Team:MADRID UCM HS/Safety
Safety
Be safe, or be nothingSafety first
Our team was really conscious about the special attention that working in a laboratory requires. Therefore, before starting the practical part of our project, we received theoretical training to learn about safety procedures in the lab. As we started, all team members had to follow a number of important safety rules besides the constant supervision of a professional. As the team is formed by high school students, each experiment in the lab was constantly supervised and guided. The safety standards were strictly followed and the material was carefully used in all stages of the process.
General security of a laboratory:
In a laboratory, safety comes first, for this reason, the team was provided with a set of safety rules that were set on the first pages of the laboratory notebook.
It should be noted that the use of gloves, gowns and goggles to work with toxic, flammable or dangerous substances, was compulsory to avoid any type of accident. The use of the extractor hood was also necessary when using volatile compounds. The correct washing of laboratory material was important to avoid contamination of other samples in future experiments.
Project-specific laboratory safety
► Cleanliness: Cleanliness of laboratory materials was crucial to avoid contamination. All containers were first washed with soap and water and finally rinsed with distilled water.
► Extractor hood: The use of the extractor hood was mandatory when working with volatile compounds.
► Use of bacteria: The team worked with non-pathogenic strains of E. coli and yeast. This GMO is a standard laboratory safety strain of Level 1 where standard safety procedures are sufficient. At the end of all experiments, all liquid residues from bacteria were sterilized in an autoclave or treated with detergent (virkon), while solid residues were sterilized in an autoclave. Surfaces were cleaned with water, soap and 70% ethanol.
► Sterility: Working in a laboratory with bacteria requires a sterilized zone. After sterilizing a lab area and washing hands with ethanol, some of the experiments were carried out using a safe gas pump with the supervision of an instructor. All materials used were also sterilized in the autoclave (tips, pipettes, pots, etc.) to avoid contamination. The solid waste was also autoclaved before it was discarded.
