Chemistry TA Lab Safety Training & Orientation
Physical Sciences
Laboratory
Coordinator:
Donna Jaramillo-Fellin
djaramillo-fellin@ucmerced.edu
Office: SE1 101
Office phone: x7645 (209-228-7645)
Cell phone: 209-675-1498
Chemistry Laboratory
Coordinator:
Kerry Mudgett
kmudgett@ucmerced.edu
Office: SE1 114B
Office phone: x4798 (209-228-4798)
Cell phone: 209-259-8537
Chemistry Lab
Support Staff:
Kyle Hamilton
Disnay Castrejon
whamilton@ucmerced.edu
dcastrejon@ucmerced.edu
Office: SE1 106A
Office phone: x4150 (209-228-4150)
Emergency:
9-911 for campus dispatch
General Safety
 Safety training
o All TAs must attend the Chemistry TA Lab Safety Training & Orientation
once a year or as significant changes to the training are made. The training
covers safety procedures, TA expectations, and an overview of the lab room.
o All TAs must attend the lab specific training (lab TA meeting) each week of
lab. See the TA Expectations section for more information.
o All TAs must take the mandatory EH&S courses: Lab Safety – Fundamentals,
HazMat Spill Response (often part of Fundamentals), and Fire Safety.
 Undergraduate safety contract
o The students and the TA must follow the safety procedures as outlined in the
contract. A copy is provided in the TA packet. The safety procedures are also
posted in the lab room.
o The TA is responsible for ensuring that the students follow the safety
contract.
o Chemical splash goggles must be worn by the TA and all students once the
first student starts working with chemicals or glassware. Goggles may not be
removed until either the student leaves the lab room or the last student in the room
is done cleaning up. No safety glasses or goggles with direct vent holes are
allowed. The lab support staff will occasionally check for enforcement.
 Safety glasses and goggles with direct vent holes are not allowed. It is the
responsibility of the TA to determine if students have the proper goggles,
although lab staff can provide input on request.
 Goggles are available for the students to check out (using their CatCard as
collateral) for the first couple of wet labs. The TA handles the check-out
process.
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A TA who needs goggles can obtain one from the lab coordinator. The
TA is responsible for bringing their goggles to lab each week. There are
no storage facilities for goggles in the Physical Sciences lab and prep
areas.
 TAs are not to loan out their goggles to students or the TA will not be in
compliance with the safety procedures.
o A lab coat, closed toed shoes that cover the whole foot, long pants, and
appropriate clothing must be worn by the TA and all students in the lab.
Shoes that cover the toes but not the top of the foot are not acceptable. Use your
best judgment on long skirts and other clothing not specifically prohibited.
 Students with improper attire cannot be allowed to stay in the lab.
 A TA who needs a lab coat can obtain one from the lab coordinator. The
TA is responsible for bringing their lab coat to lab each week. There are
no storage facilities for lab coats in the Physical Sciences lab and prep
areas.
 TAs are not to loan out their lab coat to students or the TA will not be in
compliance with the safety procedures.
o Chemically resistant gloves are provided and recommended for use by all
students. Glove use is mandatory when working with corrosives and toxic
chemicals.
o The TA should know the location of the eyewash and shower, the fire
blanket, and the fire extinguisher in the lab room. The EH&S Fire Safety class
should be taken for guidelines on how to use a fire extinguisher.
o The TA should know the location of the nearest first aid kit and the phone.
There is a first aid kit just outside the lab room door in the center hallway. The
phone in is the hallway next to the Clean Environment Room.
o The TA should know the location of the nearest fire pulls. There is one at
each end of the center hallway as well as one halfway between ends.
Coverage of lab time
o Never leave the students alone without designating someone to be in charge.
It is not the lab staff’s responsibility to cover a TA’s lab section even for a short
period of time. Each TA should make sure they have contact information for the
other TAs teaching the course, the instructor, and the lab coordinators in case they
need to quickly find someone to cover their lab section.
o For a few minutes’ absence (for example, a bathroom break), the TA should
assign one student who will come find the TA or the lab staff if an emergency
occurs. The TA should make sure all students know who is assigned this duty.
o For any absence longer than a few minutes, let both your instructor and the lab
coordinator know. You must arrange ahead of time for a suitable substitute,
preferably another TA in the same course, and get approval for that person from
your instructor.
o For an immediate emergency situation, contact the other TAs for the course
and the instructor to arrange for help. The lab coordinators or lab staff can help
only in the short term.
