The DMSE Safety Manual

Index

INTRODUCTION

Unfortunately, we tend to think of safety only after an accident. Laboratory safety, however, deserves and requires the same planning and attention that is given to research and teaching; it must not be an afterthought. There are both civil and criminal legal consequences of liability; and there are federal, state, and local laws that codify and regulate safe practices and environmental hazards. The details in the regulations that govern safety, environmental hazards, and waste disposal are changing and evolving, but the principles that underlie the approaches to these problems have not changed: when we are in the laboratory, we must think about what we are doing, we must be aware of the dangers, and we must know what to do if an accident occurs.

This manual is not intended to be an all-inclusive treatment of laboratory safety, first aid, and government regulations. Some common laboratory dangers are reviewed, and some cautions on waste disposal are presented. We ask everyone, however, to be thoroughly knowledgeable about what to do in an emergency - what to do in case of a fire, how to summon help, what to do at the scene, and how to minimize injury and trauma. Above all, we ask everyone to think ahead about preventing accidents and about the potential hazards in their laboratory activities. Information in this manual is supplemental to that in other useful sources, such as the documentMIT Policies And Procedures For Environmental Health And Safety.

Safety, environmental hazards, and waste disposal problems are now an inescapable part of our technological society. As students you are in a learning phase. As laboratory workers, supervisors, and managers, you will bear increasing responsibility, and liability, for your actions, or lack of action. This manual is intended to introduce you to what must become a continuing education and concern with these problems.

All students must pass a safety test before using DMSE laboratory facilities; contact Frederick Wilson (13-4078/X3-6866) to arrange an appointment. Safety training in the laboratory must be ongoing. The safety training subjects should include (but not be limited to): accident reporting and workers' compensation, biological and chemical safety, electrical safety, emergency procedures, fire safety, hazardous waste disposal, industrial hygiene, material handling techniques, radiation protection, and the Right-To-Know Law.

You must also keep in mind that the information in this document, and that covered in the Safety Quiz, treats only the general concepts underlying all procedures. The faculty supervisor is required to give you specific information covering the procedures of the particular laboratory you'll be working in. This is for your own safety, and if for whatever reason the faculty member is remiss in carrying out this important duty, you should - and must - insist on receiving the individual laboratory briefing.

Safety Notice Cards:

Each laboratory door must have a Green Safety Notice Card displayed on it. This card must contain the name(s) of individuals to contact if a laboratory emergency requires their notifications. The card must be up-dated whenever new people are assigned to the lab. New cards may be obtained from Frederick Wilson (13-4078/X3-6866) or from the MIT Safety Office.

Additional Resources:

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WHAT TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY

1. PULL the FIRE/EMERGENCY ALARM closest to the emergency, and evacuate the Building The meeting places are: the porticoes of Building 13 and Building 9, or the portico of Building 26, if Building 9 is also in an emergency. Laboratory supervisors/leaders should account for the members of their group, to determine if anyone is still in the Building If you think someone is still inside the building, notify the Fire Marshal/Campus Police/Emergency Response Team.

2. DIAL 100 from a safe location, give your name, the location of the emergency, and describe the emergency as best you can. Stay on the phone until the police dispatcher hangs up.

3. After the emergency, promptly report the incident to Prof. Harry Tuller, DMSE Safety Officer, (room 13-5025, phone 3-6890, email hltuller@mit.edu).

Epitaxy Laboratories: Room 13-3055 and 3064 are functional Chemical Beam and Molecular Beam Epitaxy laboratories. Research machines in these laboratories use, within their confines, one or more highly toxic gases (arsine, hydrogen selenide, and phosphine). Every effort has been made to insure that these laboratories are a safe addition to Building 13 and the MIT Community.

The third floor of Building 13 has auto-close doors in the west end corridors (i.e., the corridors that go toward Mass. Ave.). These doors are posted with signs that read: "DO NOT ENTER."

When a toxic gas detector senses a leak, the following sequence of action occurs:

a. The fire/emergency alarm is triggered.

b. The "DO NOT ENTER" automatic doors are closed.

After the fire/emergency alarm has sounded, horizontal egress from the third floor of Building 13, through the "Do Not Enter" posted doors, should never be attempted.

