Standard Operating Procedure

LOCAL SAFETY OFFICER: Dave Vader
PRIMARY USERS: M. Gardel, M. Valentine, C. Brangwynne, V. Gordon, M. Hsu
ROOM: McKay 513
P.I.: David A. Weitz

DATE: August 17, 2006

TYPE OF RESEARCH: Cold room, Cell culture room, general work area and Office Space
HAZARDS: Toxic chemicals, compressed gas cylinder, UV lamp

COLD ROOM

• Keep the door closed at all times. Do not store dry ice in the Cold room.

BIOLAB AND CELL CULTURE ROOM

• In this room BIOSAFETY LEVEL 2 applies. Common standard microbiological work practices apply. 
• CONTACT Sid Paula (5-2345) and your Local Safety Officer before introducing potential biohazardous materials.  Inform all primary users of changes in kinds of biohazardous material.
• Individual risk and community risk are low.
• DO NOT enter this room without asking the Primary Users.
• ALL sample vials must be labeled with contents, owner's name, and a date.
• Wash hands after handling biological substances, after taking off gloves and before leaving the lab.
• Decontaminate work surface before and after work and especially after spills.
• Use 70% ethanol for decontamination.
• Use mechanical pipetting devices.
• Avoid aerosol formation; use the safety cabinet to contain aerosol-producing procedures.
• Place all solid biological waste in the biosaftey box in the Cell Culture room.
• Liquids must be disinfected with bleach or 70% ethanol before sink disposal.
• All sterile biological work is to be carried out in Bio-safety cabinet.
• No eating, drinking in the lab.

CELL CULTURE ROOM

• Users have responsibility to know appropriate handling and disposal of biohazardous material if different than stated above.  Contact Sid Paula with questions (5-2345).
• No cloth covered chairs

PROTECTIVE CLOTHING THAT MUST BE USED FOR ALL WORK:

• Check the MSDS section on protective clothing for each chemical in use. The MSDS are on the web at (http://www.uos.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/msds/ohsqform.pl) and are also kept in the drawer next to the sink in room 531.
• Safety Glasses - Must be used when working with any process that could throw off debris or any chemicals that could cause eye damage.
• Face Shields - Must be employed when working with any potentially violent reactions or when working with glassware that is under pressure or vacuum.
• Aprons - Should be worn when working with corrosives such as strong acids or bases.
• Gloves - Must be worn when working with any chemicals or cryogens. Proper glove selection is critical. At the Safety Committee web site ( http://www-safety.deas.harvard.edu ) under "Safety Committee Services" can be found a listing of glove type vs. chemical. If there is any question, see Lenny Solomon or your local safety officer.

GENERAL HOUSEKEEPING RULES:

1. Be respectful of other people when using shared facilities and clean up after yourself.
2. Returned borrowed tools ASAP to the tool chest from which they came.
3. Any glassware should be cleaned and hung to dry and/or put away before leaving the room.
4. Clutter should be avoided.

WASTE DISPOSAL RULES:

1. All glass should be disposed in an appropriate Broken Glass Waste Box.
2. ALL sharps (including razor blades and syringes) are considered a biohazard and must be disposed of in an appropriate Sharps Collection container.
3. Satellite Accumulation Areas (SAA) are located in rooms 531 and 513 (this room). All hazardous waste requires secondary containment and should be stored in in the SAA. Do not store incompatible chemicals (i.e. acids and bases) in the same secondary containment tray.
4. All chemical waste must have a university provided Hazardous Waste Tag on it. The tag should be properly filled out with all of the information except the date when the container first has waste put into it. Writing on the container itself is not acceptable. When a waste bottle is filled, the Hazardous Waste Tag must be DATED and EH&S must be called at once for waste pick-up. The number to call is 6-3322 and is printed on the green SAA sign posted in the SAA area.
5. Call EH&S for Bio-waste pickup.

FUME HOOD USE:

1. Fume hoods are for active use only. Do not leave chemicals or other materials in the fume hoods. All chemicals and materials in fume hoods must be labeled with your name, the date, and the substance.
2. All fumes hoods must be certified once per year. If you suspect a problem with a fume hood or notice that it is overdue for inspections tell your local safety officer who will call EH&S for an inspection.

CHEMICAL STORAGE:

Chemicals should be stored in the appropriate safety cabinet (flammables, acids, bases). No chemical should be left in a fume hood unless actively in use. The exception is Hazardous Waste which is stored in the fume hood in this lab.

SPECIAL TRAINING REQUIRED:

1. All lab personnel who generate Hazardous Waste must have current Hazardous Waste Disposal* training which includes the initial "live" training by Cathy Thomas (see schedule at: http://www-safety.deas.harvard.edu/services/seminars.html#hazardouswaste) and annual "online" refresher training which is located through http://www.uos.harvard.edu .
2. All lab personnel who work with compressed gases should take the Compressed Gas Safety* training.

   *All of the above mentioned training is offered through the DEAS Safety Committee.

CHEMICAL SPILL CLEAN-UP PROCEDURES:

1. Small spills should be cleaned up by those in the lab. There is a Spill Kit (big yellow box) located near the elevator.
2. For large spills, clear the area of personnel and call the University Operations Center (5-5560).

OTHER RELEVANT COMMENTS:

1. Do not attempt to use ANY equipment which you are not trained to use.
2. Be careful when you use the UV lamp in the Cell culture room. Do not expose yourself to the radiation.
3. Basic medical kit is near the elevator.
4. The eye wash is located by the sink and the safety shower is near the cold room.
5. If you have any questions ASK your local safety officer.