PRACTICAL 2

Determination of sodium and potassium ion concentration: Appendix: Safety Regulations

Undergraduate Safety Regulations, School of Biological Sciences


  1. Smoking, eating and drinking in the laboratory are strictly forbidden.

  2. Students should purchase a laboratory coat and keep it clean and in good repair. Students without an adequate laboratory coat will not be allowed into the laboratory. The coat should be worn at all times in working areas and kept buttoned-up. Soiled laboratory coats are a potential hazard and should not be worn in areas where food and drink are consumed or outside the building. It is recommended that they should be wrapped in a plastic container when not in use and should be laundered regularly.

  3. Safety spectacles are provided, and you are urged most strongly to wear them at all times in the laboratory. You must wear them when doing anything hazardous or potentially hazardous. Protective gloves and face masks are also available, and will be recommended for use when necessary in specific experiments.

  4. Personal belongings are not to be brought into laboratories or placed where they can be contaminated. An area near the laboratory entrance will be reserved for bags, etc., and top-coats are to be left outside the laboratory.

  5. Toxic and/or corrosive chemicals will normally be dispensed from burettes or automatic dispensers. Use rubber bulbs or automatic pipettes for the transfer of all other toxic solutions and solvents.

  6. The most common cause of laboratory accidents is broken glass. Do not use broken, jagged or cracked glassware at any time. Return damaged apparatus, and dispose of broken glass in the special bins provided. Do not attempt to pick up broken glass with your bare hands.

  7. The second most common cause of accidents in the teaching laboratory is slipping on wet surfaces. Mop up any spillages of water etc. on the laboratory floor as soon as they occur and report any other observed wet areas.

  8. Keep benches clean and put away all apparatus not in use; carelessness and untidiness result in poor experimentation and can lead to accidents.

  9. Never use a bunsen burner unless the experimental protocol specifically instructs you to do so. Never light a bunsen burner until you have checked that there are no inflammable solvents nearby. If you have long hair, it must be secured before a bunsen burner can be used.

  10. Most solvents are inflammable and/or toxic. Whenever possible use them only in a fume hood. Waste solvents must be disposed of in special containers in the fume hoods, and not down the sinks.

  11. Do not operate any instrument with which you are unfamiliar; ask a demonstrator to show you how to use it.

  12. Do not rush or act hastily in a crowded laboratory. Think before you act, and if in doubt ask the help of a demonstrator.

  13. Students who feel unwell during a practical should report to the lecturer in charge. It is unsafe to work when ill.

  14. Each teaching laboratory has a first aid box containing bandages etc. for minor accidents. Always consult a demonstrator if you cut yourself. If you accidentally ingest any reagent or spill it on yourself, immediately rinse your mouth or the affected area and report the incident to a demonstrator.

  15. In the event of fire, raise the alarm, retire to a safe distance allowing the demonstrators and technicians to deal with the incident. In the case of major fire, the alarms will sound continuously, and you should leave the building by the nearest exit in an orderly manner. Do not congregate around exit doors and stairways.

  16. When using bench centrifuges, ensure that the correct types of tubes are used, that they are correctly balanced, and are placed diametrically opposite each other in the rotor. If the centrifuge becomes unbalanced whilst it is running it will become noisy or start to vibrate. Switch it off immediately. A demonstrator or a technician will check it before it is used again. Do not open the lid of any centrifuge until it has stopped spinning completely

  17. Immediately report any malfunction in electrical apparatus. Do not attempt to repair it yourself, however minor the fault appears to be. Report worn leads or loose connections.

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