Chemistry is a laboratory science and a science of change. In the lab, you will make chemistry happen. However, many chemicals are potentially hazardous if handled improperly. Therefore, safety must be a high priority for everyone in the laboratory. For this reason, all students enrolled in chemistry lab courses are required to become familiar with the safe handling of potentially dangerous chemicals and the safety features of the lab before they are allowed into a laboratory environment containing chemicals. Below you will find a useful summary of safety information. Please make sure you are familiar with this information before you attend laboratory. In addition, the CHEM:1120 laboratory section of the course ICON page (http://icon.uiowa.edu) has links to make it easier for you to fulfill your responsibility to be familiar with the safety and disposal guidelines for the chemicals used in each experiment.

General Safety Guidelines

To avoid accidents and make your lab experience safe, there are a few basic rules:

Supervision

Do not enter the lab if a teaching assistant (TA) or instructor is not present! Students are only allowed in the laboratory with proper supervision and only during their assigned laboratory section times. If you must leave the lab for any reason, inform your TA.

Awareness

Be aware of your surroundings. If you notice an unsafe situation, take action to correct the situation. If you need help, ask your TA.

Safety Equipment

Showers, eye baths, fume hoods, and fire extinguishers are found in every lab. Be sure you know how many there are and where they are located in your lab. You should also know the location of the nearest telephone to be used in case of emergencies (on a campus phone 9-911). Have your TA explain the proper use of all safety equipment.

Safety Goggles

Safety goggles are the prime protection for your eyes and state law requires that safety goggles must be worn at all times by everyone in a lab. Goggles must be worn even if you are done with your experiment and are only writing your report in the laboratory. Approved safety goggles can be purchased in a variety of styles from the University Book Store or Iowa Book and Supply.

Laboratory Attire

You will want to protect your body from chemical and physical hazards in the lab by dressing appropriately. Proper dress will minimize the risk of injury. The basic strategy is to cover your body to protect it. No skin should be showing on your body from your neck down (with the exception of your lower arms).

• Shoes are required. The shoes must completely cover the feet (toes, heel, sides and top). For example, sandals, open-toed shoes, or shoes with perforations are not allowed.
• Long pants (or a long skirt) are required. Shorts, short skirts, short dresses, tights, and capri pants are not acceptable.
• An appropriate shirt is required. Your arms and mid-section must be covered. Although short-sleeved T-shirts are acceptable, shirts without sleeves and tank tops cannot be worn. Bare midriffs are not permitted.
• Do not wear clothing that is loose enough to get caught or knock something over.
• Long hair should be tied back.

Bookbags, Backpacks and Coats

Keep books, backpacks, and coats out of the aisles and off of the bench tops. Store them in the cubicles provided in each lab. Only your lab notebooks and manuals are permitted to be on the bench tops.

Food

Eating and drinking are prohibited in the laboratory to avoid the consumption of hazardous chemicals. This includes chewing gum, cough drops, throat lozenges, or similar items.

Fire

Many solvents are flammable and ignite readily when exposed to a source of ignition. Thus, open flames are not permitted in the laboratory unless specifically called for in the experimental procedure. Smoking is strictly forbidden. Know the location of all fire extinguishers and safety showers in the laboratory.

Familiarize yourself with the location of the closest exits from your lab and from the building so that you can exit the building quickly in case of a fire or other emergency.

Waste Disposal

Laboratory waste (solvents, solids, sharps, etc.) must be disposed of properly. In general, chemicals will be disposed of in specially marked containers in the fume-hoods. If you are not sure how to dispose of something, ask your TA. Nothing goes down the sink without permission!

Broken Glass Disposal

If you break glassware, contact your TA for cleanup equipment. Dispose of broken pieces of glass into the red containers labeled Sharps. Do not throw glass objects (broken or not) into a “normal” trash basket.

Injury

Report every injury to your TA, no matter how small. If necessary, students are encouraged to seek medical treatment at Student Health Services or University Hospitals Emergency Room, and transportation can be arranged by your TA or departmental staff. Once the situation has stabilized, the student must submit an incident report form.

Pregnancy

Many chemicals pose potential hazards to a fetus or young child. Women who are pregnant, nursing, or who suspect they may be pregnant are strongly advised to consult with their physician about the hazards of possible exposure to chemicals used in this course. SDS and other information are available. An alternative is to take the course at a later time.

Preparation

Any chemistry laboratory can be a dangerous place if proper procedures are not followed. Most of the risks associated with laboratory work can be minimized by thorough preparation prior to arrival. Come to lab prepared!

In Case of Accident

If an accident occurs, always inform your TA as soon as it is safe to do so! Do not try to wait out the entire lab session.

Chemical Contact with Your Body

If you spill anything on your skin, it is important to wash it off immediately with plenty of water.

Eyes

If you get chemicals in your eyes, flush immediately with large amounts of water at an eye wash station for at least 15 minutes. Report the accident and get medical attention.

Skin

If you get chemicals on your skin, wash immediately with large amounts of water. Use the safety shower if necessary or a sink if appropriate. Remove contaminated clothing. Continue to wash the area with water. Report the accident and get medical attention.

