Team:NEFU China/Safety
General Lab Rules and Guidelines
All team members must receive extensive training including the operation of laboratory equipment and the use of chemicals, especially toxic reagents before starting the project. Additionally, we carefully evaluated and managed any potential risk to ourselves, our colleagues, the community and the environment.
About the Instruments
1. Always close and latch completely the freezer doors (both -80℃ and -20℃) when they are not in use, and make sure all fridges are tightly closed as well.
2. Each equipment should be designated a team member to be in charge of it and the person should check the equipment regularly as follows:
(1) Carefully follow the operating rules and fill in use records.
(2) Train any new user carefully and use equipment in strict accordance with the operating rules.
(3) Be responsible for the opening and sharing of any large precision equipment.
(4) Be responsible for the daily cleaning and periodical maintenance of large precision equipment.
(5) Be responsible for the safety of the appropriate operation of large precision equipment.
(6) Keep the manual for the use of large equipment.
About Ourselves
1. If you notice that a general lab supply is running low, write the item description and desired quantity along with your name and the date. Do this in sufficient advance to ensure that we can restock our supplies before it is running out.
2. Please notify the lab manager of any problem that you have identified as soon as possible.
3. Never wear gloves outside of the lab. Remove your gloves before entering any computer room or office.
4. Adjust a pipette to its full range after use and return all chemicals to the chemical storage cabinet after use.
5. Make sure all samples are capped tightly and counterbalanced appropriately when being centrifuged. Also, be sure to screw the lid properly on microcentrifuge rotor prior the centrifugation.
6. If you borrow anything from another person’s bench, return it immediately after you finish using it.
7. If you break anything accidently, report it to the person who is on duty on that day.
8. Do not eat, drink or run in the lab.
9. If injured, use medical first aid kit in time. In any serious condition, seek medical advice with others and call an ambulance.
About the Hazardous Chemical Accidents
1. After any accident involved in hazardous chemicals, the personnel on the spot should first carry out personal protection, and then take the corresponding on-site disposal measures according to the types of accidents, and then make corresponding internal and external contact after judging the grade and trend of the accident.
2. Fire disposal procedures for laboratory chemicals: If there is a fire, we must not be panic and should keep calm. First of all, all indoor natural gas and power should be cut off immediately. Then, based on the specific situation, the rescue and fire extinguisher should be carried out correctly. The common methods are as follows:
(1) Flammable liquid fire: immediately remove the cut combustible materials in the ignition area, shut down the ventilation facilities, and prevent the expansion of combustion. If the fire area is small, you can cover it with rags, wet cloth, iron sheets or sand to isolate the air and extinguish the fire. When covering, the action should be light, avoid smashing or knocking over the glass utensils filled with flammable liquid, resulting in increasing liquid outflow and expanding the fire area.
(2) Fire of alcohol and its soluble liquid in water: water must not be used to extinguish fires.
(3) Organic solvents ignition: use cotton cloth or sand to extinguish it. Water must not be used; otherwise it will expand the combustion area.
(4) When clothes catch fire, do not run around with clothes, coats, etc., or lie on the ground rolling to put out the fire.
The Rules for Using of DNT
For the purpose of landmine detection, we used 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) as the experimental material. But powdered DNT is flammable, explosive and toxic so that we store and use it very carefully.
1. At the time of purchase, we have already made a record of use at the local police department.
2. After getting the powdered DNT, we dissolved part of it in 80% hexanenitrile solution and stored it in an airtight container at -4°C with hazardous labeling.
3. Surplus DNT powder is kept in special containers that are sealed and locked with hazardous labeling and cannot be opened by anyone but special personnel.
4. We wear thick gloves, lab coats, goggles, masks and are careful to keep them away from flame and high-temperature objects when using DNT.
5. After use, we place the residue in a recycling bottle for total disposal at the end.
About the Environment
1. We used Escherichia coli as a chassis organism with no harm to human body or environment.
2. No viruses will be used.
3. Our strains involved in this experiment do not produce any toxic substances.
4. Waste bacterial solution and culture medium will be sterilized before being discarded.