Emergency situation in the lab room (posted in the labs)
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o For all situations listed below, provide information to the Lab Coordinator with
the specifics of the incident and inform your instructor as soon as possible. There
is the “Physical Sciences Local Reporting Form” in the folder on the lab door that
outlines the information that needs to be sent to the Lab Coordinator. You can
either fill out the form or email the information, but the information must be
provided directly to the Lab Coordinator.
o For chemical spills on skin or in eyes, flush the affected area with water for 15
minutes. Use any water source available, including the bathroom showers if
needed. See “Chemical Exposure Guidelines” for more details.
o For minor first aid issues, use the first aid kit or send the student to the health
center.
o For serious medical issues or other immediate emergencies, call campus dispatch.
If you cannot leave, send a student into the hallway to call dispatch. Also send
them to find the lab support staff if you need additional help.
o For other possible emergency situations on campus during a lab section, follow
any instructions given. Be aware of your surroundings and make the best
decisions you can for the safety of yourself and your students.
Minor (small) chemical spills and messes (amounts used by the students)
o Neutralize if necessary with the proper chemical. Use vinegar for base spills.
Use sodium bicarbonate for acid spills. Use sodium thiosulfate solution for
bromine and other oxidizer spills. Rinse with lots of water and dry with paper
towels.
o Soak up any flammable liquids with paper towels or spill pads. Place
contaminated materials in a bag or other container for waste management. There
are extra 1 gallon Ziploc bags with labels in the cabinet with the spill kit – be sure
to fill out the label with the chemicals contained in the bag before giving it to the
lab staff.
o Oxidizers that cannot be neutralized are cleaned up with a sponge that can be
wrung out into a waste container. Avoid paper towels to limit the possibility of
fire.
o For more minor spill and contamination of personal items information, see
“Chemical Contamination & Spill Guidelines.”
Major (large) chemical spill (for example, an entire bottle)
o Identify chemicals in spill – if hazardous, evacuate the immediate area and put up
signs. Signs can be found in the cabinet with the spill kit.
o Contain the spill – paper towels or spill kit if non-hazardous; only spill kit if
hazardous.
o If hazardous, contact Chemistry Staff, EH&S, and/or campus dispatch for help in
handling and disposing of spill.
Glassware breakage
o All uncontaminated broken glassware goes into the blue & white sharps container.
Warn the students near this container to not throw garbage in it.
o If your student has broken glassware with hazardous chemicals on it (e.g. MnO2),
bag it, write the chemicals on the outside, and alert the Chemistry Staff. We will
take it for proper hazardous disposal.
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o Record all broken/missing glassware and other items on the Breakage Sheet in the
lab room so that the Chemistry Staff can replace it for the next section.
o If a replacement is needed immediately, let the Chemistry Staff know.
Fire in the lab room
o Turn off any sources of heat if it is safe to do so.
o Evacuate the room according to the instructions for a fire alarm below.
o Use one of the fire pulls to sound the fire alarm.
o Call campus dispatch (9-1-1) and meet the emergency responders outside of the
lobby on the parking lot to provide information. If you need lab staff to oversee
your students, let them know.
o Inform the course instructor as soon as possible and provide information on how
the students’ lab was affected.
Fire alarm (posted in lab room)
1.) If it is safe to do so, have the students turn off any equipment.
2.) Establish a meeting point outside in the quad. DO NOT stand right next to the
building and DO NOT stay on the parking lot side of the building.
3.) Have the students evacuate as quickly as possible. If it is safe to do so, have the
students take their belongings with them.
4.) If it is safe to do so, close all of the hood sashes.
5.) As you leave, close all lab doors behind you.
6.) When you arrive at the meeting point, gather the students and take roll (or take a
head count) to make sure that all of your students made it out of the building.
Contact emergency responders if anyone is missing.
7.) If the cause of the alarm was in your lab, see above.
8.) The lab support staff will visually account for your presence. You only need to
talk with them if there is a problem.
9.) Only re-enter the building when told by UCM police or the fire department that
the building is safe. Do not assume that it is safe when the sirens stop.
10.) Inform the instructor as soon as possible and provide information on how the
students’ lab was affected.
Laboratory Introduction
 Lab room
o The tables accommodate 2 student stations. We may have students work in
larger groups for select experiments.
o The cubbies are required to use for TA’s and students’ backpacks/bags and
personal items, even during any discussions or reviews. This will limit
possibility of contaminating the personal items with chemicals and also protect
the glassware and equipment out on the tables from accidental damage.
o ADA-compliant tables and sinks are at the middle of the room. The ADAcompliant hood is the hood nearest the outside doors. Make sure any
wheelchair-bound students obtain a spot at these tables. Any students needing
special accommodations should talk to the course instructor.
o Use the hoods by lifting the sash. The baffle settings will be set by the lab staff
for each experiment. The settings are Open for lighter-than-air vapors, Normal
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for standard vapors, and Closed for heavier-than-air vapors. Typically the hoods
are set to Normal.
o The lights in the lab rooms are strictly on-off using the toggle switch. Make
sure that the bank of sliders near the inside lab door is completely up. Make sure
to turn on the lights when at the start of lab and turn them off at the end.
