LAB SAFETY AWARENESS AND CHEMICAL SAFETY FOR NON-LAB PERSONNEL

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Environmental, Health, Safety, Risk Management

October 2022

OVERVIEW

• Non-Lab Personnel Guidelines
• Coordinate
• Protect Yourself
• Consider your actions
• Potential Lab Hazards
• Chemical Hazards
• Physical Hazards
• Signs
• Help Us!
• Emergency Response

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GUIDELINES FOR NON-LAB PERSONNEL

• This guideline is for any employee or contractor who needs to do maintenance and/or repair work in UAF laboratories.
• You are also required by law to have Hazard Communication GHS Training.
• This training is available online through EHSRM.

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COORDINATE

• Any utility shut downs (water, heat, electricity, ventilation) will need to be coordinated through Facility Services and posted with adequate warning to lab/building occupants. Call 474-7000.
• Before entering the lab to do any work, contact the Lab Supervisor, Building Coordinator or Department Safety Officer and explain the work to be done.

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COORDINATE (CONT.)

• Never touch or move lab equipment or chemicals including items in the fume hood.
• Only laboratory staff are allowed to decontaminate surfaces in fume hoods and on benches.
• If there is no one in the lab, and equipment and/or chemicals need to be moved, contact the Lab Supervisor (listed on the outside of the door to the lab), Department Safety Officer, or EHSRM for assistance.

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PROTECT YOURSELF: GENERAL

• Do not bring food or drink into a lab.
• Wash your hands before leaving a lab.
• Wear proper clothing—long pants, long-sleeved shirts.
• Wear proper shoes—closed-toe, low heels, no sandals, no mesh covered shoes.
• Tie long hair back.
• Remove dangling or excess jewelry.

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PROTECT YOURSELF: PPE

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Check with laboratory personnel for PPE requirements including:
• Gloves (not all gloves are created equal!)
• Eye protection (many labs require safety glasses/goggles to be worn at all times).
• Disposable lab coat, coveralls, or rubber apron.
• If you must leave the lab to retrieve tools, take a break, etc., remember to remove PPE and wash your hands before leaving the lab.

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PROTECT YOURSELF: ASBESTOS AND LEAD

• Remember that many of the older buildings and labs may contain asbestos or lead paint.
• Do not drill or cut into lab benches, fume hoods, walls, window trim, etc. unless it has been tested.
• Contact Facility Services for asbestos testing.
• Contact EHSRM to test for lead paint and other lead-containing building materials.

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CONSIDER YOUR ACTIONS

Remember strong smells can readily travel throughout a floor or building, especially if the ventilation is shut down.

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Avoid using strong-smelling products such as mastics and other adhesives.

• If these products must be used, EHSRM Hazmat Division has a charcoal/HEPA filtering unit available for use. Call 474-5617 or 474-7889.

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CONSIDER YOUR ACTIONS (CONT.)

• Never pour hazardous materials down the drain, place in the trash, or dump them anywhere on campus.
• Call EHSRM Hazmat Division 474-5617 for assistance.
• Keep doors, hallways and stairways clear to allow emergency exit.
• Do not block extinguishers, fire alarm pull stations, electrical panels, or emergency eyewashes or showers.
• Never enter any rooms posted with “Only Authorized Personnel Allowed” signs, such as clean rooms, without permission.
• You may be to be asked to wear coveralls, shoe covers, a mask, or other protective gear.
• Lab personnel may need to decontaminate your equipment before entering restricted areas.

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CONSIDER YOUR ACTIONS (CONT.)

• Do not put equipment, tools, coats or any other items you brought into the lab on the bench tops.
• You may be asked to leave certain items outside the laboratory door, including food & drink, coats, and backpacks.
• If cleaning the laboratory floor, do not put waste baskets, chairs, etc. on the bench tops.

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POTENTIAL LAB HAZARDS

• Be aware of potential lab hazards and how to protect yourself against them.
• If you have safety questions about any equipment, chemical, or process in the lab, do not hesitate to ask lab personnel for information.
• Types of hazards:
• Chemical hazards
• Physical hazards

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POTENTIAL LAB HAZARDS: CHEMICALS

• Chemical hazards fall into 4 main categories
• Flammables (color coded red)
• Keep away from sources of heat and/or ignition (sparks).
• Corrosives (color coded white or white/black stripe)
• Cause rapid destruction of building materials or metals.
• Burn, irritate, or cause destruction to skin, eyes, lungs, and stomach.
• Reactives (color coded yellow)
• Chemicals which react violently when exposed to air or water.
• Cause other substances to burn more easily.
• Health hazards (color coded blue)
• Chemicals that causes adverse health effects.
• Chemicals color coded orange, green or gray are generally considered non-hazardous.

