Lab Safety Manual: Training

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rev 10/2014

To assure that all users of the Cole Science Center Laboratories are adequately informed about risks related to work in the laboratory and what to do if an accident occurs, all lab users including faculty, staff, and students will be required to attend training programs.

This manual and associated references are available to all faculty, staff, and students. Upon completion of training, participants will sign an acknowledgment form indicating that they have been trained, have received the Hampshire College Lab Safety Manual, and are aware of policies in the manual. Signed forms will be kept in the NS administration offices.

9.1 Faculty and Staff Training

Faculty and staff (and student workers) using the laboratories must attend the laboratory safety and fire safety training, provided annually at an NS school meeting. The following topics are reviewed:

• The Hampshire College Lab Safety Manual.
• The contents of the OSHA Occupational Exposures to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories Standard.
• Different types of chemicals, how they are stored and handled, and the labeling system used on chemical containers (naming and DOT hazards), including stockroom organization.
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and the information they contain.
• Different routes of exposure (e.g., dermal contact, ingestion, inhalation) and ways to prevent exposure.
• Personal protective equipment (e.g., goggles and lab coats) and proper glove selection
• Various types of hoods (fume, biological, etc.) and how to safely use them.
• The storage, use, and disposal of hazardous chemicals.
• Common lab and fire hazards and how to prevent accidents and fires in the lab.
• Emergency training, including:
  • What to do in the event of a chemical spill: use of drench showers and eye washes; and the location of spill/accident kits.
  • What to do in the event of a fire: available equipment and how and when to use fire extinguishers and blankets.
  • Where to gather outside during a building evacuation.

9.2 Student Training

Faculty and staff are responsible for assuring that their students are using safe laboratory practices while working in their laboratory classes or conducting projects or work for them. To assist in student awareness, training in lab safety and fire safety is provided by the faculty for laboratory classes early in each semester. This training is a condensed version of the training provided to faculty and staff. 

In addition, each student will be given a copy of "Summary of the Safety Manual" (Appendix 9-A). The handout can be referred to for commonly asked questions about laboratory procedures. A copy of the lab safety manual is available for students to refer to in the stockroom, and in each lab.

Students will be asked to sign a form to acknowledge that they have been trained in Hampshire College's lab safety policies for each and every NS lab class they are enrolled in. Student training forms must be submitted to the lab manager soon after the add/drop period ends for the semester.

Laboratory-based Division III students and paid laboratory workers complete online laboratory training specific to Cole Science Center requirements. Safety requirements are also discussed at a meeting of laboratory based Division III students each fall.

Appendix 9-A: Summary of Laboratory Safety Manual Rules and Procedures