People on the third floor of Building 13 who are situated east of the automatic doors should exit by the center stairwell or the east stairwell. If you work inside the automatic closing doors, evacuate by the nearest exit.

Building 13 locations

A floor plan showing Building 13 emergency exits, fire alarm pull stations, emergency showers, fire extinguishers, evacuation instruction, and other important information is posted on each floor opposite the passenger elevators. We encourage you to become familiar with the locations of the fire/emergency alarm pull stations on your floor. Building 13 has four emergency Egress Stairwells: The north stairwells (the even numbers side, facing Vassar St.) are located at the center of the building, and at the east end. The south stairwells (the odd numbers side, facing the Charles River) are located at the west end of the building, and behind the passenger elevators. All stairwells are identified with lighted "Exit" signs. Wheelchair egress from the west end of Building 13 into Building 9 is from the second, third , and fourth floors. (see special instructions for third floor egress under Epitaxy Laboratories below). Wheelchair egress into Building 10 is from the fourth and fifth floors of Building 13.

Dial 100 for :

Dial FIXIT (3-4948) for:

Important Phone Numbers:

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THE SAFETY PROGRAM

The Safety program incorporates only a few principles, but each one is important.

These principles are:

The Practice of Safety

The definition of a safe practice may seem to be a subjective matter. In order to have an effective safety program, however, some common ground rules must be established, and this is a principal purpose of this Safety Manual. Students shall be informed, in a briefing conducted by the faculty supervisor, of the presence of laboratory hazards when assigned to a work area and before new hazards are introduced. Some of the basic safety practices that you are expected to follow are:

Of course, the list does not really end here. Each situation requires its own safety practices, which you are expected to know or find out before performing an experiment.

Concern for Safety

Your concern for safety must include the people around you. Your experiment must be safely maintained so that everyone in the area is amply protected and warned of inherent dangers. In addition, this principle of looking out for the other person should include the practice of pointing out unsafe procedures that you observe to those people committing the unsafe act. This practice could involve something as simple as reminding a friend to wear safety glasses. Another aspect of this principle involves alerting those around you of an accident. It is your responsibility to alert personnel in the immediate vicinity of a fire or emergency.

Understanding the Hazards

You must understand the hazards associated with your experiment. Prior to starting work, a data sheet including toxicological information, and any special handling requirements, should be prepared for each chemical or metal having unfamiliar properties. Toxicology texts are available, and some are listed in this Safety Manual under the heading of Toxic Hazards. The MIT Environmental Medical Service (EMS) maintains a reading room with many additional sources of information. EMS personnel are also available to review projects with you. Your experiment must be properly vented under a functioning fume hood. Check the hood label. Chemicals must be stored and disposed of properly. If you have any question, call the MIT Safety Office . See the document Waste Chemicals for waste disposal procedures at MIT.

Response to an Emergency

You must be prepared to respond quickly and properly to an emergency. This means familiarizing yourself with the building, the exits, and the associated safety equipment, such as eye-wash stations, showers, fire blankets, fire extinguishers, and spill kits. Just a few moments spent learning the locations and use of these pieces of equipment prior to an emergency could save a life.

In an emergency of an infiltrating nature such as a fire, gas leak, release of poisonous fumes, or radiation leak, the following procedures should be followed:

  1. Alert personnel in the immediate vicinity.
  2. Evacuate the Building. Evacuating the building means going to the nearest exit without delay. The elevator should never be used during an emergency.
  3. Summon aid. Dial 100 (from a safe location). The Fire Department, the Police Department, and the Infirmary can be contacted by dialing 100. You should be prepared to state precisely the location and nature of the emergency.
  4. Report pertinent information to responding emergency personnel. Meet the responding emergency personnel and report pertinent information, such as: personnel trapped, specific location of incident, hazardous materials or equipment involved. If the emergency does not necessitate a confinement or evacuation procedure, such as an individual being injured, you must still be prepared to alert nearby personnel and summon aid. You may also have to administer some emergency treatment yourself. This emergency treatment could involve the use of safety equipment mentioned previously.

Reports

Any accident should be reported immediately to the laboratory supervisor. The supervisor will be required to write a detailed report on the accident describing the causes, the injuries and damages, and the actions taken to prevent a re-occurrence. These reports should be sent to Prof. Tuller (3-6890) and to the MIT Safety Office .

