Laboratory Safety: Preventing Contamination in the Laboratory

Among the challenges lab workers face daily avoiding contamination by toxins, corrosives and carcinogens, among other substances. This Video On Demand graphically depicts how easy it is to contaminate oneself, work surfaces, equipment, and other people when one is inattentive to details. The course demonstrates how safe work practices, engineering controls, good housekeeping and protecting materials and equipment create a safer environment for lab workers. Proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as lab coats, safety eyewear, face shields and gloves is reviewed and the importance of removing all PPE before leaving the work area is stressed. Hazardous materials can migrate beyond the work zone on notebooks, pencils, supplies, including PPE worn outside the lab.

Routes of hazardous substances into the body are reviewed. Lab workers are reminded of the potentially lethal consequences of accidentally ingesting chemicals by bringing food or drink into the lab, or by absentmindedly touching one's face or nose while working with hazardous substances. Keeping work surfaces and equipment clean, decontaminating all equipment after use, paying close attention to cleaning shared equipment, and employing the proper procedures when cleaning up is emphasized.

This online training effectively conveys the importance of lab safety and models the simple practices that improve the safety of your laboratory work environment.

This course has been updated to include GHS container labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for GHS compliance.

   This course is in the Video On Demand format, to read about Video On Demand features click here.

Laboratory technicians, lab assistants, chemistry teachers, chemists

• Introduction
• Protective Equipment & Engineering Controls
• Safe Work Practices
• Taking Precautions Against Contamination
• Protecting Materials & Equipment
• Review

• Laboratory Safety: GHS Safety Data Sheets in Laboratories
• Laboratory Safety: Handling Compressed Gas Cylinders in the Laboratory
• Laboratory Safety: Electrical Safety in the Laboratory