Immediately fill in: • Lab # • PI

As you fill the container, the following must be accurate at all times: • Chemicals • % (best guess) • Hazards • Leave dates blank until picked up

SAAs – New Procedure!

Active SAA Pickup SAA

Weekly lab pickup by waste

management company

+

Add new waste here Place full containers here

Keep the bucket – new bag inside

Trash the sharps bin – get new one from Lab Coordinator

Tags: Must be on all non-bio containers

Bio-material Disposal

Liquids: • Add bleach until

v/v % is ~10% • wait at least 30

minutes • pour down drain

New Procedure!

Put pipet in sleeve and place in non-

sharps bucket

Solids: Non-sharp • Gloves • Bio-soaked paper

towels • Cuvettes • Pipets in sleeves

Solids: “Sharps” • Tips • Broken glass • Syringe needles • Blades

Bag must be autoclave-able

Bio-material Disposal

Autoclave

Cages for Sharps Bins

• Cages must remain locked • Full bins must be logged in

logbook • Picked up by Stericyle

every 2 weeks

• Sterilize glassware, media, lab supplies or non-sharp bio waste

• Training required before using • Must sign up for a timeslot before using • Separate training for sterilizing bio waste

involving a logbook and tags

New Procedure Secure lid to bin with tie wraps

before leaving your lab

Bio vs. Chemical Disposal

Autoclave

No chemicals are allowed in the autoclave!

Non-sharps bio waste in autoclave-able bag

All items must be in autoclave-able tub when inside the autoclave

What if you have an item that contains both bio and chemical material?

Bio-related chemicals: • Salt • Buffer • Media

Chemicals that would destroy cells: • Solvents • Inorganic

compounds • Alcohols

Other autoclave hazards

Chemical Fume Hood vs. Bio Cabinet

Fume Hood • Pulls air in from the room and

vents it outside to protect person from fumes

• Air flow cannot be turned off • Sash height and obstructions can

greatly affect your safety

Bio Cabinet (aka Laminar Flow Hood) • Pulls in air from the room, filters and

recirculates to prevent bio material from escaping into the room

• Air flow is turned on and off by the user • Inside surfaces must be decontaminated

Fume Hood Safety Proper use of chemical fume hood:

• Hoods are calibrated to be safe for use with the sash below designated height shown on the sticker (usually 18”)

• Keep sash as low as possible without hindering your work – below your shoulders to avoid breathing fumes

• Close the sash when not in use to contain the chemical fumes

Facilities Problems

Fill out a Facilities Work Request: • Dripping faucet • Electrical problems • Burned out lights • Restroom problems

Contact Lab Coordinator: • DI water, autoclave, vacuum • Low flow in fume hood (containing non-

hazardous chemicals or gas) • Chemical smell • Broken equipment • Safety supplies • Any random question

Lab Inspections

Annual Lab Inspection: • General lab safety • Fill out form in advance

and fix issues • Inspected by EH&S • Receive report with

findings – fix and reply

Semi-Annual Chemical Audit: • Search for especially hazardous

or explosive chemicals • Also look for storage issues

• acids & bases not separated • organic & inorganic acids

• Receive a report with findings – fix and reply

Annual Testing: • Flowrate of chemical

fume hoods & bio cabinets

• Eyewash & showers

Eco-Friendly Practices

Try to avoid disposing of “disposables” in order to reduce our dependence on oil:

• Try to minimize your use of weigh boats, jars & vials • Re-use pipets & tips if using DI water or alcohols

• You must dispose of anything that came into contact with live cells

Eco-Friendly Practices

• Chemical fume hoods consume a large

amount of energy

• Tufts is working hard to reduce the amount of

energy consumed in our building

• Close the sash when not in use!

Eco-Friendly Practices

• Paper, rigid plastic, glass & metal are banned from landfills in MA

• See the signs at the recycling stations for more information

Eco-Friendly Practices

Which is more environmentally friendly? Paper towels vs. Kimwipes

Must consider the energy used for manufacturing and transportation

Department Website

This presentation will be available on the ChBE website under the Graduate Program tab