LABORATORY FAMILIARITY & SAFETY

SAFETY COMPONENTS

FIRE EXTINGUISHERS A fire extinguisher, flame extinguisher, or simply an extinguisher, is an active fire protective device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency situations.

EYE WASH STATION Eyewash is a fluid, commonly saline, used in the aid of rinsing of the eye. Eyewash may also describe the apparatus used to physically wash the eyes in the case that they may be contaminated by foreign materials or substances.

FIRST AID KIT A first aid kit is a collection of supplies and equipment for use in giving first aid, and can put together for the purpose or purchased complete.

FUME CUPBOARD A fume hood or fume cupboard is a type of local ventilation device that is designed to limit exposure to hazardous or noxious fumes, vapors or dusts. A fume hood is typically a large piece of equipment enclosing five sides of a work area, the bottom of which is most commonly located at a standing work height.

BIOHAZARD CABINET A Biohazard cabinet — also called biosafety cabinet (BSC), biological safety cabinet or microbiological safety cabinet — is an enclosed, ventilated laboratory workspace for safely working with materials contaminated with (or potentially contaminated with) pathogens requiring a defined biosafety level.

WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITIES Ensuring adequate space for waste disposal facilities and signage is incredibly important both for new lab move-ins and during the ongoing operation of the lab. Ideally, labs will have one or more ‘waste stations’ that include the following: Paper disposal facilities. Separate lab plastic or glass recycling receptacles. Reusable bio-hazardous waste and/or sharps containers (as needed). Electric waste disposable facilities.

DISINFECTING & STERILIZING EQUIPMENTS (a) A variety of chemical antimicrobials exist including (i) Surfactants (ii) Various organic acids and bases (iii) Heavy metals (iv) Halogen-containing compounds (v) Alcohols (vi) Phenol and phenol derivatives (vii) Oxidizing agents (viii) Alkylating agents (ix) Certain dyes (x) Other agents

(b) A variety of physical antimicrobials exist including (i) Heat (the most economical and widely employed antimicrobial) (ii) Ultraviolet radiation (iii) Ionizing radiation (iv) Strong visible light (v) Ultrasonic waves (vi) Filtration (vii) Osmotic pressure

SHORTOFF POINTS FOR SERVICES

CLEANUP EQUIPMENTS FOR SPILLS

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENTS When working in a laboratory we use many equipments for our protection such as gloves, goggles etc.

MSDSs A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) or internationally known as Safety Data Sheet (SDS) (also known as PSDS, Product Safety Data Sheet) is an important component of product stewardship and workplace safety. It is intended to provide workers and emergency personnel with procedures for handling or working with that substance in a safe manner, and includes information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill-handling procedures. MSDS formats can vary from source to source within a country depending on national requirements.