1. DEL MAR COLLEGE
Department of Natural Sciences
LABORATORY SAFETY PROCEDURES & GUIDELINES
A Pre-Lab Course
24-Hour Emergency Number:
DMC Security Office 361 / 698-1199
2. INSTRUCTIONS
• Study the information in this module.
• Take the quiz following this module.
• You must score 100% on this quiz to
stay registered in the class.
3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Topic Module
General Rules and Regulations 1
Chemical Safety 2
Biohazard Safety 3
Emergency Equipment & Procedures 4
Field Trip Safety 5
5. PERSONAL PROTECTION
EYE PROTECTION –
• You must wear splash resistant (indirect ventilation)
goggles when working with chemicals.
• The goggles must also be impact resistant and will have
the ANSI code Z-87 stamped on them.
Splash-resistant due to
NOT splash-resistant due to capped ventilation holes
open ventilation holes
6. PERSONAL PROTECTION
COSMETIC USE
• Limit your cosmetic application before arriving at the lab.
Certain cosmetics may react with the chemicals or the
chemical vapors in lab.
• Applying cosmetics during lab is prohibited.
7. APPAREL FOR CHEMICAL LABS
You must wear clothing that will cover your
skin:
• Your shoulders, mid-sections, and legs must
be covered;
• No clogs, sandals, slaps, flip-flops, etc…
(all of your foot must be covered).
8. CATEGORIES OF CHEMICAL HAZARDS
CATEGORY DESCRIPTION
TOXICS Poisons; usually cause damage throughout the
body
REACTIVE Reacts with everyday substances
CORROSIVE Corrodes substances including flesh
FLAMMABLE Burns easily
COMPRESSED High pressures and possible toxic and
GASES flammable gases
IRRITANTS Irritate mucus membrane and skin
CHRONIC Carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens – cause
HAZARDS long-term harm
9. ROUTES OF CHEMICAL ENTRY
Route of entry describes the way the chemical enters the
body. Chemicals may have serious effects by one route,
and minimal effects by another. Hazardous chemicals may
enter the body by:
INHALATION
• A chemical can enter your body
through the lungs while breathing
ABSORPTION
• A chemical can enter your body by being
splashed on the skin or in the eyes
10. ROUTES OF CHEMICAL ENTRY (cont.)
INGESTION
• A chemical can enter your body through
intentional ingestion or unintentional
ingestion.
• Chewing on the end of a pen or pencil
• Hand to mouth contact
INJECTION
• A chemical can enter your body by being
injected under the skin
• Hypodermic Needle
• Broken Glass
11. ROUTES OF CHEMICAL ENTRY (cont.)
In the laboratory the primary Routes of Entry are through
inhalation and absorption.
• Working in a laboratory with good general ventilation
and using a chemical fume hood can prevent inhalation
exposures.
• Wearing appropriate chemical protective clothing and
equipment prevents absorption contact.
• Good hygiene habits, such as regular washing your
hands, and using tongs or other tools to pick up sharp
objects, will prevent exposure through ingestion or
injection.
12. YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW
Hazard information about the chemical you use
may be presented in the form of:
1. MSDS: Material Safety Data Sheets
2. Container Labels
• Manufacturer’s Labels
• Secondary Labels
• Labels for “Unknowns”
3. Precautionary Labels
• NFPA Diamond
• HMIS
13. MSDS INFORMATION
Material Data Safety Data Sheets Note: This is an example of an MSDS. Not
all MSDSs will have the same format
provides information such as:
• Chemical identification
• Physical data (flash point, boiling
point…)
• Health & fire hazards
• first aid
• Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE)
• Toxicity
• Waste disposal
MSDSs are available in the
laboratories
14. CONTAINER LABELS
Primary container labels are labels that the manufacturer
places on the container. These labels provide the following:
• The Chemical Name (Identity)
• The Hazards associated with the
Chemical
• The Manufacturer of the chemical
and the contact information
15. CONTAINER LABELS
Secondary containers – the containers that the Laboratory
Supervisor prepares will be labeled with the following
information:
Name of Chemical
Not just the Formula
Hazard of Chemical
In this example, the chemical
is a flammable liquid;
poisonous liquid and; an
irritant
16. CONTAINER LABELS
Containers of Unknowns
● Occasionally you will work with chemicals whose
identity is unknown.
