Home > General Safety Guidelines

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):

• Use appropriate personal protective equipment during all times in the Laboratory
• All individuals working in the chemical laboratory must wear aprons and shoes all the time
• Use safety goggles while handling any chemicals in the laboratory
• Use nitrile gloves and mask while handling solvents and solid chemicals
• Use acid/alkali gloves while handling acid and alkali
• Use heat resistant gloves while heating/boiling or handling hot glassware

General Laboratory Operations:

• No equipment should be kept next to the door as this prevents complete opening of the door.
• All unwanted chemicals and glassware should be removed from work table immediately
• Work table and floor should be cleaned after each stage of an experiment and after spillage.
• Broken glass pieces should be removed and swept up immediately
• All the reagents (acid, solvent etc.) should be labelled and kept properly at their place.
• Avoid naked wires running across the laboratory floor.
• Each equipment should be placed at its specified place
• The first aid box should be placed at designated place at easy access.
• The samples for analysis should be kept in their designated places.

Handling of Chemicals and Solvents:

• All chemicals should be handled with care.
• Spills on hand or other parts of body, should be immediately cleaned/washed thoroughly.
• The acid spill should be continuously washed with cold running water at least till the burning sensation ceases. Immediately consult a physician.
• Transferring or weighing of chemicals should be done with a spatula.
• Do not breath chemical vapours or gases.
• Do not attempt to smell during the course of reaction.
• Do not pipette by mouth, instead use appropriate rubber bulbs.
• Do not store dangerous chemicals on high shelves.
• Handle organic solvents away from the open flames, if any.
• Heating of acid should be carried out in the fume hood/cabinet only.
• Dilution of acid should be done by carefully pouring acid in water and not vice-versa.
• All solvents should be regarded as flammable.
• Turn off all naked flames while using solvents.
• Used solvents should be disposed carefully.

Handling glassware and apparatus:

• Examine all glassware for defects before any experiment; do not use cracked or badly chipped glassware.
• The damaged glassware should be carefully discarded and replaced appropriately.
• Always remove chemicals from glassware before washing.
• Handle the reagent bottles carefully; use appropriate trays to carry from one place to another.
• Never leaves any reagent bottles, measuring cylinders etc. standing on the edge of the work table where it can easily be knocked over.
• Do not setup apparatus near the edge of the work table.

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