FOUNDATION FOR RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY &
BIOTECHNOLOGY
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
FOR SAFE LABORATORY
PRACTICE
DECEMBER 2007
GENERAL ISSUES
• Eating and smoking is forbidden in the laboratory areas
• Minors or non-trained adults should not enter the laboratory
areas
• Mouth pipetting is forbidden
• It is imperative to wash thoroughly your hands after using
chemical, biological or radioactive material, as well as each
time you leave the laboratory area.
• Glass, broken or not, syringes, blades, etc should be disposed
in the special bins. This material is removed by the cleaning
personnel.
INSTRUMENTS
• Always read carefully the instruction manual and do not use any
instrument unless given instructions first.
• Strictly follow the safety requirements given by the
manufacturer. e.g. Always balance rotors during centrifugation;
failing to do so, may cause a severe accident.
• NEVER interrupt centrifugations by immobilizing rotors
manually.
• Caution with gel electrophoresis. When using high voltage
(>150 Volts), you should put a warning sign.
• ALWAYS wear protective masks for your face (and especially
your eyes) when exposed to UV radiation.
• BE CAREFUL when using liquid Nitrogen and dry ice, as
contact may cause burns.
• BE CAREFUL when inserting glass pipettes into a mechanical
pipetman. There is danger of glass breaking and injury.
CHEMICALS
• STORAGE: Dangerous chemicals should not be stored on
bench shelves. It is safer to use closets. Volatile and organic
chemicals should be stored in the hood cabinets and NOT on
the working surface of the hood. Follow storage instructions
written on the recipients. DO NOT store together chemicals
that can react. Acids should be kept separately from bases and
flammable liquids (Note: Acetic acid, is both corrosive and
flammable and should be stored with other flammable liquids).
• USE:
o Read carefully and follow instructions written on the
packaging labels.
o Do not destroy labels. All chemicals are acquired with a
data sheet concerning their hazardousness (MSDS). If you
have no knowledge on the exact hazardousness, consider
the chemical DANGEROUS.
o Follow instructions strictly. Wear suitable gloves, lab coat
and NEVER mouth pipette.
o You should always work in the hood (after insuring that is
functioning) when using corrosive, volatile and other
acids (e.g. hydrochloric, sulphuric, nitric, phosphoric,
glacial acetic acid), organic solvents (e.g. chloroform,
acetone, ether, methanol, isoamyl alcohol, butanol-2,
propanol-2, phenol, formaldehyde and dimethylformamide), reducing agents (e.g. 2-mercaptoethanol, DTT),
concentrated bases (NaOH, KOH, NH3).
o Always wear protective respiratory mask when weighing
finelly powdered solid chemicals such as SDS, nutrients,
etc.
CHEMICAL WASTE
• Dangerous chemicals (phenol, chlolophorm, formaldehyde,
acetonitril, EMS, DAB, gluteraldehyde etc,)
should be
collected in special recipients and removed from FORTH area
by qualified personnel. The contents should be marked
explicitly on the recipients. Before final removal, waste is
stored in designated storage areas in the basement of the
building.
• At IMBB there is extensive usage of ethidium bromide, a
carcinogen. International regulations allow the disposal in the
sink of concentrations <10μg/ml and in regular trash of gels
containing <0.1%. These limits are within the range used
routinely. Higher concentrations should be disposed as for other
dangerous chemicals
• For other chemicals, with limited use (e.g. EMS, MMS) the
instructions for proper storage, use and disposal of each
laboratory should be followed.
BIOLOGICAL MATERIAL
IMBB laboratories are of safety level P1.Bacteria used for DNA
recombinant experiments, DNA fragments from animal or plant
viruses and all organisms (or cells) used , are non pathogenic or
pose any danger to the environment. The occasional use of
potentially pathogenic organisms or material is restricted to
isolated, clearly marked areas in conformity with
international safety regulations.
BIOLOGICAL WASTE
All microorganisms, cells and remains of animal anatomy should
be inactivated and sterilized before final disposal (liquids by using
chlorine solutions and solid material by autoclaving). Used Petri
dishes should be disposed in available special bags which are
disposed following autoclaving.
RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES
• It is imperative to use protective glasses (or face shield), lab
coat and resistant gloves. For radioactive material emitting
radiation to a distance (like P32), use a protective Plexiglas
shield. It is also recommended to strictly follow standard
laboratory safety rules when using radioactive isotopes and to
avoid leaving the laboratory area during the experiment.
• Transferring isotopes and radiolabelled material should be done
only with a mechanical pipette and NEVER practice mouth
pipetting.
• All laboratory areas (hoods, benches, refrigerators, etc) where
radioactive material is used or stored should be checked
regularly and thoroughly. Any contamination should be
removed promptly. Glassware, plastics or other objects that
come in contact with radioactive material should be cleaned
thoroughly or marked with a radioactivity label to exclude any
other use.
• The use of radioactive material should be confined to the
smallest possible area to simplify protection and cleaning. The
area should be kept tidy and free from unnecessary objects. It is
imperative to cover all working surfaces with special
absorbing, waterproof material.
• In case of extensive contamination, a cleaning procedure with
an appropriate detergent (DECON) is followed and care is taken
to prevent transfer of the contamination to other parts of the
area and covering-warning of possible spots not yet sufficiently
decontaminated. NEVER use DECON for contaminated parts of
your body (follow the first aid instructions)
• It is necessary to label every laboratory area designated for use
and storage of radioactive material or waste.
RADIOACTIVE WASTE
The P32 and S35 semi-solid waste are disposed in the special
barrels in the basement area under the western staircase. Liquid
waste is stored in designated bottles and disposed in the sink after
an adequate period of time.
For the disposal of other isotopes (such as C14, H3 that are rarely
used) exist especially labeled recipients in the waste storage area
of FORTH.