Basic Principles of Laboratory Safety and Waste management Presenter : Sonam Bansal Head - Nestlé Quality Assurance Centre Moga Nestlé India Limited 1
Contents of Training Module Chapter Chapter Title 1 INTRODUCTION 2 ACCESS TO LABORATORY AND EMERGENCY EXITS 3 PERSONAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT 4 GOOD WORKING PRACTICES 5 MAINTENANCE OF LABORATORY EQUIPMENT 6 WORKING WITH HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES 7 STORAGE OF CHEMICALS 8 WORKING WITH FLAMMABLE SOLVENTS 9 GAS CYLINDERS 10 FIRE PRECAUTIONS 11 EMERGENCY PROCEDURES 12 FIRST AID 13 ACCIDENT FOLLOW-UP 14 SAFETY MANUAL 15 SAFETY TRAINING 16 MANAGEMENT OF LABORATORY SAFETY AND RESPONSIBILITIES 17 WASTE MANAGEMENT p. 2
Why does laboratory safety matter? Safe working protects: You Other lab workers Cleaning staff Visitors Your work p. 3
2 - ACCESS TO LABORATORY AND EMERGENCY EXITS p. 4
Access to Laboratory Areas Must be restricted to authorized persons only. A plan of the laboratory area must be available. Each lab must have clearly designated emergency exits. p. 5
Emergency exits must: Be clearly marked & well lit, even during power failure. Be kept clear at all times Never be locked Open outwards, i.e. in the direction of escape Be designed to only open from the inside. p. 6
3 - PERSONAL PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AND EQUIPMENT p. 7
Safe dress within the laboratory area (PPE) Laboratory staff Cleaning staff Visitors Must all wear adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) when: - present in rooms where reagents, equipment & samples are stored - working in rooms where analytical work is done. p. 8
Use appropriate eye, skin & hand protection Closed shoes with good grip soles - no open shoes, high heels, flip flops, etc Laboratory coat, clean and in good condition Safety eye goggles Suitable gloves appropriate for the task Rubber or PVC aprons when handling hazardous chemicals Laboratory coats used in the laboratory areas must not be worn to the canteen. p. 9 9
Use appropriate eye, skin & hand protection -2 Tie back long hair & restrain loose clothing. Jewelry must not be worn in the lab (unless for special cultural/religious reasons, with permission of laboratory manager/safety officer, and must not provide any potential safety hazards e.g. loose chains or necklaces, dangling ear rings). p. 10
Which Gloves to use for which task? Rating Category Best Useable Not useable Material Thin nitrile (0.1 mm) Thick nitrile (0.15 mm) Neoprene (0.13 mm) PE laminated film (0.06 mm) SCOPE FOOD OK OK BIOSAFETY OK OK (LABO P1, P2, P3) RADIOACTIVITY OK CHEMICALS OK OK ACIDS OK OK p. 11
For an Emergency! Safety Showers Eye-wash stations Must be: Installed close to the laboratory area correctly maintained readily accessible for all staff p. 12
4 - GOOD WORKING PRACTICES p. 13 13
Introduction - BASICS Safe handling of chemicals & equipment. Safe working practices in the Microbiology lab, especially if working with pathogens. Information readily available about hazardous chemicals Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDA). p. 14
Good Housekeeping The lab must be kept neat, clean & free of materials that are not pertinent to your work Keep your workplace tidy. Clear up waste. Make sure everything is safe before you leave your work area unattended. A tidy laboratory avoids accidents for everyone. Apply principles of 5S wherever possible. p. 15
Rules about Smoking, Eating and Drinking. Smoking is not allowed anywhere in the laboratory building Eating & drinking must be restricted to designated areas, never on a workbench. Food & drink for consumption must not be placed in refrigerators intended for chemicals. p. 16
Hygiene Never suck pens or chew pencils Always wash your hands before you leave and especially before eating 17
Mouth Pipetting X Mouth Pipetting is forbidden in all laboratories, including microbiology labs Use a pipettor or safety bulb p. 18
Glassware Chipped, cracked or broken glassware may be dangerous. It must not be used in the lab. It must either be repaired or discarded. p. 19
Sample Grinding Use ear plugs if grinder / mill exceeds specified noise levels Wear dust masks if grinding creates a lot of dust. p. 20
Use fume hoods correctly Set sash at correct working height Check that fume hood delivers correct air velocity (measured in m/s) Ensure fume hoods maintained correctly (service contract with supplier) p. 21
