Standard Operating Procedures

The College has developed generic standard operating procedures (SOP's) relevant to safety and healf consideration when laboratroy work involves the use of hazardous chemicals. Where the scope of hazards are not adequately addressed by this general document, the Instructors of Record must develop written standard operating procedures for work area specific substances. SOP's must be provided to all affected laboratory employees.

General Safety Principles
Health and Hygiene
Food and Drink in Laboratory
Housekeeping Practices
Chemical Handling and Storage
Transportation of Chemicals
Unattended Operations
Working Alone
Prior Approval
Standard Repair/Transfer/Close-Out/Transportation Procedures

1. General Safety Principles

The following guidelines have been established to minimize hazards and to maintain basic safety in the laboratory.

For each chemical, substance, or material, and for all equipment, identify whether it is subject to regulatory control.
Examine the hazards associated with the materials being used by carefully reading the label and reviewing the Material Safety Data Sheet.
Know the location and proper use of emergency equipment (fire alarms, fire extinguishers, emergency eyewash, and shower stations) and kno wthe appropriate emergency response procedures.
Use appropriate safeguards for each chemical in use, including personal protective equipment.
Know and use the proper storage for chemicals when not in use.
Use proper methods of transporitng chemicals within the facility.
Always be alert to unsafe conditions and actions and call attention to them so that corrective action can be taken.
Avoid distracting or startling other workers when they are handling hazardous chemicals.
Always inspect equipment for leaks, tears, and other damage before handling a hazardous chemical.
The includes fume hoods, gloves, goggles, etc.
Use proper personal hygiene practices.

2. Health and Hygiene

The following practices have been established to protect laboratory employees form health risks associated with inhalation, ingestion, injection, or absorption of hazardous chemicals.

Avoid direct contact with any hazardous chemical. Know the types of protective equipment available and use the proper type for each job.
Do not eat, drink, smoke, chew gum, or apply cosmetics in the laboratory.
Wear lether gloves when inseting glass tubing into cork or rubber stoppers.
Pick up broken glass using tongs.
Wear eye protection when deemed necessary by the Instructor of Record.
Confine long hair and loose clothing and always wear footwear that fully covers the feet.
Wash throughly with soap and water after handling chemicals, before leaving the laboratory, and before eating or drinking.
Wash immediately if skin or eye contact is made with any chemical, regardless of corrosivity.
Do not sit on lab benches.
Remove all personal protective equipment, including gloves and goggles, before leaving the laboratory.

3. Food and Drink in the Laboratory

There shall be no food, drink, smoking, or applying cosmetics in laboratories which have radioactive, biological, or chemical hazards present. There shall be no storage, use, or or disposal of these "consumable" items in laboratories (including refrigerators within laboratories). Rooms that are adjacent, but separated by floor to ceilng walls, and do not have any radioactive, biological, or chemical hazards present, may be used for food consumption, preparation, or applying cosmetics at the discretion of the Laboratory Supervisor responsible for the areas.

4. Housekeeping Practices

Sensible housekeeping practices contribute greatly towards chemcial hygiene and safety. Use the following guidelines to maintain an orderly laboratory.

Keep work areas clean and uncluttered with chemicals and equipment.
Clean up work areas upon completion of an operation or at the end of each workday, including floors.
Do not block exits or access to emergency equipment including safety showers, eyewashes, and fire extinguishers.
Do not block hallways or stairs.
Clean spills immediately nad thoroughly, as per the guidelines established. Ensure a chemical spill kit is available and that employees know how to use it.
Keep wastes in their proper containes and label them appropriately.
Ensure hazardous chemicals are properly segregated into compatible categories and placed in an appropriate storage area.
Ensure all chemcial containers are labeled with both the name of the chemical(s) and the hazards they present.
Treat any unlabeled containers at the end of the day as waste.

5. Chemical Handling and Storage

The decision to use a hazardous chemical shall be a committment to handle and use the chemical properly from initial receipt to disposal.

Information on proper handling, storage and disposal of hazardous chemicals and access to related Material Safety Data Sheets will be made available to all laboratory employees prior to the use of the chemical.
Alwasy purchase the minimum amount necessary to maintain operations.
Conduct periodic inventories and discard unneeded itmes or return them to the stockroom.
Chemical containers with missing or defaced labels or that violate appropriate packaging regulations should not be accepted.
Chemicals utilized in the laboratory must be appropriate for the laboratory's ventilation systeem and are compatible with other existing engineering controls.
Chemicals will not be stored on high shelves and large containers containing two or more liters of liquid shall be stored no more than two feet from floor level.
Chemicals shall be segregated by compatibility.
Chemical storage areas must be labeled as to their contents.
Storage of chemicals at the lab bench or other work areas shall be kept to a minimum.
Avoid exposureof chemcials to heat or direct sunlight.
Any chemical mixture shall be assumed to be as toxic as its most toxic component.
Substances of unknown toxicity shall be assumed to be toxic.

