Hazardous materials

Working with hazardous materials

Laboratory cleanliness and housekeeping

All workers should ensure they keep their work area in a condition such that other members of staff and students are not exposed to any risk.

Benches, work surfaces, balances and all equipment should be kept clear of unwanted materials and solutions and cleaned regularly.

Reagent bottles and chemicals should be returned to their appropriate location as soon as they are finished with, according to the chemical segregation system in place. All reagents and solutions must be labelled appropriately (name, substance, current date, disposal date and hazard(s)).

Waste should be disposed of using the appropriate waste stream as detailed in the risk assessment.

Spillages should be cleaned up immediately using the appropriate method detailed in the risk assessment document for the activity taking place.

Safe use of chemicals and reagents

All chemicals have a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), which should be used to assist in the development of a risk assessment for a process and to inform you of the hazards associated with a chemical.

A risk assessment must be in place before any work occurs in order to prevent unnecessary exposures.

Certain materials require special storage to ensure compatibility with other chemicals; ensure they are put in the correct storage group.

Stock materials purchased from manufacturers should be kept in their original packaging. If the material is dispensed into other containers from stock, then the secondary containers must be labelled correctly.

Diluted solutions may not have the same level of hazard associated with them as the original concentrated solutions, but it must not be assumed that they are free from hazard.

Experimental work

Ensure that you are fully briefed before you carry out experimental work. If you do not understand an instruction, are unsure how to operate a piece of equipment, or are unsure about the potential risks of an experiment then seek help or training from a competent person before proceeding further.

Do not leave experiments unattended unless they are stable and are not being heated. Ensure you are following the correct procedures for unattended experiments.

When you are doing experimental work you must also consider other people in the lab and the work of others for example is your experiment compatible with the one on the adjacent bench? Are you doing something that carries hazards specific to people with allergies or who may be pregnant? Discuss with your supervisor or a member of the technical staff.

Risk Assessment

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999) requires that all work carried out within the Biosciences and Chemistry Department, and Biomolecular Sciences Research Centre (BMRC), must be risk assessed before work commences. Any variation or alteration to work processes should be examined and the risk re-assessed before the process is resumed.

Risk assessments will include chemicals covered by COSHH (the Control of Substances Hazard to Health Regulations (2002) issued by the Health & Safety Executive). COSHH covers all chemical handling and use in a workplace. These guidelines are mandatory and they apply to all chemical handlers and users.

The absence of any information regarding a procedure must not lead to the assumption that a process/procedure or any other work is ‘safe’. It is the responsibility of the individual person (staff, student, visitor) to ensure that they are aware of any hazards associated with the procedure, and have adopted any control measures necessary to minimise any risk involved.

Filling in a risk assessment form should not be for the fulfilment of legal obligation only; this is an opportunity to learn about the experimental process, hazards associated with chemicals, safety implications and how to handle and use the chemicals and equipment safely.

Teaching

It is the responsibility of the technical team to risk assess practical classes. Undergraduate and Postgraduate students will be involved in the risk assessment process to varying degrees throughout their course to ensure that they gain the knowledge to allow them to complete a risk assessment for their own research project (in conjunction with their supervisor).

Research

PhD, MSci, MChem students and other researchers in the BMRC must generate risk assessments for the work they carry out. These must be done in conjunction with the supervisor.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

You will be issued with a lab coat and safety glasses which you should always have with you when you attend practical classes or carry out research in the labs. A lab coat must always be worn when working in the laboratories.

Practical classes are risk assessed; the risk assessment will tell you whether safety glasses or gloves are required. Other control measures, like using a fume hood, will also be indicated on the risk assessment.

For labs where there could be numerous different experiments going on at any time, for example, undergraduate final year projects, MSc research projects and BMRC research labs, safety glasses must be worn at all times.

If you have any issues with the PPE i.e. being allergic to the disposable gloves, please contact us

Electrical safety

Electrical equipment is checked regularly and should carry an in-date PATest sticker. All electrical items must be PATested before being connected to the university power supply, including personal phone chargers. However, faults can occur between checks.

• Check for damage (loose wires, exposed terminals, cracked casing).
• Check for water or solvent spillage before use.
• Do not use equipment with an out of date sticker or a fault.
• Report faults to the lab demonstrator, technical staff or take the item to the Servicing Technician in room 801 Norfolk.

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