5 - MAINTENANCE OF LABORATORY EQUIPMENT p. 22
Equipment used within laboratories must be: Correctly installed according to manufacturers instructions Safe-to-operate Well maintained, according to a regular maintenance schedule p. 23
Maintenance Results of a fire in a fume hood, caused by faulty electrical cables The electrical safety of all equipment, including fume hoods, must be checked regularly according to a defined schedule All equipment working under pressure or vacuum must be regularly checked for any defects (cracks in glass, tubing,...) leaks etc. p. 24
Documentation For each piece of equipment written instructions for its operation and maintenance must be readily available A list of authorised and qualified users must be available for each major item of equipment. p. 25
6 - WORKING WITH HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES p. 26
Handling Hazardous substances Includes Carcinogens, Toxic, Corrosive Chemicals (as well as those may provoke fire or explosions) and microbial cultures. Disposal of hazardous chemicals according to local regulations Special precautions must be taken when handling solvents, acids, alkalis, toxic chemicals. Check the warning symbols on the label. Minimize any chemical hazards by good ventilation & using fume-hoods Minimize any microbiological hazards by good working practices and use of laminar flow /biosafety cabinets Special precautions must be taken when handling cultures of bacterial pathogens p. 27
7 STORAGE OF CHEMICALS 28
Correct Storage of Chemicals Solvents must be stored in well-ventilated cabinets or explosion proof-cabinets. Highly toxic & carcinogenic chemicals (e.g. cyanide) must be kept under lock and key. Flammable chemical storage area should be kept cool, away from sources of ignition, and wellventilated. Do not store incompatible chemicals together. Some examples are shown below: Chemical Incompatible with Acetic acid Ammonia Solvents Sulfuric acid Nitric acid, perchloric acid, peroxides, permanganates Chlorine, iodine, bromine, hydrogen fluoride, calcium hypochlorite Hydrogen peroxide, Nitric acid, Oxidizing materials Nitric acid p. 29
Rules for Storage of Chemicals Chemicals/solvents storage cupboards must be used with suitable chemicals hazard warning labels on door. Only the smallest quantities Stored in their original containers Keep away from food & samples to be analysed Chemicals past their expiry date must be disposed of Maintain an up-to-date inventory of all purchased reagents and chemicals p. 30
8 WORKING WITH FLAMMABLE SOLVENTS p. 31
Flammable solvents Hazards The vapours of some volatile solvents, notably diethyl ether, petroleum ether form explosive mixtures with air Precautions Designated areas, with no source of ignition. Any source of ignition may produce an explosion A hot plate operating at > 130 C is a source of ignition Bunsen burners must not be used when working with solvents Good ventilation. p. 32
9 - GAS CYLINDERS p. 33
Correct use of Gas Cylinders Gas cylinders used in the lab are under high pressure Examples: air, nitrogen, helium, hydrogen, argon. Cylinders should be stored, wherever possible, outside the laboratory building under lock and key Never use without formal training Minimise the number in a laboratory Store externally wherever 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 Wear appropriate boots. Use regulators & control equipment suitable for the gas concerned p. 34
10 FIRE PRECAUTIONS p. 35
Fire precautions Fire alarms must be installed & tested regularly. Fire (smoke) detectors must be installed & tested regularly. The lab must be equipped with fire extinguishers which are checked regularly (annually). Fire blankets must be visible & available in areas where inflammable solvents are handled. Fire Drill regular practice of fire drill. p. 36
11 EMERGENCY PROCEDURES p. 37
Emergency Procedures must be set up for: Various types of accidents Spillage of hazardous substances Fires Emergency telephone numbers, in case of accidents or fire, must be clearly visible. p. 38
12 FIRST AID p. 39
First aid At least 2 of the laboratory staff must have received specific training in first aid. At least one trained first aider must always be available on site A readily accessible, well maintained, first-aid cabinet must be available. p. 40
