Safety is of paramount
importance in this (and any) laboratory. The laboratory safety rules listed at
the front of the laboratory notebook should be considered as a starting point
for safe laboratory practice at the Florida State University. A safety quiz consisting
of writing those safety rules from memory will be required of all students
prior to working in the laboratory. Additional Safety Notes are included in
each of the experiments in this manual. Also, laboratory Teaching Assistants
(TAs) will give specific guidelines on the safe conduct of each experiment at
the beginning of the laboratory period. Non-attendance during this safety
briefing can result in being barred from participation in the laboratory
experiment.
The following comments on the
general rules as listed may help to clarify any questions that arise. Please
inquire of your TA or the stockroom personnel if there are further questions.
1. Working
without supervision is forbidden.
A student
should never stay in the laboratory alone or work without a TA present.
2. Performing
unauthorized experiments or any experiment at unauthorized times is forbidden.
Unanticipated
results to an unauthorized or altered experiment can be quite hazardous.
Materials should never be taken from the laboratory. Horseplay and pranks are
never acceptable in the laboratory.
3. Approved
safety eyewear must be worn at all times. Consult your instructor about the
policy for wearing contact lenses in your laboratory.
The eyeware
required at FSU is a pair of indirectly vented safety goggles (no safety
glasses). Students may wear contact lenses, but should inform the TA, so that
should an accident occur, the TA is aware that the lenses are in your eyes.
Certain solvents in use during some experiments can have adverse effects on
soft contacts and students should take appropriate precautions following those
labs.
4. Loose hair
and clothing must be restrained.
Hair or
clothing that can get caught or otherwise be a hazard in lab should be pulled
back.
5. Appropriate
attire must be worn in lab, including shoes which cover the entire foot and
clothing which covers the legs and torso.
The
department does not require the purchase and use of lab coats. However,
clothing items such as halter and midriff tops, as well as shorts and skirts,
are inappropriate for laboratory, as are sandals and flip-flops. Students may
bring a pair of sweats to keep in a common lab locker if they wish.
6. Eating,
drinking, smoking, chewing tobacco and applying cosmetics are forbidden in the laboratory.
These
activities should take place only outside the laboratory doors.
7. All
accidents and breakage must be reported to an instructor.
Any accident
requires attention to clean up. Alert your neighbors immediately if there is a
spill as to its nature and extent before you leave the area.
8. Pipetting
by mouth suction is forbidden.
Pipet bulbs
and/or dial-up pipetters will be provided when necessary.
9. When
needed, gloves must be worn. Gloves should be of a material and thickness
appropriate for the reagents being used. However, gloves provide only a
temporary layer of protection against chemicals on your skin and may be
permeable to some chemical reagents, without visible deterioration. If your
gloves come in contact with a chemical reagent, remove them, wash your hands,
and get a new pair immediately. Hands must be washed just before leaving the
laboratory.
Gloves are
not provided in this laboratory. Hands should always be thoroughly washed with
soap and water before leaving laboratory. Soap is provided at every sink.
10. All
laboratory workers must know the location and proper use of all laboratory
safety equipment, including eyewash, safety shower, fire extinguishers, and
telephone.
Eyewash and
safety shower are found at the entrance to the balance room, opposite the
stockroom door. Fire extinguishers are located either at the exterior door to
the laboratory or adjacent to the entrance to the balance room. The emergency
telephone is located in the stockroom. Campus telephones are equipped with 911
service, or, campus police can be summoned using 4-1234. Sand and sodium
bicarbonate (useful for neutralizing acid or base spills) are also located at
the entrance to the stockroom.
11. All
laboratory workers must know how to evacuate the laboratory via two different
exits in the event of an emergency.
The two exits
to the laboratory are the exterior door and the stockroom. Emergency classroom
evacuation requires that the class reassemble away from the building to call
roll and check for complete evacuation. Check with your TA to confirm where the
class should reassemble.
The following items were not
covered in the general safety rules detailed above, but should be noted in
connection with general chemistry laboratories at FSU.
1. Items such as
book bags, backpacks, purses and coats should be put out of way off the floor
and lab bench on one of the hooks provided.
2. Cell phones
should be turned off before entering the laboratory.
3. Read labels
and dispose of any waste in an appropriate waste container. Ask questions if
you are not sure what to do.
4. All materials
used in the laboratory have a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) on file. If you
wish to see one at any time, inquire at the stockroom.
5. Clean up in
the laboratory is essential. Make sure you wash and put away all equipment
before you leave the laboratory.
6. Inform your TA
at the beginning of the term if you have any special medical conditions that
may need attention during the laboratory, such as known allergies, seizures, or
other special needs.
Students are to inventory the
locker within the first ten minutes of each laboratory session. If an item is
missing or broken, check the lost and found box at the front of the lab first.
If necessary, go to the stockroom for a replacement. Students will not be
charged for an item if it is requested within the first ten minutes.
Students will be charged for
breakage or loss of laboratory glassware and equipment assigned to them. If
equipment is lost or broken, go to the stockroom and check out a replacement.
The student will be asked to sign a debit slip.
A charge for the cost of the
replacement item will be turned in to the university cashier’s office sometime after
the semester has ended. It will be the student’s responsibility to pay the
charge during the following semester. These charges do result in a freeze on
registration during subsequent semesters if not paid.
If you drop this lab course,
notify your TA and the stockroom personnel immediately, so that your lab locker
can be checked out.
At the beginning of each lab
period, students should verify that all equipment is present in the locker and
that nothing is chipped, cracked, or broken. If there is a problem, it should
be reported to the stockroom immediately.
Your signature indicates that
all of the above items are present in your locker and in good working order:
T.A.’s Signature: _________________________________ Today’s Date:
____________________________________