Chemicals and supplies
o The distilled (RO) water carboy is by the inner door.
o Chemicals will be placed in the hoods, next to the balances, and occasionally on
the tables or at the front.
o Various supplies will generally be available at the front, with a few items placed
on the tables for the students.
Waste and extra items
o Any sharps items, such as plastic pipets or broken glass, must be placed in a
designated container or in the blue & white sharps container. An item is
considered a sharps item if it could poke through a normal trash bag. The trash
can is only for general uncontaminated waste.
o Extra papers should be recycled or removed after labs and discussions. Do not
store any paperwork in the lab room long term. Recycle bins can be found in SE1
106 and outside SE1 116.
The TA entrance to the labs is obtained through the central hallway using your Cat
Card. The TA will need to let the students in through the outside doors of the lab room.
Avoid using the hallway as a shortcut into the building since transportation of chemicals
and other items often occurs through the hallway.
Additional whiteboard pens can be obtained from Katherine Brown in AOA. We do
not keep a supply for instructional use.
TA Expectations
 First day
o Undergraduate safety contract
 Go over the safety procedures with the students. Hand out the printed
copies so that each student gets one; there is also an electronic version
posted on the course CROPS site.
 Have the students sign the back of the section sheet. Once all of the
students have signed it, the original goes in the envelope attached to the
lab door. The TA may retrieve the original for the next few weeks for
additional students to sign as needed.
o Maximum number of studnets
 The lab room cannot accommodate more than 24 (SE1 108) or 20 (all
other lab rooms) without special permission from the course
instructor and the Physical Sciences Lab Coordinator. If a section has
too many students, the TA will need to determine who is not registered for
the section and ask them to attend their proper section immediately.
 The students must attend the lab section for which they registered. If
a student is trying to attend a different lab section, it is their responsibility
to check ahead of time to see if the section can accommodate them.
o Glassware and equipment
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Go over unfamiliar pieces of glassware. Do not assume that the students
know what everything is.
 Go over how to properly use the fume hoods. A reminder on how to
use the fume hood will be needed in subsequent labs. The students should
raise the sash to access the hoods, because that will provide room for 2-3
students in the hood at the same time.
o Special needs students
 Refer any students with special needs to the course instructor.
Each lab section
o Safety
 It is the TAs responsibility to ensure that the students follow the safety
contract while in lab.
 Safety issues noticed by lab staff will be brought to the TA’s attention
quietly during the lab session.
 The TA may prop the outside door open to initially let students in, but
for fire safety reasons, the lab door must be closed once the lab session
has gotten going.
 Make sure that the students always use the cubbies. No bags should
ever be on the bench tops.
o Time management
 Let students into the lab room no more than 5 minutes before the lab
section. Let the lab support staff service the room without students inside
to avoid any safety issues. If the lab staff is done early, the TA may let the
students in earlier.
 The lab staff will give the TAs at least 5 minutes before the
formal start of the lab session of uninterrupted time for
preparation whenever possible. The staff will only interrupt this
time when previous sections run late or a check absolutely needs to
be made.
 Prompt the students to start finishing up their lab about 20 minutes
before lab should end. They should only be cleaning up 15 minutes
before lab ends. Students should be out of the room at the scheduled end
time and the TA should be able to leave the lab room no later than 10
minutes after the scheduled end time of the lab.
 Make sure that the lab section ends on time. Many of our sections have
limited time in between sections, so this will give the next TA a few
minutes for prep and the lab staff time to get into the room for any reset
that needs to occur.
 The lab staff will give the TAs at least 10 minutes after the
formal end of the lab session of uninterrupted time for clean
up whenever possible. The staff will only interrupt this time
when the section ran late.
 Do not allow students from the next section to enter the lab room.
You take responsibility for any students you let into the lab room.
 When the lab section is done, let the lab support staff know so that
they can come in and replenish any chemicals and supplies used during the
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lab section. This is particularly important when the section finishes at a
significantly different time from the scheduled end of the lab.
o Lab management
 The TA and students must keep chemicals, supplies, and equipment in
the locations set by the lab staff. Do not make any major changes
without consulting the lab coordinator first.
 Recommendations to improve the availability of items or the
running of the lab are always welcome.
 The TA is responsible for refilling the paper towels and gloves as
needed for their section. The paper towels can be found under one of the
student’s benches along the inner wall; the gloves can be found under one
of the student’s benches along the outer wall.
