Freshman Biotechnology Shop

Common Laboratory Accidents

• Nature/Causes:• Small cuts caused by ____________(e.g. test tubes, or

glass tubing), tools (e.g. dissecting instruments, cork borer or cutter) or sharp edges.

1. Cuts

Notify the instructor of any cuts and know the location of the __________and __________!!

• Safety Precautions:• Be sure to handle sharp instruments (e.g. razor blades, scalpels)

with care and ____________________. • Unwanted razor blades and mounting needles should be

_______________before disposal.• Glassware showing signs of __________or those with broken

edges should _______________for experiments. • Broken pieces of glass should be

______________________________assigned for such purpose (referred to as _______________) and never into a general trash container.

Avoiding Cuts

• Nature/Causes:• Carelessness in handling _______________(e.g. tripods,

glassware, metal rods/plates, crucibles or combustion spoons), __________, __________or __________.

2. Heat burns/scalds

Notify the instructor of any burns/scalds and know the location of the _______________!!

• Safety Precautions:• Do not touch or hold hot objects with __________. • Crucible tongs or _______________should be used when picking up

__________. Place them on a heat-resistant mat, not directly on the bench, for cooling.

• Heat-resistant gloves should be worn when operating the __________.

• Burners, wire gauzes and tripods remain hot for some time after use. They should also be _______________.

• Turn off _______________that will not be used for some time. • Arms or any parts of the body should not be ___________________. • Long hair should be __________and loose-fit clothing avoided.• Do not apply ointments or any other chemicals to the injured area of

heat burn. Use the _______________.

Avoiding burns/scalds

• Nature/Causes:• Spillage of __________ during transfer or heating of chemical

liquids, washing up of apparatus containing _______________, opening the container of chemical or breakage of glass containers.

• Mischievous behavior or ___________ to others.• Incorrect techniques utilized.

3. Chemical on skin

Notify the instructor of any chemical spills and know the location of the _______________!!

• Safety Precautions:• ___________ should always be handled with great care. • Avoid direct skin contact when transferring chemicals. • _______________ should be worn when chemicals are handled. • Proper laboratory __________ should be used for handling chemical

solids. • All chemicals should __________________. • Wash hands after handling chemicals and ___________________ .• Do not fill substance to be heated in glassware as it can boil over.

Always keep mouth of glassware __________________ and skin.

Avoiding chemical on skin

• Causes/Nature: • Chemical liquids or solids which splashed onto the eyes, giving rise to

__________________ . • Unintentionally _______________ with hands contaminated with

chemicals. • Looking at bright light through a magnifying glass or

_________________.

4. Eye accidents

Notify the instructor of any eye injuries and know the location of the __________________!!

• Safety Precautions:• Eye injuries can be very damaging and hence for accidents

involving the eyes, __________ should be sought immediately and the cases reported to the nurse as soon as possible.

• Always wear _______________ during experiments.• Wear safety glasses even when observing science

experiments demonstrated by the teacher and when ____________________ or instrumentation.

Avoiding eye accidents

• Nature/Causes:• Accidental ignition of _______________ (e.g. ethanol or

ethyl ethanoate). • Ignition of gas coming out from _______________ .

5. Fire

Notify the instructor of any fires and know the location of the _______________ and _______________!! Also, know the fire

drill procedure!!!

• Safety Precautions:• For flammable chemicals, heating should always be done

using a _______________ with no open flame nearby. • The quantity of _______________ used during

experiments should be kept to a minimum. • Care should be taken when handling any flammable

chemicals or ______________ .

Avoiding Fires

How to Use the Fire Extinguishers

1. Exit in a __________ and __________ manner.2. Stay together as a class.3. Proceed to _______________ between our building and

main building.4. Line up _________________ .5. Instructor will take attendance.6. Instructor will hold up __________ if all students are

present and __________ if not.7. Remain in designated area until notified otherwise.

Fire Drill Procedure

• Nature/Causes:• Discomfort after inhaling a small amount of gas/vapour

(e.g. sulphur dioxide, bromine or ammonia) from _______________.

6. Inhalation of gases

Notify the instructor if any gases have been inhaled and know the location of the _____________________!!

• Safety Precautions:• Experiments involving harmful gases/vapor should be done on

a small scale and inside a _______________. • Good ventilation of the laboratory should always be

maintained by _______________, switching on the exhaust fans as appropriate. It is helpful to leave the fan of the fume hood operating during the whole practical lesson when these experiments are being done.

• When testing for the odor of a gas, fan the gas gently to the nose but not smell it __________________ .

• __________ should not smell harmful or irritating gases/vapor.

Avoiding inhalation of gases

• Nature/Causes:• Exposed or __________ wires.• Liquids near receptacles or _______________ .

7. Electrical shock

Notify the instructor of any electrical shocks and know the _______________ for injuries (will be developed in our

Emergency Plan)!!

• Safety Precautions:• If any wires are frayed or exposed on instrumentation,

notify instructor immediately for ___________________ .• Do not operate electrical instruments __________ .• Be careful of _______________ near receptacles.• Make sure _______________ are dry prior to plugging in.

Avoiding electrical shock

• Nature/Causes:• __________ on the floor.• Objects in __________ .

8. Slips and falls

Notify the instructor of any slips or falls and know the ___________________ in the classroom!!

• Safety Precautions:• Clean up any spills __________ immediately.• Keep all objects off of the floor and any bags in your

_________________ .

Avoiding slips and falls

• Biotechnology is fun but can be dangerous so be sure to

_______________ and __________ !!!

Remember!!!