The remainder of this Safety Manual presents examples of hazards that you are likely to encounter in the laboratory and what you should do about them to minimize their danger to you and to others.

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FIRST AID

In a medical emergency, summon professional medical attention immediately by dialing 100. Provide first aid within the scope of your training while waiting for professional help to arrive. Be prepared to describe accurately the nature of the accident.

Use of Emergency Equipment

Everyone working in Building 13 labs must know how to use emergency equipment such as spill kits, safety showers, and eye wash apparatus. Know where these items are located in your laboratories.

Thermal Burns

Chemical Burns

Traumatic Shock

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GENERAL SAFETY RULES

General

Laboratory Practice

Glassware

Use a "sharps" container for disposal of broken/needles and syringes (a label is required); see the document Disposal Of Sharps for rules issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Equipment

Gas Cylinders

Vacuum Systems

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CHEMICAL SAFETY

Toxic Hazards

Researchers should be aware of the toxic hazards of the materials they are using, and those being used by others in their vicinity. Toxic materials may enter the body through the skin, inhalation, and/or ingestion. Care should be taken to prevent these means of entrance when handling toxic materials. Standard reference works on toxic (and hazardous) materials include:

The MIT Office of Environmental Medical Services maintains a reading room with up-to-date reference material and has personnel who are experienced in handling toxic materials.

Chemical Waste Disposal

Each laboratory supervisor has the responsibility for seeing that laboratory waste chemicals are safely collected, identified, and stored for disposal, and that anyone involved is fully advised of the need for any special methods or facilities for proper disposal. See the document Waste Chemicals for proper procedures for chemical waste disposal at MIT. Budget requests and research grant applications should include funds to pay the expenses of special neutralization, storage, shipping or other unusual costs of chemical waste disposal.

Unattended Chemical Reactions

Take great care in setting up chemical reactions that are to be left unattended for any period of time. The possible hazards that might arise from failure of a heating mantle (overheating), failure of a water cooling system (hose becoming disconnected or bursting), and failure of an exhaust (if flammable solvents or poisonous gases are evolved), are obvious points to check before leaving a reaction unattended. Any reaction that is left unattended should be clearly labeled as to the nature of the reaction and its components, the possible hazards (i.e., poisonous vapors), and the name and phone number of the experimenter.

Before beginning a chemical reaction, the experimenter should have an idea of how it will proceed. Thus, ice baths can be ready if it is exothermic; a vent should be available if gases are generated; automatic shut down should be incorporated in the event of loss of electrical power, cooling water, etc.

Ethers

Dispose of opened ether when it is six months old, by calling the Safety Office. Ethyl ether, isopropyl ether, 1,4-dioxane, tetrahydrofuran and many other ethers tend to absorb and react with oxygen from the air to form unstable peroxides that may detonate with extreme violence when they become concentrated by evaporation or distillation, when combined with other compounds that give a mixture that can be detonated, or when disturbed by unusual heat, shock, or friction (sometimes as little as unscrewing the bottle cap). This class of compounds should be avoided if there is a safer alternative. It is generally recommended that ethers that will form peroxides be stored in full, airtight, amber glass bottles, preferably in the dark, or in metal containers. Although ethyl ether is frequently stored under refrigeration, there is no evidence that refrigerated storage will prevent formation of peroxides. Furthermore, leaks can result in explosive mixtures even in refrigerators, since the flash point of ethyl ether is -45 C (-49 F). Refrigerators must be lab safe type.

High Energy Oxidizers

The momentum imparted to glass fragments by explosion or detonation of 0.25g or less of high energy oxidizers can be absorbed by protective clothing consisting of leather gloves, coat, and face shield over safety glasses. Hazards can be minimized by diluting oxidizers, limiting the experiment to small-scale reactions, and remote operation behind safety barriers.

