Safety rules in FC teaching laboratories
This document sets out the series of general safety and conduct rules for students and teaching staff who participate in laboratory teaching placements, as an appendix at the end of this document there is a simplification that will be available at all the faculty’s laboratories (approved by Government Commission 3/2025 on 29 July of the FC).
The placement shall imply compliance with the rules set out in these regulations. Failure to monitor and observe these rules may lead to the suspension of activities and the failure of placements as part of the subject’s assessment.
OBLIGATIONS
Students
- Always bear these regulations in mind.
- Take responsibility for the material used in practical classes, ensuring it is all returned in proper conditions for use by others.
- Immediately report any incidents that occur.
- Consider personal circumstances that may make them more susceptible or sensitive to possible risks (e.g. pregnancy, allergies, etc.).
Teaching staff responsible for practical classes
- Introduce students to the health risks posed by the practical classes to be completed and the personal circumstances that may enhance these risks.
- Introduce students to the personal protective equipment (PPE) needed at any given time.
- Provide tools for handling products, biological agents, equipment, and waste management during practical classes.
- Ensure the safety of students, if necessary, using their authority to ensure compliance with the rules.
- Never leave the teaching laboratory without supervision. If they are momentarily absent, they must be locatable.
RECOGNITION OF THE SPACE
-Locate the safety elements and familiarise yourself with them (extinguishers, fireproof blankets, security showers, eyewash stations, gas display cases, etc. Locate emergency exits and the first-aid kit.
-Identify the location of the printed collections of the security rules and product safety files.
USE OF THE LABORATORY
Personal habits, hygiene and personal protection rules
-Do not enter the laboratory with overcoats and personal items that are not necessary for the practise (lockers can be used to leave belongings).
- Always tie your gown (preferably made from cotton).
- Avoid wearing synthetic stockings, skirts or shorts so that your legs are always well protected in the event of possible spills.
- Always wear closed shoes and not sandals.
- Always tie back any long hair, it can be a source of accidents.
- Avoid objects that can stick, drag or hinder personal hygiene (necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, etc.).
- Avoid wearing contact lenses as, in the event of an accident, chemical products or their vapours may aggravate eye injuries. Otherwise, always wear security glasses adjusted to your face.
-Do not place objects in your mouth that have been on the worktable (pens, etc.) and do not bite your nails.
Do not eat, drink or chew gum in the laboratory. Do not keep food or drink there.
- Wash your hands before and after practical exercises and whenever they have been stained with potentially polluted materials.
- Take care not to touch your eyes and mouth after handling chemical or biological products.
- If the practice so requires, use the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) (glasses, gloves, etc.).
- When leaving the lab, take off your coat and wash your hands with soap and water.
- Inform the teacher of any personal circumstances that may make you more sensitive (pregnancy, allergies, pharmacological treatment, etc.).
Conduct in the laboratory
- Access to the laboratory is restricted to students participating in the practical exercise.
- Carefully read the corresponding guide and protocol before starting practical work.
Do not leave the laboratory before the end of the session without a justified reason and with the permission of the teacher in charge.
- If you have to move around the laboratory, take care and try not to interrupt the work of your peers.
-Never work in a rush. Think about what is being done at all times and what needs to be done. Plan tasks well in advance.
- Always work near the work bench.
Do not unnecessarily handle flames or matches. Using pizoelectric lighters is more advisable.
-Never carry out an experiment not authorised by the teacher in charge.
- At the end of a task, make sure you disconnect the devices, water and gases and collect materials, reagents, equipment, etc.
- Inform the teacher responsible for the practice of any accident or incident.
-Never work alone.
Conditions for order and cleaning the work area
- Keep it free from personal objects (folders, books, phones, etc.) that are not necessary for the task at hand.
- Keep tables and display cases clean and tidy.
- Immediately clean all spilt products, with the supervision of the teacher in charge.
- Always leave the material and equipment used in perfect condition
USE OF CHEMICAL PRODUCTS
-Never replace a chemical product in one experiment with another, unless it is under the indication or supervision of the teacher responsible for the task.
-Never carry chemical products in your pocket.
Identification
- Learn to recognise the meaning of pictograms when labelling dangerous chemical products.
- Read the label well before opening and using a specific product.
- Duly identify the solutions prepared in the laboratory (identify the product, the preparation date and the expiry date, if applicable) using fixed labels.
Never take a product from a non-labelled container.
-Never stick a label on top of an existing label.