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POTENTIAL LAB HAZARDS: CHEMICALS

• If you notice a spill, or a leaking container, notify laboratory personnel/supervisor, Department Safety Officer, EHSRM (474-5617), or Dispatch (474-7721) immediately.
• The spilled material may be an inhalation hazard—do not remain in the area!

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PHYSICAL HAZARDS

• Includes (but not limited to):
• Compressed gases
• Electrical equipment
• Lasers
• Thermal hazards
• Radiation

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PHYSICAL HAZARDS: COMPRESSED GASES

• Compressed gas cylinders must be restrained in an upright position in the lab.
• If you see unrestrained gas cylinders, ask the lab personnel to secure the tank, or call EHSRM (474-5617) for assistance.
• Be careful when working around tanks—avoid situations where you could accidentally hit the regulator with a tool.
• If tanks are in the way, ask lab personnel to move them or arrange for them to be moved.

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PHYSICAL HAZARDS: ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

• Always inspect electrical cords prior to use. Do not use if they are cracked or have exposed wiring.
• Never use electrical appliances near water.
• Make sure hands are dry when unplugging a cord.
• Do not overload outlets.
• Avoid excessive use of extension cords.
• Never override the safety features on electrical equipment.

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PHYSICAL HAZARDS: LASERS

• A laser is a device that emits a pencil-like beam of either visible or invisible electromagnetic radiation (light).
• Only authorized personnel are allowed in the vicinity of lasers. Check with the Lab Supervisor before entering.

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PHYSICAL HAZARDS: THERMAL

• Thermal hazards include both hot and cold objects.
• Examples include:
• Hot Plates
• Bunsen burners
• Drying ovens
• Muffle furnaces
• Autoclaves
• Ultra-cold freezers
• Walk-in coolers or freezers
• Liquid nitrogen (LN2)

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PHYSICAL HAZARDS: RADIATION

• Radioisotope use at UAF includes both sealed and unsealed sources.
• Sealed: gas chromatographs, scintillation counters
• Unsealed: ³H, ¹⁴C, ³²P, ¹²⁵I
• Never enter a lab or room containing radioactive materials without authorization from the Lab Supervisor or the UAF Radiation Safety Officer (474-6603).

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OTHER SIGNS

• You will see other signs like these on doors, cabinets, trucks, storage tanks, and in various other places around campus
• Pay attention to what they say and follow instructions.

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OTHER SIGNS:�NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION AGENCY (NFPA)

• The NFPA developed the diamond shaped numerical hazard rating for health hazard (blue), flammability (red), reactivity (yellow) and special notices (white). The higher the number (from 0-4), the greater the hazard.

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Stay away from me!

HELP US KEEP OUR LABORATORIES SAFE

• If you notice any of the following, notify the Lab Supervisor, Department Safety Coordinator or EHSRM:
• Blocked access to emergency shower and eye wash.
• Cluttered work areas.
• Blocked aisles or exits.
• Unlabeled chemicals and/or hazardous waste containers.
• Lack of proper signage.

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EMERGENCY RESPONSE

For all emergencies, dial 911 or 474-7721

• Fire
• If your clothing catches on fire, drop and roll to put out the flames. Immediately notify lab personnel and your supervisor of the incident.
• Chemical spill on clothing
• Get to the safety shower immediately and remain there for at least 15 minutes. Remove contaminated clothing while in the shower. Notify lab personnel and your supervisor of the incident.

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EMERGENCY RESPONSE (CONT.)

• Chemical splashes to the eye
• Immediately go to the eye wash station and flush eyes with water for at least 15 minutes.
• Hold lids open to allow water to reach all surfaces of the eye and eyelids.
• Seek medical attention and notify lab personnel and your supervisor of the incident immediately.
• Burns
• Immerse burned area under cold, running water as soon as possible.
• Seek medical attention and notify lab personnel and your supervisor of the incident immediately.

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QUESTIONS?

• Contact EHSRM:
• 474-6771
• General information and assistance, information on training/classes
• General lab safety
• Help with PPE selection
• 474-5617
• Hazmat disposal or spill response

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• Thanks to UC San Diego for inspiration/information used in this training.

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