Organic Chemistry Lab Safety
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Proper Dress
o Prevents serious and fatal injuries
o Harming chemicals (skin)
o Covers whole body
 Long pants, closed toe shoes
 Remove Jewelry
 Tie long hair
 No personal items
Personal Protective Equipment
o Lab coat, Safety Goggles, Gloves
 Tuck sleeves into gloves
 Buttoned coat
o Chemical Apron, Chemical Resistant Safety Goggles
 Splash hazards, volatile
o Gloves
 Non-absorb
 Needs to resistant to chemical handling
 Change and Wash hands frequently
o Thermal Resistant Gloves
 Hot/Cold materials
o Respirator
 Dangerous vapors
 Needs proper training
o Before leaving laboratory
 Remove PPE
 Wash hands
Safety Equipment
o Identify location of safety equipment
o Safety shower, Eyewash station
 Tested weekly for working progress
o Chemical/Flame exposure
 HELP!
 Safety Shower
 Remove saturated clothing
 Thoroughly drench exposed area
 Flame:
o Drench whole body
o Call 911
o Eyewash station
 Rinse chemical/hazardous exposure
 Open eyes
 Rinse for 10 mins
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Fire extinguisher
 Fire types
 Class A (Combustion): Wood, paper, cloth
o Extinguish by water/extinguisher
 Class B: Organic solvents, flammable liquids
 Class C: Electrical
o B+C: Chemical Foam Extinguishers
 Water (worse): spread,
 Class D (Combustible metals)
o Fire Blanket
 Small flames (floors, workbenches)
 Clothing
 Lay down  Wrap
 Do not wrap (standing)  fire rises
o First aid kit
 Bandages, Antiseptic (Minor injuries)
o Evacuation route
o Chemical Fume Hood
 Ventilated closed work area
 Protects from toxic vapors
 Turn on exhaust fan
 Make sure hood is venting properly
 Do not store chemical under hood
 Clean and remove materials when finished
 Sash
 Opening window (raised/lowered)
o Opened to 8-16 inches
Behavior
o Follow written standard operating procedures:
 No food, beverage, chewing gum, makeup
 May lead to contamination of skin, ingestion of chemicals, contamination of
experiment
 Never work alone
o Good housekeeping
 Dispose debris on the floor (may cause fall)
 Do not place chemical bottles on floor (even temporarily)
 Spilled chemical:
 Check safety data sheet (proper response)
 Routine spill:
 Clean immediately (wet floor sign)
 Clean, organized workbench:
 Store unneeded items
 Only have needed materials
 Do not place materials near edge of workbench
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Broken glass:
o Cut may cause hazardous chemical into bloodstream
o Use broom and dustpan
o Dispose properly
 Wash and dry glassware
 Return reagents
 Clean workbench (ethanol, isopropyl)
Chemical Hazards
o Safety Data Sheet (STS) (MSDS)
 Chemical properties, hazards, safety precautions
 Review before working with chemicals
 GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals)
 Provides international standard format for safety data sheets (16
sections)
o Section 1: Identification
 Name, description, manufacturer’s contact info.
o Section 2: Hazard Identification
 Warnings, safety symbols
o Section 3: Composition
 Ingredients
o Section 4: First-Aid
 Required treatment to exposure
o Section 5: Fire-fighting
o Section 6: Accidental Release
 Containment and cleanup of spills
o Section 7: Handling and storage
o Section 8: Exposure controls and Personal protection
 Exposure limits and recommendations for PPE
o Section 9: Physical and Chemical properties
 Appearance, odor, pH, flash point, solubility,
evaporation rate
o Section 10: Stability and Reactivity
 How to avoid hazardous reactions
o Section 11: Toxicological
 Likely routes of symptoms
 Short and long term effects
o Non-mandatory sections
o Section 12: Ecological
o Section 13: Disposal
o Section 14: Transport
o Section 15: Regulatory
o Section 16: Other Info
 Date of STS preparation (and revision)
 New GHS format
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Labelled with:
o Product name
o Signal word
o Physical, health and environmental hazard statements
o Precautionary statements
o Pictograms (represent hazard)
o First aid instructions
o Supplier’s contact info
Before starting experiments:
o Determine possible risks
o Wear proper PPE
o Be aware of protective measures/emergency responses (chemicals)
Diluting acid/bases:
o Add acids/bases to water (solvent)
o Do not add solvent into acids/bases (violent reaction; may cause burns)
Never remove chemical from the lab
o Use break resistance secondary container to transport chemicals to other lab spaces
o Chemicals must be handled safely:
 Avoid skin, eye, inhalation exposure
Eye protection
o Safety glasses w/ side shield (Some protection)
o Splash goggles (Protection from splashing hazardous chemicals) (Z87.1 (code for
American National Standard Institute)
o Prescription glasses + Full face shield/Safety glasses/Splash Goggles
Skin protection
o Lab coat + gloves (some protection)
o Full length chemical resistant apron (Splash hazard protection)
o Full arm length rubber gloves (Highly corrosive chemical)
Inhalation exposure
o Never smell chemicals
o Always work under fume hood
o Keep containers closed tight when not in use
o Chemical spillage
 Evacuate immediately, notify authorities
 Large spills can cause huge vapors
Flammable Chemical Techniques
o Always know flammability and explosive potential
o Keep away from ignition sources (bunsen burners, hot plates)
o Store chemicals in a grounded/dedicated storage cabinet
o Properly dispose of chemicals according to federal, state, local and institutional
requirements
o Use chemical resistant plastics/metal containers for waste disposure
o Solvent should not be evaporated under fume hood for disposure
Any cleaning materials used to clean chemical are considered hazardous
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Must be disposed properly