Handling
- Always use safety glasses with front and peripheral protection when handling dangerous liquid products that may splash
- Handle products that release toxic, corrosive, irritant, lacrimogenic or flammable vapours inside the gas extraction display cases.
-Do not touch with your hands, inhale, taste or smell any chemical products you are not properly informed of.
- Avoid handling dangerous products in the vicinity of your eyes.
- Only open reagents when using them. Afterwards, close them correctly.
- Use the corresponding PPE when handling risky products: Use security glasses if there is a risk of dangerous liquid splashes or use a facial protection screen if there is a risk of large splashes.
For toxins or corrosives and, in general, for products with some degree of danger, use latex or nitril gloves to avoid contact.
In the case of products with a high or low temperature, use anti-thermal gloves.
-Never peel away the packaging from liquid products directly with your mouth. Always use special devices: test tubes, automatic pipettors, dispensers.
- Do not heat flammable products or move any chemical products in general close to a naked flame. Turn off the gas shut-off valve when it is not in use.
- For liquid products, do not insert the pipette inside the reactive bottle. (If this liquid is transferred to a precipitation vessel, it must be sealed with the product name and this must be done with all the chemical products, both solid and liquid being handled and transferred to precipitation basins, watch glass, porcelain capsules, vials, etc.)
-Do not unnecessarily transport reagents and/or products from one place to another. If you have to, hold them by the base and never at the top.
-Always use stands and supports.
Action in the event of an accident with a chemical product
- Follow the instructions in the Product Security Data Sheet (PSDS).
- If you inhale the chemical product, quickly breath in fresh air and consult the Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
- If it comes into contact with your skin, wash with abundant water for at least 10 minutes, without rubbing.
- In the case of contact with your eyes, wash them with water with your eyelids open for at least 10 minutes at the eyewash fountain.
- If ingested, before drinking water:
1.Consult the Product Security Data Sheet and check whether it indicates doing so.
2. Call the Toxicological Information Service (91 562 04 20)
In general:
Water should never be consumed unless advised to do so and we will provoke vomiting without a medical professional having indicated to do so.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
- Place each type of waste in the appropriate container, which will be properly labelled.
-Do not mix any waste that may be incompatible. If you have any queries, consult the teacher.
- Pour waste into the containers slowly and in a controller manner. Stop the task if you observe any abnormal phenomenon, such as the appearance of gas or excessive temperature increases.
Do not fill the containers to more than 90% of their capacity to avoid splashing, spills and overpressure.
-Do not pour any type of liquid product that reacts with water (sodium, hydrides, amides, acid halides), that is flammable (solvents), that has a bad smell (sulphur derivatives) or that is tear-producing (benzyl halides, haloketones), nor products that are difficult to biodegrade (polyhalogenates, such as chloroform) or toxic products directly down the sink.
-Do not pour solid products or waste down the sink that can clog them.
EVACUATION
If you hear an alarm (continuous sound), immediately stop what you are doing. Follow the instructions of the person leading the practical class (and emergency teams), and if they order the evacuation of the laboratory, follow these instructions:
• Remain calm.
•Don’t get distracted, don't get separated from your group, don't try to get out before those in front of you.
• Do not take folders, bags, backpacks or other bulky accessories that may hinder your departure and the departure of others.
• Respect emergency signage.
• Do not use lifts.
SECURITY ROUTINES
1.Read the safety regulations in the teaching laboratory carefully (add link or QR).
2.Familiarise yourself with the laboratory safety elements and the meaning of pictograms.
3.Always wear a buttoned up gown, as well as the personal protective equipment needed in each case: gloves, glasses and protective mask.
4.Do not eat or drink in the laboratory. Move around with precacution and do not rush inside the laboratory.
5.Carefully read the guide and protocol before starting work. Use equipment and instruments properly and don’t perform any unauthorised experiments.
6.Make sure that material is in perfect condition and assemblies are correct.
7.Handle all chemical products with particular care. Never locate, inhale or taste chemical products.
8.Use the extractor display cases to handle products that produce toxic or corrosive vapour.
9.If glass material is spilt or broken, check how to collect or clean it.
10.Place waste in the designated places and do not dispose of chemical waste down the sink without first consulting the teacher.
11.Keep your working area clean and tidy. Leave the material clean and tidy at the end of the session.
12.Wash your hands when leaving the laboratory and whenever you consider doing so necessary.
13. If you have any doubts, or if you detect any risks, please notify the teaching staff.