Lab Safety for the UndergraduatesJoseph M. Crockett, Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA

Who are we?

BC is a small (~1550 students) liberal arts college located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia about 2 hours from Washington, Richmond, or Roanoke.

The Chemistry department in 1990 had two faculty. Next year we will have 5 tenured Chemists and 1 full-time, nontenured for Geology.

I am responsible for Laboratory chemical safety for the campus at the request of our president. I have no formal training in EHS. This is normal at small colleges like ours.

Who are our students?This past year we have had

General Chemistry – Biology, Physics, and Chemistry – 170Non-major chemistry – 90Organic Chemistry – Biology and Chemistry – 36 Non-major organic Chemistry – Biology, Nutrition, Athletic training - 43Senior level courses – 10

Of these ~350 students, they represent nearly every academic discipline on our campus (17 departments). Our primary responsibility is not to our Chemistry majors.

It is important that we get all of these varied students to see the importance of lab safety. To over come the “Why should I learn care about this, I am a business major?”

I have tried several different methods of presenting safety.

1. A brief (?) outline from the professor to the lab

2. Having the first page of our lab manual as the safety rules for the specific lab. We would then go over these points during a first lab.

3. A brief film with a sheet of questions that are taken during the film (done at another school)

4. A separate course on lab safety was developed (but not implemented). I’ve seen these at other schools, but only for Chemistry majors.

In 2004-5, I was on a sabbatical to develop a course on Lab safety specifically for our needs. This course was not passed to become a catalog course. In hindsight, this has worked to our advantage.

In that spring, we had an serious injury to a senior major who was preparing a dilute sulfuric acid solution. We realized the need for more detail in our safety education. We implemented a one-time course required for all students in all of our courses. The course had zero credit and was a department requirement.

Our course involves Personal and group lab safetyGovernment Regulations Safety TerminologyPersonal protective equipment – Laboratory dress code signed by

all studentsPersonal hygieneHandling chemicals, glassware, and used chemicalsBasic first aidMSDS’s – information and locations, what they containChemical labeling Fire safety and emergency exitsAccidentsHousekeepingChemical Hygiene Plan

Laboratory Dress Code Sign-off Sheet   Laboratory safety is of paramount importance. You will follow

the rules listed below for appropriate dress in the laboratory.   Lab Dress Code:   Shoes, not sandals or open shoes, are required in the lab at

all times. Due to the probable spillage of water and the floor becoming

slippery, rubber soled shoes, such as tennis shoes, are best.   Shorts or skirts will not be worn. They will not keep solutions

from splattering on your legs. Blue jeans may the best type of lab wear.

  Belly-button policy: shirts that expose your midriff are not

permitted in lab. The bench top is near your waist level, so spills there will be common. A buttoned lab coat covering the midriff is acceptable.

  Goggles are required at all times in the lab. Contact lenses should not be worn in the lab since vapors can

be trapped between the lens and the eye. Prescription glasses are acceptable with safety goggles.   Penalties:   First violation - you will be sent back to your dormitory or house

to make the necessary changes to come under compliance.   Second violation - you will receive a zero for that lab.     I, ________________________________ (print) have read the

laboratory dress code of the Bridgewater College Chemistry department. I agree to abide by rules of the Lab Dress Code. In the event that I come to lab improperly dressed, I understand the penalties as spelled above.

Chemical First Aid:   Get Medical Aid Immediately   General guidelines. See First Aid Notes for other specific

guidelines. Eyes: Immediately flush eyes with plenty of water for at least 15

minutes, occasionally lifting the upper and lower lids. Get medical aid immediately. Do NOT allow victim to rub or keep eyes closed. For some compounds, speed of medical response is critical.

  Skin Get medical aid immediately. Flush skin with plenty of soap

and water for at least 15 minutes while removing contaminated clothing and shoes.

  Ingestion See First Aid Notes as to whether to induce vomiting or not.   If victim is conscious and alert, give 2-4 cupfuls of milk or water

to dilute the substance. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. Get medical aid immediately.

  Inhalation. Get medical aid immediately. Remove from exposure to fresh

air - immediately. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen.

  Notes to physician: Treat symptomatically and supportively. Antidote: See First Aid Notes as to whether an antidote is available.   Cyanosis Absorption of certain marked products can cause cyanosis from

methemoglobinemia. The process is reversible on termination of exposure. Some cases can be treated with bed rest and oxygen. Thorough cleansing of the contaminated area is critical. In severe cases, an IV of methylene blue (1 mg / kg body weight) may be of value.

Chemical Labeling:

The labeling of chemicals is done in accordance with standard practices combining the NFPA, GHS, and IARC information. The primary colors used are those associated with the NFPA diamond. We do not attempt to differentiate between the various levels for blue and yellow labels, but we do so for flammable compounds for storage purposes only. ¾-inch dots are attached to the bottles to show the various hazards. Different shades of red are used to distinguish flammability. Labeling of bottles also includes information about shelving and the MSDS.

 Blue Toxic NFPA blue 2 or greater,

GHS class 6,oral LD50 < 1 g/kg

Red Flammable NFPA red 2, GHS 3 or 4  fp between 100-40oC  Red(3) Flammable NFPA red 3, GHS 3 or 4  fp between 40-10oC,  Red(4) Flammable NFPA red 4, GHS 3 or 4

fp below 10oC,

Yellow Corrosive NFPA yellow 2 or greater   Oxidizer

GHS 5 or 8

Green Carcinogenic IARC 2 or greater or listed on MSDS Teratogenic Mutagenic Dark Explosive Listed on MSDSGreen peroxide former

White Does not fit any of the above categories

Two years after starting our program we realized that we were still not getting through to all of the students. We thus implemented repetitive testing of all students.

Each student is required to take the safety course at their first course or if they repeat a course.

Each returning student is required to take a test covering the safety material. If they do not pass, they must retake the course.

If a student fails to complete this requirement they will receive a zero for a first lab grade or will be dismissed from the class. During the fall term the class is given three times and twice in the spring term.

Program changes - 2007

Our initial course involved a two-part three hour presentation that was given on one night.

We have revised the course to two sessions, each given on a different night. The initial instinct is that the students were more receptive. This change came from student feedback about the class.

Changes - 2010

Where are we going?

We are working with other departments to implement a third factor in the program involving biological and animal hazards. This would be required for other departments such as Biology, Psychology, Exercise Science, and Nutrition.

Questions about our program or comments:jcrocket@bridgewater.edu

MSDS short view