Safety
Policies and Procedures
Priorities
1. Safety: You are responsible for your safety and for those around you. Do not work in the
facility when you are tired, sick, medicated, or intoxicated. Read and understand
the safety
information in this manual, in equipment protocols, and in safety data sheets.
2. Facility and Equipment Integrity: Never compromise the equipment or facilities for your
research. Understand and abide by equipment restrictions. If you damage or contaminate
equipment while straying from equipment protocols, you could be liable for property
and
equipment damages that may include staff time, spare parts, vendor services, or equipment
replacement.
3. Your Research.
Code of Conduct
Assume responsibility for the lab. Follow safety, equipment, and cleanliness protocols,
even if
your work is not sensitive to contamination or particulates. Never leave a mess; if
you find one,
either clean it, ask the responsible parties to clean it, or notify staff. Report
equipment problems and
notify staff and other users if you have made a mistake or may have caused contamination.
Share
space and respect equipment reservations. Ask questions. The lab operates effectively
when
everyone is cordial, follows instructions, and communicates
Laboratory Item and Activity Restrictions
The following table lists items and activities that are restricted in all laboratory spaces, cleanroom and non-cleanroom. This is not an exhaustive list; be sure to ask if you have questions.
Partial List of Prohibited Items/Activities
|
Allowed Items/Activities
|
---|---|
Food or drink, gum, cough drops, mints, etc.
|
Cell phones, headsets
|
Smoking
|
Cameras (no flash in yellow rooms)
|
Offensive or obscene materials or media
|
Laptops, PDAs, e-readers, music players
|
Cardboard, fiberboard, wooden containers
|
Plastic items, plastic boxes, plastic containers
|
Paper, paper notebooks, books, magazines, etc.
|
Cleanroom paper, cleanroom notebooks
|
Pencils, erasers
|
Pens
|
Over-the-ear headphones
|
Ear bud headphones (keep at low volume)
|
Hats, coats, scarves, bags, backpacks, etc.
|
Laptops, e-readers, cell phones
|
Makeup, cosmetics
|
Dad jokes
|
Running, jogging
|
Sunny dispositions
|
Visitors
Visitors are not allowed in lab spaces without approval. If approved, an active MMF
user must
escort each visitor during his or her entire time in laboratory spaces and is responsible
for the
visitor’s actions and safety. Visitors are to abide by all safety measures expected
of laboratory users
and are not allowed to operate any laboratory equipment or perform any chemical operations.
Visitors are not allowed in the facility after normal hours or as buddies to meet
the buddy system
requirement.
Dress code
You and your clothing should be clean (i.e. free of dust or dirt) before entering
lab spaces. Avoid
clothing that sheds fibers such as wool, fur, fake fur, mohair, etc.
You must wear shoes that completely enclose the heel, toes, and top of your feet.
Socks or
stockings are required. Sandals, open-weave shoes, or shoes that expose the top of
the foot are not
allowed. High heels and deep-treaded shoes that hold mud or dirt are also not allowed.
Your shoes
should be clean and dry before entering the labs to avoid tracking mud, dirt or leaves
into the labs.
You must wear long pants that run from your shirt to your ankles. Shorts, short pants,
capris,
skirts and dresses are not allowed. During warmer weather, you may bring with you
a pair of
lightweight hospital-scrub style pants to wear over your shorts.
Your shirt must cover your shoulders and reach from the top of your arms to your pants.
Tank
tops, halter-tops, and spaghetti strap tops are not acceptable.
1. Safety Glasses
Safety glasses must always be worn in all labs. The MMF provides safety glasses, or
you may
choose to purchase your own glasses, if they meet ANSI Z87.1-2003 standards. You can
remove
your safety glasses when using optical microscopes but remember to put them back on
when you
step away from the microscope. Safety glasses alone are not acceptable for chemical
protection
when working with concentrated acids, bases, and oxidizers in the wet benches. Please
refer to the
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) section for details in chemical protection protocols.
2. Contact Lenses
Consistent with recent recommendations from the American Chemical Society, contact
lenses
are allowed in MMF laboratories, if safety glasses are always also worn. In the case
of an eye
exposure emergency, rinse at the emergency eyewash station with contacts in place
and remove
them while flushing.