cover your mouth and nose with a damp cloth to filter

out some of the harmful fumes

¾ Inform firefighting department of your area if you

feel the fire can go out of hand. Medium to large fires

should be reported irrespective of your preparedness to

handle them.

Laboratory Equipment (Table 1.1)

¾ Use all laboratory equipment as per manufacturer’s

recommendation

¾ Any instrument with moving parts, such as a centrifuge,

must be operated with a special regard for safety. Latch,

the lid before turning it on. On turning it off, do not

open the lid before it has come to a complete stop

¾ Autoclaves present special hazards. Strictly adhere to

manufacturer’s instruction to prevent explosions and

burns. Use insulated gloves while removing hot items

from the autoclave.

Glassware

¾ Use glassware that is free of chips and cracks. Damaged

glassware is weakened and may break, resulting in

injury

¾ Broken glass should be cleaned with a brush and

dustpan and not with bare hands

¾ Glass should not be discarded into regular trashcans,

but into rigid cardboard or plastic containers

¾ Wherever possible, replace glassware with plasticware.

Equipment Related Hazards

¾ Hypodermic needles: Accidental inoculation, aerosol

or spillage

¾ Centrifuges: Aerosols, splashing and tube breakages

¾ Culture stirrers, shakers, agitators: Aerosols, splashing

and spillage

¾ Refrigeration: If flammable chemicals are stored within

them, the light switches, thermostats, etc. can provide

sparks to ignite them

¾ Water baths: Provide ground for microorganismal

growth

(The risk of acquiring hepatitis B from a needle stick is

30%, hepatitis C is 2 to 10% and HIV is 0.3%).

Equipment/Materials Employed to Eliminate/Reduce

Hazards

¾ Laboratory apron: Assists in diminishing skin contacts

to a certain extent

TABLE 1.1: Fire fighting equipment

Fire fighting material Used for Contraindicated for

Fire blanket Clothing fire,

G small blaze

Electrical fires, flammable liquids, a small

blaze burning metals,

alkali metal

Water Paper, wood, fabric Electrical fires, flammable liquids, burning metal, alkali metal

CO2 fire