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Laboratory Health
Cooperation and
Duties
Genco Laboratory
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Why are we here?
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To make the lab function more
efficiently.
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To address issues that reinforce those
stated in Laboratory Safety training.
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To promote good practices and
aseptic techniques for proper health,
limited contamination and
cooperation in the laboratory.
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To keep Eve away.
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Laboratory Issues to Discuss
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General
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Laboratory Cleanliness
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Organization and Courtesy
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Orders
Laboratory
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Equipment
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Biosafety Hoods
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Laboratory Coats
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Waste Disposal and Dishes
Laboratory Duties
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Laboratory Cleanliness
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Let’s keep things clean! How?
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Keep the lab clean by putting things back in an orderly fashion
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ie chemicals and reagents.
Do not leave at your desk, next to the scale etc.
Clean any messes you make or find.
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If you spill something on any of the instruments or the floor, clean it immediately.
Please cooperate, whether you make the mess or not it needs to be cleaned.
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Breaking of instruments, glassware, or chemical containers should be
cleaned up properly and reported to the laboratory manager.
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After an experiment you should properly clean all the areas/equipment
you worked on. Ie ice buckets must be emptied, dried and put back in the
designated cabinet.
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Keep lab bench tidy and free of clutter.
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Wash hands when you leave the laboratory.
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Organization and Courtesy
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New technique: Each lab member has their designated color of tape.
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All bottles must be labeled with the bottle’s contents, your name, and
date it was made.
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All boxes must be labeled with your color tape, your name, date, and
box ID. Records should be taken of all boxes and a copy should be
given to the laboratory manager.
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Freezer/Fridge.Your Initials.Box Number.3letter description
Example: A1.CG.4.T4A
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Only put your things in your assigned areas ie freezers, fridges.
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Each lab member has their own tips, pipettors, tubes, and place to keep
open products ie serological pipets, 50ml tubes. DO NOT put open
products back with the stocks on the sterile shelf.
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Never use someone else’s media, stock solutions, labware (pipettemen,
tips, tubes, etc.) or special chemicals without their consent. If you
borrow something (w/their consent) please put it back when finished.
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Orders
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Orders are made Monday and Wednesday. Before Noon.
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Please plan ahead.
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If you use the last of something write the order on the board.
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Keep orders from other vendors together to save on shipping.
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Order the smallest quantity you need for your whole experiment.
If you are going to use it, and it is cheaper then feel free to order
the larger concentration/volume.
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All lab members must participate in opening and putting
away orders. All packing slips must be put on the lab
manager’s designated shelf with your initials and date it was
received.
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Orders should be put in the designated areas (4°,-20°), so
they are easier to find.
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Orders Continued
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What I need to be efficient:
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Product Name, Catalogue Number, Vendor, Price, Initials, Priority
Check the catalogue number on the vendor’s website, do not just
put the number on the item.
Vendor means person who sells the product, not necessarily
person who makes the product.
Unless the product is on Fishersci.com provide the price of the
item.
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Please DO NOT put any orders on the whiteboard without a
catalogue number and your initials.
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A list has been put on the whiteboard with the details of
commonly used items.
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Laboratory Equipment
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If you have questions about any instruments (etc.), please ask
before you use the instrument.
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Scales are shared equipment and should ALWAYS be cleaned
and shut off after use.
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If you use an instrument, make sure the instrument and the area
around it is clean when you are done.
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All equipment should be turned off when you are finished or at
the end of the day. Don’t assume someone else will turn it off, we
want to keep our instruments in good working condition.
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If something explodes or spills clean it thoroughly.
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Always discard used tubes, bacteria plates, etc. left in
incubators/freezers.
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Biosafety Hoods
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Wear double gloves when working with infectious agents.
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All hoods must be cleaned thoroughly once a month.
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Nothing should be kept in the hoods when finished and when in
use clutter should be at a minimum.
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Discard your biological waste after use ie. Pipet tips, loops,
and used medium.
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Hoods should be cleaned with 70% ethanol before and after
use.
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N. meningitidis users should wear a dust mask and glasses
when handling bacteria.
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Waste Disposal and Dishes
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Large red waste boxes are for biohazardous materials/chemically
exposed materials. Please do not throw non-contaminated materials in
this waste box.
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Gray waste bins are for paper, Styrofoam, weigh boats, paper towels,
fed ex bubble envelopes etc.
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Hazardous chemicals should be put into an empty plastic bottle with a
hazardous sticker and placed in the satellite accumulation area.
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Liquid and solid waste containing Ethidium Bromide goes into its
proper container.
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All dirty glassware should be put onto the dirty dish cart.
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Labels should be removed
All contents of container should be removed.
Agar should not be allowed to cool completely, water should be put into
the bottle and all agar removed before putting on dish cart.
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Laboratory Coats
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Please hang up your laboratory coats.
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Cell culture/Clean reagents—Purple, Pink Coats.
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Bacteria—Blue Coats.
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Label your Coats.
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Do not hoard coats, keep only two and throw the rest away.
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Laboratory Duties
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Each person will be assigned a lab duty each month. This is your
responsibility and it is up to you to see that it is done. Note: some duties are
required 2-3x every month.
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We will have a card for each duty, at the end of each month at lab meeting
we will exchange the duty for another.
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List of Duties:
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Autoclaving pipet tips. Putting away empty boxes for later use 1-2x per month (1
person).
Dishwashing. 2xper month (1 person).
Hood cleaning: 1xper month x5hoods (5 people).
Incubator cleaning: 1xper month x2(cell/bacteria) (2 people)
Ethidium Bromide station cleaning: 1xper month (1 person)
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When using large quantities of pipet tips, tubes or glassware please prepare
your own tips and wash your own glassware.
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Incentive
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Final Notes
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The laboratory is a working environment in which we all
must cooperate by keeping our workstation and shared
equipment/stations clean.
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The custodian does not clean after us and we do not have a
maid, so please keep things clean and neat.
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Gloves are not expensive, change them as often as you like.
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Overall, always use common courtesy when working in the
laboratory.
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Let’s try to keep Eve out of our laboratory.