{"id":14257,"date":"2017-04-26T09:47:26","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T13:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/?page_id=14257"},"modified":"2025-03-28T10:30:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T14:30:38","slug":"safe-work-practices","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/chemical\/safe-work-practices\/","title":{"rendered":"Safe Work Practices"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>Working in a laboratory environment requires a strong commitment to safety, as handling chemicals, equipment, and experiments presents unique risks. This section will outline essential safety protocols and best practices to help you work confidently and securely.\u00a0 \u00a0By following these guidelines, you can minimize hazards, protect yourself and others, and maintain a safe and productive lab environment.\u00a0 If you have any questions regarding any of the items presented below please reach out to your\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/lsc-toolkit\/lab-resources\/research-safety-departmental-safety-advisors-dsa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">EHS DSA<\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Read and become familiar with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/research\/ethics-compliance\/safety\/laboratory-safety\/chemical-hygiene-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chemical Hygiene Plan<\/a> and any Standard Operating Procedures developed specifically for the laboratory prior to working in the laboratory.<\/li>\n<li>Become familiar with the location and use of emergency equipment and facilities, such as:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ol style=\"margin-left: 50px;\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/residential-safety-home\/residential-safety-programs-services\/industrial-hygiene\/safety-shower-and-eyewash-toolkit\/weekly-flush-steps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">eyewash and safety showers<\/a>,<\/li>\n<li>fire extinguishers,<\/li>\n<li>fire blankets, if applicable;<\/li>\n<li>fire alarm pull stations,<\/li>\n<li>emergency exits, and<\/li>\n<li>chemical spill equipment<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li>Never eat, drink, smoke, chew gum, apply cosmetics or manipulate contact lenses in the laboratory.<\/li>\n<li>Never leave exposed sharps, micropipettes, or broken glass on the bench or in washing facilities.<\/li>\n<li>Keep chemical containers closed unless actively in use.<\/li>\n<li>Clearly label all containers of any substance. The label must include, at a minimum, the complete chemical name of the substance.\u00a0If possible, it should also include the concentration and any hazards of the substance.<\/li>\n<li>Remove Personal Protective Equipment (gloves, lab coats, aprons, protective foot and headgear) before leaving the laboratory.<\/li>\n<li>Discard, decontaminate, clean or sanitize personal protective equipment on a regular basis.<\/li>\n<li>Always wash hands after removing gloves before leaving the laboratory.<\/li>\n<li>Store flammables properly when not in use,\u00a0e.g., Do not store solvent bottles on bench tops, flammables in corrosive cabinet, corrosives in flammables cabinet<\/li>\n<li>Chemical containers must be properly labeled and meet globally harmonized system (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/files\/2010\/05\/Global-Harmonization-Handout.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">GHS<\/a>) requirements<\/li>\n<li>Chemical spill kit <span>should be placed in a conspicuous place and labeled<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/chemical\/safe-handling-and-storage-of-chemicals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Store combustibles<\/a> appropriately, e.g., do not accumulate combustible materials such as empty boxes in lab area<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/chemical\/safe-handling-and-storage-of-chemicals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Store and segregate Chemicals properly<\/a>, e.g., seal containers tightly, do not stack containers, store heavy items on lower shelves, segregate non-compatible chemicals stored together<\/li>\n<li>Setup Satellite accumulation area properly and in proper location, e.g., do not\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/2024\/04\/12\/important-notice-regarding-satellite-accumulation-areas-saa\/\" title=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/2024\/04\/12\/important-notice-regarding-satellite-accumulation-areas-saa\/\" data-outlook-id=\"b0a23663-d2b7-4066-8556-7d41068465e6\">set up in fume hood<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Do not store chemicals in fume hoods overnight. For specific circumstances, e.g., connections to instrumentation, reach out to your DSA.<\/li>\n<li>Perform and log <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/residential-safety-home\/residential-safety-programs-services\/industrial-hygiene\/safety-shower-and-eyewash-toolkit\/weekly-flush-steps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Eyewash weekly test<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Store and label <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/laboratory-safety-home\/laboratory-safety-programs-services\/chemical\/gas-cylinder-safety-guidance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gas cylinders properly<\/a>,\u00a0e.g., secure cylinders, position straps\/chains\u00a0properly, do not store more than one spare cylinder stored for each connected cylinder, spare cylinders should be stored with protective cap.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your fire extinguisher monthly inspection is up to date.\u00a0 If not please contact your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cpo\/who-we-are\/operations-services\/custodial-operations\/area-managers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">area manager<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><span>Storage must be kept at least 18 inches below the ceiling or the spray pattern issued from the sprinklers will be blocked by the storage, thus keeping water from reaching the fire.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Working in a laboratory environment requires a strong commitment to safety, as handling chemicals, equipment, and experiments presents unique risks. This section will outline essential safety protocols and best practices to help you work confidently and securely.\u00a0 \u00a0By following these guidelines, you can minimize hazards, protect yourself and others, and maintain a safe and productive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11959,"featured_media":0,"parent":185,"menu_order":6,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14257"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11959"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14257"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19779,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14257\/revisions\/19779"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/ehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}