6. Transportation of Chemicals

When transporting chemicals, precautions shall be taken to avoid dripping or spilling chemicals.

When transporting chemicals on a cart, use a cart that is suitable for the load and one that has high edges to contain leaks or spills.
When possible, transport chemicals in elevators without other passengers.

7. Unattended Operations

At times, it may be necessary to leave a laboratory operation unattended. Follow these basic guidelines in the design of an experiment to left unattended:
Develop a protocol for potential interruptions in electric, water, inert gas, and other services and provide containment for toxic substances as part of the protocol.
A warning notice must be posted in the vicinity of the experiment if hazardous conditions are present (e.g., on the laboratory door or fume hood sash).
Leave lights on in the laboratory.
Never leave an operation unattended if it involves the use of particularly hazardous substances.

8. Working Alone

Avoid working alone whenever possible.
If you must work alone outside of normal working hours, the Instructor of Record must be notified and the Department of Public Safety must be notified prior to commencing work, at regular intervals during work, and when completed with work.
Never work alone with particularly hazardous substances or substances of unknown toxicity.

9. Prior Approval

Any new procedure shall be reviewed by the Instructor of Record to ensure that all safety considerations are in place prior to implementation. Approval from the Instructor of Record to proceed must be obtained if any of the following criteria are met:

The procedure or task is a new one.
There is a change, substitution, or deletion in the procedure or task.
There is substantial change in the amount of chemicals used.
There is a failure of any of the equipment used in the process or task (e.g., fume hoods).
There are unexpected test results, in which case a review of how the new result impacts safety practices must be made.
Laboratory staff suspects exposure, detect a chemcial's odor, or otherwise suspect a failure of any safeguards.
Members of the laboratory staff will be working alone or a procedure or task will be unattended.
A particularly hazardous substance is used.

10. Standard Repair/Transfer/Close-Out/Transportation Procedures

Repair and Transfer Procedures
Before a request for equipment repair or transfer to another location is initiated, remove chemical contaminents with an appropriate solvent or cleaning solution to ensure the safety of the employees responisible for repair or transport.
Close-Out Procedures
Whenever a laboratory worker engaged in scientific investigation leave the College or is transferred to a different location, proper disposition of all hazardous materials not identified and accepted for retention by another College laboratory worker is required. This includes faculty, staff, and students.

The following procedures shoudl be completed before the responsible individual leaves the College or transfers to a different location on campus.

Assure that all containers of chemicals are labeled with the name of the chemical and all known hazards. All containers must be securely closed; beakers, flasks, evaporating dishes, etc. not intended for continued use by another accepting such responsibility must be emptied.
Remove chemicals from glassware and clean, assuring proper waste disposal guidelines are followed.
Remove regulators from gas cylinders, replace cap, and return cylinders to the supplier. If cylinders are non-returnable, follow disposal procedures.
Check refridgerators, freezers, cold rooms, fume hoods, glove boxes, storage cabinets, and bench tops for chemical containers and dispose of items used by the departing researcher. This includes facilities that are shared with other researchers.
If chemicals are still usable, transfer the responsibilty of the chemical to another laboratory worker who affirmatively takes charge of the chemical.
Remove chemical contaminents from equipment and bench tops with an appropriate solvent or cleaning solution. Properly dispose of the clenaing solution and other cleaning materials.
Label all waste and notify the Chemical Hygiene Officer for pick up at least one week prior to vacating the lab.
Notify the department when the laboratory or contaminents area/rooms have been cleared.

Transporation Procedures
A licensed transporter shall be contacted to package and deliver research materials to a new location on campus. Persons intended to transport chemicals on-campus themselves must contact the Chemical Hygiene Officer prior to any transport.

Transportation of chemicals off campus is regulated by federal, state, and local laws. Contact the Chemical Hygiene Officer as soon as you become aware that any chemical must be transported off campus.

Chemicals shipped off-site must be accompanied with a Material Safety Data Sheet or the pre-manufacturing notification (PNM) form. The required prior contact of the Chemical Hygiene Officer will allow for assistance in preparing shipments and PMN forms.

Contact the radiation safety officer for guidelines on repair/transport/close-out involving radioactive materials,