Zoology Safety Manual

Safety Manual, March 2003, v. 2

An Introduction to the Common Laboratory Hazards Encountered in the Department of Zoology

Safety Manual, March 2003, v. 2
	An Introduction to the Common Laboratory Hazards Encountered in the Department of Zoology

NOTICE

This document is designed to outline the most commonly encountered hazards found in the Department.
It CANNOT be complete as each laboratory stocks hundreds of different chemicals and employs dozens of different protocols.
Each lab has particular hazards that you must learn about in consultation with your supervisor and colleagues.
Although your professor is responsible for training you to work safely and to provide a safe working environment, safety is a two-way street and you must help by asking questions and by following the advice you are given.

This document is NOT designed to replace the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's), operating instructions, biohazard, or radiation regulations, or the individual supervision you get in the lab.
You should always read the instruction manuals before using some new piece of equipment and, if you are using a chemical for the first time, look up its properties in the Merck Index and on the MSD sheets.
Understand thoroughly the potential hazards of new protocols and abide by the relevant biohazard or radiation regulations.
Learn first aid.
Above all, use your common sense.
You are doing research which employs hundreds of different compounds in an infinite variety of combinations. By its nature, research creates potential hazards that can only be appreciated by highly trained individuals.
If there is a procedure you do not understand, or are using hazardous materials that you are unfamiliar with, consult your supervisor before proceeding.
While the Department provides resources and training to identify the worst of these hazards, you are doing the experiments and you are ultimately responsible for your own safety.

Please read Appendix I before reading anything else.

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