13 ACCIDENT REPORTING AND FOLLOW-UP p. 41
Accident Reporting and follow-up All accidents however minor or unimportant they may seem, must be reported & recorded. It may also be useful to report near misses. Follow-up: Follow-up must include a root cause analysis of the accident, which will often allow weaknesses in training, procedure or safety equipment to be recognized & corrected. Even a small accident may point to the risk of a more serious accidents that may have been overlooked. p. 42
14 - SAFETY MANUAL p. 43
All safety precautions and procedures must be collated in a Safety Manual. Documentation must include instructions on the following points: Training and training records Safety Equipment Storage conditions for chemicals Safe handling Use and disposal of chemicals Disposal of materials used in the microbiology laboratory Emergency procedures p. 44
15 - SAFETY TRAINING p. 45
Scope of training All laboratory staff must receive adequate safety training which includes at least: Health and safety legislation and responsibilities of employees and company Causes & Prevention of fires, Use of fire extinguishers Evacuation of building and emergency exits First aid arrangements Actions to take in the event of spillages in the laboratory. Specific hazards & risks associated with their work activities. Use of personal protective equipment (closed shoes, lab coats, eye goggles, aprons, masks, gloves ) Correct use of fume hoods and weighing/ biosafety cabinets p. 46
Training records Safety training must be repeated annually. Records of training must be kept for each member of staff p. 47
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 OR ASSUME! p. 48
16 - MANAGEMENT OF LABORATORY SAFETY AND REPONSIBILITIES p. 49
Responsibilities of Management Laboratory head must ensure that: All personnel are familiar with the contents of the laboratory safety manual All personnel comply with all specified precautions p. 50
Responsibilities of the employee. To cooperate with other employees to prevent accidents To study the safety manual and all safety practices governing their work To apply the principles of accident prevention in their daily work and use proper safety devices To apply all PPE rules (wearing lab coats, safety googles, closed shoes, etc ) To maintain their workplace in safe condition To maintain equipment in good condition To attend safety meeting and offer constructive suggestions To report any health problems to their laboratory manager. p. 51
17 Waste management p. 52 52
Waste management : Microbiological Microbiological waste must be decontaminated before disposal, ( 121 C for 20 min and in accordance with the performance studies/cycle validation) and sent for incineration to local authorized body (external party) 53
Disposal of Waste Materials Part of your risk assessment will be to determine how to dispose of waste laboratory materials safely: Solvents and oils must be segregated into the correct waste bottle or drum Chlorinated solvents separated from nonchlorinated solvents Hazardous chemicals must not be disposed of by pouring them down the sink or by placing them in dust bins. Local regulation must be followed for disposal of solvent / chemical waste e.g. sand pit or with authorized vendor p. 54
Disposal of Waste Materials Part of your risk assessment will be to determine how to dispose of waste laboratory materials safely: Metal Sharp waste (needles, bottle caps etc.) is stored in a resistant box and disposed off as per local regulation Broken Glass collected in the waste bag meant for broken glass. Empty reagent bottles collected in trolley Metal waste (Instrument small parts, SCM cups etc.) are collected separately and disposed off as per local regulation p. 55
Examples of Bad Practices p. 56
Did you identify the problems? Many types of chemicals, solvents, acids, bases, gas cylinders, sprays, toxic compounds all stored together p. 57
What s wrong here? Incompatible chemicals stored together
Have you identified them all? Fume hood sash too high Material stacked in front of fire extinguisher Glass chemical containers stored on floor
What s wrong here? Fume hood sash too high No eyewear Food not allowed in the lab No lab coat
Have you identified them all? Possible cross contamination of cell phone No eyewear Open-toed shoes
Any Questions? p. 62