Chemical Spills in the Laboratory

Any spill should be cleaned up immediately. If you are uncertain how to clean up a particular chemical, you should consult your TA before you begin. For acids, bases, and organic solvents, use the spill kits available in each lab. Do not use these Spill Kit reagents for spills on your body.

• Acids are first neutralized with Spill-X-A
• Base (caustic) spills are treated with Spill-X-C
• Solvent spills are treated with Spill-X-S

Many solutions look like water. Please take care! Your TA should report the use of Spill Clean up reagents to the prep room (W344) after use so they can be replaced.

Chemical Fires

Small fires may often be contained by placing a watch glass or large beaker over the vessel. Large fires may require the use of a fire extinguisher. Training is required before using a fire extinguisher. Uncontrolled fires require activating the fire alarm to contact the fire department (9-911)

Clothing catches fire

Don’t panic! SHOUT FOR HELP! Roll on the floor to smother flames, or if you are near a safety shower, WALK to the nearest safety shower and pull the handle to release the water.

Cuts

Cuts sustained from broken glassware are among the most common lab injuries. Handle glassware with caution! If you break something, keep in mind what chemicals are in it, and do not try to pick up small pieces of glass with your fingers. Clean-up materials will be provided as needed. If you do cut yourself, First Aid kits are available so check with your TA. It may be best to be on the safe side and go to Student Health in case small bits of glass remain in the cut.

General Safety Advice

Come to lab prepared. In several experiments, you will find safety notes in the notes of the text. These boxes are meant to alert you to specific safety concerns. However, even if you do not see a safety note, you should always be mindful of safety while you are in the laboratory. Make sure that you understand what you are doing before you do it, and if you have questions, ASK!

Identifying Chemical Hazards

Handling chemicals

Two general goals when handling chemicals are to minimize exposure to chemicals and to prevent dangerous reactions from occurring. To achieve both of these goals, it is important that you are aware of the potential hazards associated with each chemical. For example, a strong acid or base can react vigorously with water to produce a lot of heat. Therefore, when preparing a dilute acid or base, the concentrated acid (or base) is added to the large volume of water so that the water can absorb the heat without producing a dangerous situation. (If the reverse order was followed, the heat produced might boil the liquid spitting acid into the air or might vaporize the acid producing an inhalation danger.) This is just one example of how it is important to know about the chemicals you will be handling in lab BEFORE you get into the laboratory.

One valuable source of information to help you learn more about the chemicals that you will use in the lab are the Safety Data Sheets (SDS). These information sheets are provided by the distributors of the chemicals, and provide valuable summaries of the chemical properties, potential hazards, safe handling procedures and what to do in the event of an emergency for each chemical. However, because these information sheets have been developed primarily for workers in the chemical industry who might be exposed to the chemicals in large quantities for prolonged periods of time, some of the recommended protective measures used in the lab may be slightly different. When working with small quantities for short periods of time as you will be in the instructional laboratories, some alternate handling procedures may be adopted. However, the SDS still provide a valued first step in risk assessment and will help you identify the relative hazards of the chemicals that you will be using. The SDS are a safety resource and can provide detailed safety information if needed.

For each experiment that you perform, you will be required to check on the safety and disposal guidelines for the chemicals used in that experiment. This information is available using the SDS links given on the course ICON web site. Each experiment has a link to the SDS for the chemicals used in that experiment. As a quick summary of the relative hazards of the chemicals, often you will be asked to look up the National Fire Protection Associations (NFPA) rating for the chemicals that you will use. The NFPA rating gives a hazard index rating (0-4) in three different categories: health, flammability, and reactivity (or instability). A rank of 0 means no known hazard, where as a ranking of 4 means an extreme hazard exists. Sometimes a fourth category is also included to indicate other noteworthy hazards.

In preparing for the lab, you should be aware of the following information: health hazard rating, flammability, reactivity, first aid measures required in case of accidental eye or skin contact, and waste disposal for each chemical that you will use. As part of laboratory preparation you will be asked to complete a concise safety analysis to address the chemical hazards and procedural safety associated with each experiment, An example of the type of information you will need will be provided in case study and the laboratory.

Disposal of Chemical Waste

The proper disposal of chemical waste is an important part of laboratory safety and specific directions are usually not included in the SDS. It is your responsibility to see that such waste is disposed of properly.

The best way to dispose of chemical waste is to minimize the amount. This can be accomplished by using small quantities. In this course, you will always dispose of waste in labeled waste bottles, unless specifically instructed to do otherwise by your teaching assistant. These bottles will be located in the fume hoods in each laboratory. When disposing of any chemical waste, local, state and federal regulations must be followed. If you are unsure of the proper method of disposal of a chemical, consult your TA.

Course Distractions

Cell phones and digital music players should not be used in class or laboratory settings. If you are carrying a cell phone, please turn it off when you enter class. Laboratory computers may only be used for course-related activities. Use of personal computing devices (e.g. iPad, laptops) is not allowed in the laboratory.

Safety Quiz

Each student enrolled in a laboratory course is required to complete a safety quiz at the beginning of the course.

You must pass the Safety Quiz at the start of the course before you can begin any experiments. To pass the Safety Quiz, all questions must be answered correctly. The safety quiz will be available through the ICON-course page and will require a password.