Team:USTC/Safety

Safety

We did experiments in a well-equipped teaching laboratory (Biosafety Level 1). Before we started experiments in the lab, we received some training from Ms. ZhangQian, one of administrators of our school. And we learned how to use the facility in the lab and how to dispose the chemical, biological wastes and other hazardous wastes such as broken glass. Then we wrote a brief protection guide to warning ourselves about the safety when working in the lab.

Personal Protection

1. Lab coats must be worn and fastened until all experiments have been completed and they must be taken off outside the laboratory.

2. Gloves must be worn when doing experiments and they must be removed and properly disposed after experiments. It is strictly prohibited to touch mouse and keyboard of computers, door handle, button in elevator with gloves.

3. When there is a potential risk of splashes or flying particles, goggles must be worn to protect eyes.

4. Suitable shoes and trousers must be worn to protect leg, toes and heels from risky chemical reagents. It is strictly prohibited to wear sandals and shorts when doing experiments containing hazardous chemicals.

5. Tie back long hair when doing experiments.

6. Hands must be washed as soon entering into lab, completing experiments. And everyone must wash hands before leaving lab.

Laboratory Working Area

1. Never eat or drink in working area.

2. Forbid doing other experiments in Specified area. For example, it is strictly prohibited to extract plasmid in the region of running gel.

3. Clean up all spills after work.

4. Be careful when centrifugation: Balance the tubes in the rotor. Do not open the lid while the rotor is moving.

5. Be careful when using autoclave.

6. Be careful when using Bunsen burners. Do not leave Bunsen burners unsupervised and do not use them after hours.

7. When working with UV light during gel extraction, ensure that no skin is exposed to UV.

Waste disposal

1. Dispose Reagent according to the 《Classification of Hazardous Chemical Wastes by USTC (Trial)》

2. Broken glass should be packaged with paper and plastic bags, labelled "BROKEN GLASS" before being discarded in containers marked "BROKEN GLASS”.

3. Disposal of bacterial cultures: Add 1 to 2 milliliters of thimerosal 84 to each test tube or submerge the plates containing bacteria in the water-thimerosal 84 mixture, then pour the liquid down a drain 15 minutes later.