LABORATORY SAFETY: GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS BSL 121 Microbiology Laboratory THE MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY IS A BIOSAFETY LEVEL

II (BSL-2) FACILITY, WHICH REQUIRES CERTAIN SAFETY PRACTICES AND PRECAUTIONS. THESE RULES CLARIFY AND AMPLIFY THE SAFETY AND LABORATORY GUIDELINES FOLLOWED IN THIS LABORATORY. THE GUIDANCE HERE IS TO BE FOLLOWED WITHOUT EXCEPTION. THIS IS A CONTRACT BETWEEN YOU AND THE MICROBIOLOGY LABORATORY. 1. ALWAYS WEAR YOUR LAB COAT WHEN IN THE LAB. IT MUST BE KNEE LENGTH, COTTON OR POLYESTER/COTTON BLEND, WITH LONG SLEEVES ALWAYS WORN FULLY BUTTONED. LAB COATS SHOULD NOT BE WORN OUTSIDE THE LAB. LONG PANTS OR SLACKS MADE OF A NATURAL FIBER (SUCH AS COTTON, LINEN, SILK, AND WOOL) AND SHOES MADE OF A WATER PROOF OR WATER RESISTANT MATERIAL THAT FULLY COVER THE FEET MUST BE WORN IN THE LAB. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO BE IN THE LAB WITHOUT PROPER APPAREL. BEFORE YOU GRAB YOUR CULTURES FROM THE INCUBATOR OR FRIDGE YOUR LABCOAT MUST BE ON AND BUTTONED. 2. GUM CHEWING IS NOT PERMITTED IN THE LAB. DO NOT CHEW ON YOUR PENCIL. ALL DRINKS MUST BE PLACED ON THE DRINK STAND OUTSIDE THE LABORATORY. 3. CLEAN YOUR WORK AREA BEFORE AND AFTER YOU DO YOUR EXERCISES WITH WESCODYNE. PLACE THE USED PAPER TOWELS INTO THE REGULAR WASTEPAPER CONTAINERS. 4. NEVER PIPET ANYTHING BY MOUTH. PIPETTING AIDS MUST BE USED. YOUR INSTRUCTOR WILL DEMONSTRATE HOW TO INSTALL THE AIDS ON THE PIPET. 5. WASH YOUR HANDS THOROUGHLY WITH SOAP AND WATER BEFORE YOU START YOUR EXPERIMENTS, WHENEVER YOU DEPART THE LAB, WHENEVER YOU REMOVE GLOVES FROM YOUR HANDS, AND WHENEVER YOU MAY SNEEZE OR COUGH ONTO YOUR HAND(S). IF YOU HAVE A KNOWN SPILL OF CULTURE ONTO ANY SKIN SURFACE WASH THE AFFECTED AREA TWICE WITH SOAP, THEN WITH ETHANOL THEN SOAP AGAIN. 6. IN THE CASE OF A SPILL OR ACCIDENT WITH ANY CONTAMINATING MATERIAL (PRESENCE OF ANY ORGANISMS) INFORM YOUR INSTRUCTOR IMMEDIATELY. 7. PUT NOTHING THAT IS CONTAMINATED INTO THE REGULAR WASTEPAPER BASKETS. 8. CLEAN UP YOUR WORK AREA WHEN FINISHED. PUT SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT BACK EXACTLY WHERE YOU FOUND THEM. BRING EMPTY CONTAINERS TO THE ATTENTION OF YOUR INSTRUCTOR. 9. WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED WITH A CULTURE, IT MUST BE PLACED IN AN APPROPRIATE LOCATION: THE PROPER INCUBATOR. WHEN YOU DISCARD A CULTURE, PLACE PETRI DISHES INTO THE LARGE RED PLASTIC BUCKETS AT THE DISCARD AREA. PLACE TUBES UPRIGHT INTO THE BLUE RACKS IN THE DISCARD AREA. CAPS SHOULD BE TIGHT. FILL ONE RACK OR CONTAINER COMPLETELY BEFORE STARTING ANOTHER.

10. DISCARD USED PIPETS, USED COTTON TIPPED APPLICATORS (SWABS), USED OXIDASE STRIPS AND WOODEN APPLICATORS, USED TONGUE DEPRESSORS, AND USED SLIDES (EXCEPT COMMERCIALLY PREPARED SLIDES AND CONCAVE SLIDES) INTO THE SMALL WHITE

BIOHAZARD BUCKETS LOCATED AT THE DISCARD STATION. IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT WHERE TO DISCARD SOMETHING, ASK YOUR INSTRUCTOR.

11. BURNERS SHOULD NOT BE LEFT UNATTENDED WHEN LIT. EXTINGUISHED WHENEVER IT IS NOT IN USE.

IT SHOULD ALSO BE

12. ALL CHILDREN ARE PROHIBITED FROM LABORATORIES AND OTHER AREAS WHERE SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARDS AND LIABILITIES EXIST. 13. STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO NOT WEAR CONTACT LENSES IN THIS LAB, BUT TO WEAR REGULAR GLASSES INSTEAD. IF WORN, CONTACT LENSES WILL NOT BE REMOVED, HANDLED, OR APPLIED IN THE LAB. 14. GLOVES (LATEX OR VINYL) MUST BE WORN IF THE SKIN ON THE HANDS IS BROKEN OR IF A RASH IS PRESENT, AND WHEN SO DIRECTED BY YOUR INSTRUCTOR. USED GLOVES ARE CONSIDERED CONTAMINATED AND WILL BE DISCARDED IN ONE OF THE LARGE BIOHAZARD CONTAINERS. 15. ANYONE WHO ENTERS A MICROBIOLOGY LAB WHO IS IMMUNOCOMPROMISED OR IMMUNOSUPPRESSED MUST IMMEDIATELY MAKE THIS FACT KNOWN TO THE LAB COORDINATOR.

YOU ARE EXPECTED TO FOLLOW THESE RULES EVERY TIME YOU ARE IN THE LABORATORY. NO EXCEPTIONS.