Biolab safety

General:

In general, the rules noted below are both for the sake of personal safety, as well as for the sake of quality of work. Cleaning up after working pays off in the sense that it does result in more reproducible and higher quality work.

• When in doubt, consult with Susanne. She is formally in charge of the safety in the Biolab.
• No drinking and eating in the lab.

Biolab:

In the biolab we have a special RNA bench. Everything which is used for RNA purposes is marked with the yellow, green tape. Always wear gloves when working at the RNA bench. Everything on the RNA bench should stay Rnase free and because your hands are covered with Rnases please protect them with gloves so that our samples will not break down.

Freezers/fridge:

• Refrain from opening the freezers/fridges for extensive periods of time (i.e. more than 30 seconds). The temperature will rise significantly, which will affect enzymes/samples. Use the cold blocks for this purpose.
• Be aware that we have an RNA fridge and freezer in the lab (marked with green, yellow tape). When you open this freezer always wear gloves. In this freezer / fridge everything should stay Rnase free and because your hands are covered with Rnases please protect them with gloves so that our samples will not break down.

Centrifuge:

• When using the centrifuge, be sure to close and tighten the black lid.
• Always balance your sample with some counterweight. If you do not do this, everyone will notice, since this generally results in an awkward/loud sound, which results in irreversible damage to the rotor. This is also very dangerous!
• Close the centrifuge lid after use to avoid dust accumulation on the rotor.

Pipets/Pipet tips:

• The worst thing any lab member can do is to use pipet tips that do not belong to him/her. Generally, when working with biological materials, you depend on the fact that you know the history of your pipet tips. Using tips that do not belong to you inevitably results in problems that are extremely annoying and extremely time-consuming to solve.
• Handle pipets with care, i.e. clean them after use, hang them in their racks and prevent them from falling on the floor. They are quite delicate and they form the basis of most of the work done in the MB biolab. If they are not working properly, this will negatively affect your experimental results.

Oven:

After autoclaving pipet tips or anything else, it is allowed to place them in the oven to get rid of water inside boxes. However, it is not the place to store them until use. For extended oven usage, please attach a note on the oven door how long it will be used

Fume hood:

We, as a lab, need to make sure that the fume hood is a place where one can efficiently and safely work with hazardous materials.

We have 2 different fume hoods, one in the biolab (especially for bases and/or acids) and one in the chemical lab (especially for organic compounds)

• Take appropriate measures for your own protection (labcoat gloves, or safety glasses); lower the window of the fume hood as far as possible, while still being able to work. The inward flow (which protects you) is bigger when it’s more closed.
• Do not store any chemicals in the hood!!!!!!
• Mark beakers with your name. Mark what’s inside. Unmarked containers will be thrown away!
• Clean all equipment you use.
• Never work in the hood while sitting on a chair in front of it.

Glassware:

• Put dirty glassware (beakers, plates etc.) in the metal tray at the left side of the kitchen block, but never in the sink. In the afternoon the dishwasher will be turned on by someone and cleaned out the next morning. There is a cleaning schedule in the biolab stating who’s turn it is to switch on the dishwasher and clean it out. When in a hurry, you can do it yourself by using program E of the dishwasher.
• At the end of the program E, open the door to let the glassware dry.
• New glassware can be purchased at the magazijn.

Chemicals:

• If you finish a wash bottle of EtOH, acetone, etc., refill it.
• When the stock of any general chemical runs out, get a new bottle from the Magazijn
• If you use organic solutions or acids: always use the fume hood.
• When working with acids or organics always use clean glassware. Make sure no residues are present. Strong acids like piranha solution can react very violently (explosively!!) with organics.
• Store acids under the fume hood (acid/base fume hood).
• Store organics in the special vented cabinet.
• When working with strong acids or dangerous chemicals: wear a lab coat, gloves and glasses.
• Discard chemicals in the right waste containers. Check the poster on the lab or the yellow book “chemiekaarten”. Other information about certain chemicals you can find in the MSDS files (material safety data sheets) of the suppliers or on the website of Chemwatch

Waste:

• Glass pipets, broken beakers, slides in the white bucket (marked with only glass ware) and small needles, scalpels in the special yellow boxes which are placed in the lab.
• Empty bottles in the blue box next to the organic storage cabinet.
• Put organic waste in the special waste containers in the organic storage cabinet.
• Put (strong) acids in the waste containers under the fume hood.
• Discard EtBr waste in the special containers under the imager.
• Don’t leave empty boxes etc., in the biolab if you have received a package.

Balances:

• Please check the level of the balance before use, if the level of the balance is not straight, it will effect your experimental result.
• Clean balance after use. It goes without saying that you should clean the balance with a solution that actually dissolves the thing you wish to get rid off.

Benches:

Clean benches after use.

Computer, Gel imager:

Usually people use the computer to look at or edit pictures taken from gels that contain Ethidium Bromide. This is a highly toxic compound that binds strongly to DNA, including to that of lab members. Ethidium bromide is a potent mutagen. After spilling remove the contamination and clean thoroughly with water. Be sure to wear gloves at one hand, which you will use for handling the agarose gels and use your clean hand for touching the computer, the mouse or the gel imager.


For any questions please contact:
Susanne Hage / Ya-Hui Chien (84265)


In case of fire or emergency: call 112 from the “normal” telephone (don’t press first 0 ) or call with your mobile phone 015-2781226

In other cases you can call Susanne,  mobile phone number (see group members list Elsemarieke).

ML1-lab:

In this lab we work with bacteria (genetically modified organisms, especially Escherichia coli). You are only allowed to work there if you have passed your ML1 exam and if you are registered at Lesley Robertson.For questions contact our BVF: Lesley Robertson 015-2782421or Susanne Hage 84265