Perchloric Acid and Perchlorates

Cold perchloric acid has the properties of a strong acid. When hot, it is also a strong oxidizing and dehydrating agent. It becomes unstable with time and will detonate under shock. Perchloric compounds will often explode as a result of heating, contact with flame, impact or friction, or spontaneous combustion. Perchloric acid forms explosive compounds with both organic and inorganic chemicals. Because of these hazards, perchloric acid must be used in a specially ventilated hood equipped with water spray and wash down, in which no other types of chemical reactions have ever been vented, and which is not lubricated with organic lubricants. It is imperative that no one attempt to store or use perchloric acid or perchlorate compounds without prior knowledge, instruction, and supervision by or approval of senior laboratory personnel.

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RADIATION SAFETY

A number of acute and long term effects on humans have been related to exposure from various types of ionizing radiation. Radiation hazards arise when using radio-isotopes, lasers, x-ray generators and plasma torches. Each is hazardous in a unique way. A thorough knowledge of the device or the isotope that is to be used is mandatory. The precautions vary widely. Information pertaining to the particular hazard should be obtained from the facility prior to use, or from the Radiation Protection Office of the Environmental Medical Services. However, several precautionary procedures should always be followed:

Class IIIb and class IV lasers require a written Standard (Safe) Operating Procedure (SOP), and registration with the MIT Radiation Protection Office (send a copy of your SOP to Frederick Wilson (13-4078/X3-6866).

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ELECTRICAL SAFETY

Electricity is in constant use both within and outside the laboratory, but significant physical hazard or death may result from its misuse. With direct current, a male can detect a "tingling" feeling at 1 mA and the median "let-go" threshold (the current at which he cannot release the conductor) is 76 mA. For 60 Hertz alternating current, the values are 0.4 mA and 16 mA respectively. Women are more sensitive to the effects of electrical current than males; approximately 2/3 of the above currents is needed to produce the same effect ("Electrical Hazards 5.1," Technical Information, MIT Safety Office). Higher currents produce respiratory inhibition, then ventricular fibrillation, and ultimately cardiac arrest.

Although minute electrical shocks are generally considered annoying rather than harmful, such shocks constitute an ominous warning of the presence of potentially hazardous conditions. The device in question should be disconnected immediately and the cause ascertained by a person competent in such matters. Work on electrical devices should be done only after the power has been shut off in such a manner that it cannot be turned on accidentally. Internal current-carrying devices such as capacitors must be discharged.

All "home-made" electrical apparatus should be inspected and approved by someone competent in electrical circuitry before being placed in service.

Observe the following rules when working with electrical equipment:

In the event of a small electrical fire:

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CRYOGENIC SAFETY

When using a liquid nitrogen cold trap, charge the trap only after the system is pumped down. Otherwise, considerable amounts of liquid oxygen could condense, thus creating a major hazard.

Handle any liquefied gas carefully. At these extremely low temperatures, these gases can produce an effect on the skin similar to a burn. Eyes should be protected with a face shield or safety glasses. Gloves should be worn. Stand clear of the boiling and splashing liquid and its issuing gas. Should any liquefied gas contact the skin or eyes, immediately flood that area of the body with large quantities of unheated water and then apply cold compresses. Oxygen is removed from the air by liquid nitrogen. Therefore, use liquid nitrogen only in a well-ventilated area so that the ambient oxygen concentration does not drop lower than 16% (same for liquid helium). The high pressure gas hazard is always present when cryogenic fluids are used, since these are usually stored at the boiling point. Never obstruct the vent valve on cryogenic containers. Wood or asphalt saturated with liquid oxygen has been known to explode when subjected to mechanical shock.

An excellent source of reference, which is strongly recommended for anyone working with cryogenic materials is Safety with Cryogenic Fluids, Michael G. Zabetakis, Plenum Press, New York, New York, 1967.

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FIRE SAFETY

Emergency Procedures

If your clothes ignite, stop, drop, and roll to smother the flames. Do not run; running only intensifies the flames. When fire blankets are readily available, use them to wrap around yourself to aid in putting out the fire.

If a fire starts, call for assistance by pulling the nearest fire alarm box, and evacuate the building (do not use the elevators). DIAL 100 from a safe location and give what information you have. Do not return to the building unless permitted to do so by the Fire Department.

Precautionary Procedures

The informational document Guide to Classes of Fires provides some guidance on firefighting methods, but do not try to fight a fire yourself if you are uncertain of being able to handle it; call for help.

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