● The safety information for these
chemicals will be provided.
● Treat your unknown chemical as if it is
in the most hazardous category.
17. PRECAUTIONARY LABELS
Chemical hazards are communicated immediately through
Precautionary Labels. The most common types of these
labels are the NFPA Label and the HMIS Label.
● The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) Label is a
diamond-shaped label with colors, numbers and symbols to
communicate chemical hazard information.
● Each color represents a hazard category:
• Blue – Health Hazard • Yellow – Reactivity Hazard
• Red – Flammability Hazard • White – Specific Hazard
● Use the numbers 0-4
• The higher the number, the higher the hazard.
18. UNDERSTANDING NFPA DIAMOND LABEL
Fire Hazard
Health Hazard (Flash Point)
4 - Deadly
4 – Below 73° F
3 - Extreme Danger 3 – Below 100° F
2 - Hazardous 2 – Below 200° F
1 – Slightly Hazardous 1 – Above 200° F
0 – Normal Material 0 – Will not burn
Specific Hazard Reactivity
Oxidizer - OXY 4 – May detonate
Acid - ACID 3 – Shock and heat
Alkali - ALK may detonate
Corrosive - COR 2 – Violent chemical
change
Use NO WATER - W
1 – Unstable if heated
Radioactive -
0 – Stable
19. UNDERSTANDING NFPA DIAMOND LABEL
In this example, you do not know
what chemical is in the bottle but you
do know:
● It is an Extreme Health Hazard
because of the BLUE 3
● The Flash Point is above 200 and
does not present a serious fire
hazard because of the RED 1
● The chemical is stable and will
not React because of the
YELLOW 0
● The chemical is an Acid
20. UNDERSTANDING HMIS LABEL
Hazardous Material Information System (HMIS) is
similar to the NFPA label, however:
● HMIS label is rectangular in
shape
● Uses symbols indicating the
PPE to be worn while
working with the chemical.
21. DEFINITIONS
FLASHPOINT:
• The lowest temperature at which the vapor of a
combustible liquid will ignite.
OXIDIZER:
• A chemical that provides oxygen and accelerates a
reaction so that it may become explosive.
ALKALI:
• A chemical with a very high pH thus making it a
strong base.
22. CHEMICAL SAFETY GUIDELINES
● Always add Acid to the water or aqueous solution,
never add water to acid!
● Always use two hands on glass containers over 2 liters in
size. Keep one hand on the bottom.
● Transport large chemical bottles in a
transfer container bucket.
23. CHEMICAL SAFETY GUIDELINES
● Read the label on all containers BEFORE and AFTER you
remove the contents.
● Use volatile chemicals (readily
become a vapor at relatively low
temperatures) in a chemical hood.
● Handle ALL unknown chemicals as if they were
hazardous!
24. CHEMICAL SAFETY GUIDELINES
● Avoid cross contamination by:
o Never putting reagents back in the stock bottle.
o Paying close attention to what you are doing.
● Clean balances and scales after each use.
● Always replace the lid after obtaining chemicals (liquid or
solid).
● Dispose of waste products in appropriate containers.
● If you do not know… ASK!
25. CHEMICAL DISPOSAL
Non-Hazardous waste Hazardous Waste
Lab Supervisor will provide Dispose of hazardous chemicals in
disposal instructions. labeled waste containers.
Dispose of chemicals in the sink Replace bottle covers after
only after being instructed to do using the funnel.
so.
26. CHEMICAL DISPOSAL GUIDELINES
● Listen to the instructions provided by your Instructor
on disposal of chemicals for each laboratory
procedure.
● Different liquid wastes should NOT be mixed (ask the
Instructor)
● Fill waste container to just below neck of the bottle
(no higher)
● Dispose of all chemicals in properly labeled
containers as instructed by the Instructor.
27. REMINDER
Please complete the quiz for
Module 2 before continuing.
