Laboratory Flashcards
Laboratory safety
Your actions in the lab affect yourself, your colleagues, your organization
Everyone in the workplace is legally responsible for workplace safety
To work safely you must:
Know about the __hazards__ at work
Know how to ___protect__ yourself
Get training
Hazard control
Methods for minimizing workplace hazards:
Engineering controls – change work environment
Eg. fume hood
Administrative controls
Eg. Creation of protocols to minimize worker exposure
Procedural controls – modify worker behaviour
Eg. Substitute less hazardous material if feasible
PPE
Sections of the safety data sheets
Chemical Product and Company Information
Composition / Information on Ingredients
Hazards Identification
First Aid Measures
Fire Fighting Measures
Accidental Release Measures
Handling and Storage
Exposure Controls/Personal Protection
Physical and Chemical Properties
Stability and Reactivity
Toxicological Information
Ecological Information
Disposal Considerations
Transport Information
Regulatory Information
Other Information
Workplace label is and contains
A workplace label is required when a hazardous product is transferred or poured into another container
It is not required if the product is used immediately
A workplace label contains the following information:
Product name (matching the SDS product name)
Safe handling precautions
A reference to SDS
Standard operating procedure (SOP)
The purpose of establishing and using standard operating procedures is to provide clear quality work instructions
SOPs describe materials and methods but also provide details about the appropriate precautions
Writing an SOP forces a person to think through a procedure step by step and to standardize the materials and methods
An SOP usually contains
Instructions for procedure
Personal protection equipment required
Materials or equipment required
Sample or material limitations
Material disposal instructions
The instructions and procedures described by a SOP should
Be clear and simple to follow
Be accurate and concise to execute
Follow closely the sequence of actual operating activities
Be written with the intended audience in mind
SOP problems to avoide
SOP says what to do, but not how to do it
Procedure was written by someone who does not have experience doing the work
SOP has too much or too little detail
Procedure is not written in the order in which the tasks are actually preformed
The SOP is not updated
Employees cannot find the right SOP or use an older version
SOPs can be written for
Operating instruments, apparatus, and other equipment
Preparation of chemicals/reagents
Inventory procedure for stock
Disposal of hazardous materiels, including sharps, chemicals, and biological materials
Receiving and registration of specimens
Archiving and dealing with complaints
Measuring concentration
The concentration of solute in a solvent can be expressed as a percent
A common veterinary example is 0.9% saline
0.9% w/v – percentage is based on weight of solute per volume of solvent
Concentration can be expressed as weight per volume
Example – Normal blood glucose is 60 to 90 mg/dL
Concentration can be measured using molarity
A one molar concentration contains one mole of the solute in 1 L of solvent
Mole = 6.02 x 1023 molecules of that compound
1 mole is the mass in grams equal to the molecular weight
Molecular weight is calculated by adding the atomic weights of the atoms in the molecule
Molarity = # moles of solute/ one litre solution
Example – Blood glucose level 3.2 to 4.4 mmol/L is considered average in cats