 Have the students tell the TA when a chemical or solution container is
empty. If the students overuse the lab staff’s anticipated need, consider
where the source of the problem may be and how it could be corrected.
 Alert lab staff immediately if the chemical is still needed for the
section.
 Have the students tell the TA when a solutions collection container is
full.
 Alert lab staff immediately if an empty collection container is
needed for the section.
 Have the students tell the TA when they break something or an item is
missing in the lab.
 Record all broken or missing glassware/items on the Breakage
sheet. Alert the lab staff if the glassware or item is needed
immediately.
 Check next to the RO water carboy for missing items before
looking for the lab staff. If something was broken in a previous
section and the location was not specified, the replacement item
may be left near the RO water carboy.
 Alert the lab coordinator or lab staff as soon as a problem is
encountered with equipment. Provide the unit’s number (i.e. Chem 014)
if possible.
 The lab staff will minimize interruptions to the lab section as
much as possible while attempting to fix the problem.
 The TA is the primary person responsible for issues in the lab.
 The lab staff provides guideline to follow in case of various
situations.
 The TA may always request additional assistance beyond the
established guidelines. The TA must be specific in the help being
requested and should not expect the lab staff to take charge.
 The TA should report all issues in the lab to the lab coordinator
and the course instructor. Injury reports must include specific
information detailed in the “Physical Sciences Local Reporting
Form” located in the folder on the lab door.
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Students must follow their clean-up procedures in the lab manual
before they can leave the lab room. Reference the checklist at the end of
the teaching notes for each lab.
 The students must refill their distilled water bottles and clean up
their equipment and the lab room, including the balances, hoods,
sinks, and benches. For the general and analytical chemistry
courses, a paper towel dampened with water is sufficient to clean
most places. For the organic chemistry courses, acetone or other
neutralizing solutions may be necessary.
Ultimately you are responsible for making sure that the lab room is
safe, clean, and organized at the end of your lab session. The lab staff
is not responsible for cleaning up after each lab section.
 One of the best ways to do this is to assign cleaning duties to the
students. There are cleaning assignment sheets available for your
course.
 If a student forgets to fulfill their duties as part of the lab, it is up to
you to make sure it is done. See the cleaning up checklists at the
end of the teaching notes for each lab.
 The TA will be notified outside of the lab time if the lab staff or
another TA finds the lab room left in an unclean state.
Take any personal items left in the lab room to the UCM police lost
and found. If the police department is not open, items can be dropped off
at the Library.
Weekly
o The TAs are required to attend in person, be on time, be prepared, and
participate in the lab TA meetings.
 The lab concepts, the specific equipment and chemicals, safety issues,
recommendations for getting the students through the lab, and
troubleshooting guides will be covered.
 As part of or in addition to the weekly lab training, the TAs are trained
directly on equipment used by the students as needed. The staff employs
hands-on training as much as possible, so the TAs can expect the staff to
ask them to run through unfamiliar equipment.
 TAs may be required to present information on part of the lab being
discussed. Experienced TAs may offer additional insight into the running
and troubleshooting of the lab.
 If information changes or is clarified during the week of the lab, the TAs
will receive an email with the new information.
 A TA may only be excused by the lab coordinator and the instructor
ahead of time with a valid reason, however the TA must still schedule a
make-up training session with the lab coordinator even if they have done
the lab before. If a TA misses a meeting due to illness, the TA needs to
contact the lab coordinator as soon as possible to arrange a make-up
session. All make-up TA meetings must occur before that TAs lab
sections run.
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o New TAs should try to attend an experienced TAs lab section. A TA can
attend the lab portion of any lab sections previous to their own section with the
approval of that section’s TA.
o If information changes or is clarified in a lab section, the TAs will receive an
email with the new information.
Alternate use of the lab room
o Lab make ups are only allowed when approved by the instructor. If a student
is absent and misses a lab, discuss the options with the instructor for the course.
In all cases, the student should talk with you as soon as possible after missing a
lab, since we generally cannot have a student make up a lab if it is past the normal
week for that lab.
 With permission from the instructor, the student can come to a different
lab section IF the section is not full.
o TAs are not allowed to use the lab room outside of the normal lab times
unless the TA has permission from the Physical Sciences Lab Coordinator.
Notifications
 The staff will follow this policy when notifying a TA of safety problems, cleaning
issues, or a lack of fulfillment of TA expectations:
o First occurrence – Verbal or email reminder of expectation.
o Second and subsequent occurrences – Email reiteration of expectation that
includes the course instructor and other appropriate faculty.
o For severe issues, the course instructor and other appropriate faculty will be
included at the beginning.
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