Tag: research safety
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Reminder: Broken Glass Boxes
As a reminder, please avoid filling the broken glass box more than 3/4ths full. Sometimes the weight of the box can exceed 50 lbs and prevent custodial staff from moving it. If your lab is using the glass box to discard slides as well as empty, small glass vials, the weight of the box can…
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Your Green Holiday Checklist
Holidays are around the corner! Many of us will be taking some time off, but whether it is for a couple of days or a week, refer to the following Green Holiday Checklist to ensure that your lab space is green and sustainable before you leave for break: Turn off all computers and unplug any devices such as…
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Working Safely in Your Biosafety Cabinet
We have posted on our website a 15-min instructional video from Esco Biotech aimed to show standard operating procedures for working in Class II Biosafety Cabinets from start to shut down. EHSO encourages you to become familiar with the type of BSC in your laboratory be reviewing product specifications and recommended practices. An instructional poster…
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September Reminders
Just a few reminders for the month of September from EHSO: When moving Biological Safety Cabinets to a different floor or a different building, the BSC must be decontaminated prior to the move and affixed with the equipment hazard tag. Be sure to visit the regulated waste schedule. Personnel working in your lab who are…
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Clean Up, Clean Up
Recently, an employee from building residential services was injured after entering a lab space to perform routine cleaning after hours. The employee received a chemical burn after a corrosives bottle on the benchtop caught onto her sleeve and spilled acid on her arm. The container was left near the edge of the benchtop instead of…
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Sharps Safety Tips
Sharps are medical devices that can cut or puncture the skin, which include needles, razor blades, exposed ends of dental wires, capillary tubes, etc. These sharp safety tips will help prevent accidental punctures and cuts. Before working with sharps: Consider safer medical devices (blunt tip needles, retractable scalpels and blades, etc.). The CDC estimates that…
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Laboratory Safety: Electrical Hazards
This is the second part of our series on the hazards posed with electrical equipment. by: Nicole Campbell, Safety and Industrial Hygiene Specialist Background Last month, we reviewed two common issues we find in laboratories: frayed cords and improper use of extension cords. This month, we continue our discussion on the use of extension cords…
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How Do I Handle Contaminated Broken Glass?
Last month, we reviewed that only clean broken glass should go into the broken glass disposal box. This month, we will discuss how to dispose of broken glass contaminated with either a chemical or biological agent. As with any spill, you should consult your written Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), which contains specific guidance on cleaning…
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Laboratory Safety: Electrical Hazards
This is the first of a multi-part series on the hazards posed with electrical equipment. by: Nicole Campbell, Safety and Industrial Hygiene Specialist Background Laboratory workers may be exposed to electrical hazards including electric shock, electrocutions caused by short circuits and overloaded circuits and wiring. Most electrical-related incidents are caused by unsafe work practices or…
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What Can I Place into a Broken Glass Disposal Box?
A short article on the proper use of the broken glass disposal box. The purpose of the broken glass box (Image 2) is to safely store and dispose of any decontaminated/clean broken glassware and non-infectious slides. Sharps are disposed of in a sharps container (Image 3). UV lamps, microscope bulbs, and broken mercury thermometers…