Safety

Autoclaves are essential tools to sterilize equipment, materials, and even biohazardous waste by using high-pressure steam. However, like any powerful tool, autoclaves require careful handling and adherence to safety protocols to prevent accidents and ensure effective sterilization. Here are some key points about autoclave safety:

1. Proper Training: Anyone operating an autoclave should receive thorough in-person training from the Laboratory Safety Manager (jyu@kgi.edu) on its use, including safety procedures. This training should cover how to load and unload materials safely, how to set the correct parameters for sterilization, and what to do in case of emergencies.
2. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Always wear appropriate PPE when working with an autoclave. This typically includes heat-resistant gloves, a lab coat or gown, and safety goggles or a face shield to protect against steam and potential splashes.
3. Ventilation: Autoclaves produce steam and, depending on the materials being sterilized, can also emit unpleasant odors. To mitigate this, it's crucial to activate the ventilation system in the autoclave room. This prevents the accumulation of hot, humid air and minimizes the spread of any unwelcome smells. Additionally, proper ventilation plays a key role in eliminating any chemical vapors that might be released during the process.
4. Load Capacity: Never overload the autoclave beyond its specified capacity. Overloading can compromise the effectiveness of sterilization and may also damage the autoclave itself.
5. Proper Loading: Arrange items inside the autoclave carefully to allow steam to circulate freely around them. Use appropriate containers and packaging materials designed for autoclaving.
6. Monitoring: Continuously monitor the autoclave while it's in operation to verify its proper functioning. Look out for signs such as leaks, unusual sounds, or variations in pressure and temperature. If an alarm activates, promptly abort the cycle and notify the Laboratory Safety Manager for immediate assistance.
7. Cooling Period: After sterilization, allow sufficient time for the autoclave and its contents to cool before opening the door. Hot items and steam can cause burns.

By following these safety guidelines, autoclave users can minimize risks, protect themselves and others, and ensure the reliability of sterilization processes. For more details on Autoclave safety, please carefully review KGI’s Autoclave Safety Policy & Procedure.

In laboratory settings, it's crucial to adhere to strict safety guidelines when handling compressed gas cylinders. These cylinders should be stored upright in well-ventilated areas, double chained, clearly labeled with the gas they contain and kept secure with valve protection caps intact. Handling should be done with care using appropriate equipment like cylinder carts, and regular inspections for leaks, damage, or corrosion are necessary. Proper ventilation, the use of correct regulators, and the prohibition of ignition sources nearby are paramount to prevent accidents. Additionally, personnel should be trained in emergency procedures, and regular inspections should be conducted to ensure compliance with safety standards, all contributing to a safer working environment in labs.

Please refer to KGI’s Gas Cylinder Safety Policies for more details.

Fume hoods are essential safety equipment in laboratories, designed to protect personnel from exposure to hazardous fumes, vapors, and particles. It's crucial to follow specific safety protocols when using fume hoods to ensure their effectiveness. Always keep the sash closed to the recommended height during use to maintain proper airflow and containment of hazardous substances. Avoid cluttering the workspace inside the fume hood to allow for optimal air circulation. Use chemical-resistant gloves and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling hazardous materials. Regularly inspect the fume hood for any signs of damage, leaks, or airflow issues, and report any concerns to maintenance promptly. For more details, please review KGI’s Laboratory Fume Hood Safety Policies.

Broken glass and sharps safety are critical considerations in research labs to prevent injuries and potential exposure to hazardous materials. Proper procedures must be followed for handling, disposal, and cleanup:

1. Handling: Always use caution when handling glassware and sharps. Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves and safety goggles, to minimize the risk of cuts and exposure to harmful substances.
2. Storage: Store glassware and sharps in designated containers that are puncture-resistant and clearly labeled. Never leave broken glass or sharps lying around the lab.
3. Disposal: Dispose of broken glass and sharps in designated broken glass container or sharps containers. Do not dispose of them in regular trash bins to prevent injuries to waste handlers.
4. Cleanup: In case of broken glass or sharps, use a dustpan and brush or tongs to carefully collect the pieces. Never pick up broken glass or sharps with bare hands. Dispose of the collected pieces in the appropriate sharps container.
5. Reporting: Report any incidents involving broken glass or sharps to lab supervisors or safety officers immediately. Follow KGI's protocol for reporting and addressing such incidents.
6. Training: It is PI’s responsibility to ensure that all lab personnel are trained in proper glassware handling, sharps disposal, and cleanup procedures.

By following these guidelines and promoting a culture of safety in research labs, the risk of injuries and exposure related to broken glass and sharps can be significantly reduced.

Purpose

The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (CAL-OSHA) has promulgated a regulation covering the occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories. Included in this regulation is a requirement for Keck Graduate Institute to develop and carry out a chemical hygiene plan including a chemical spill response guideline.

Chemical Hygiene Plan

Scope

All laboratory personnel must understand and follow the guidelines outlined in this plan. In addition, each employee is expected to develop safe, personal, chemical hygiene habits aimed at minimizing chemical exposures to themselves and coworkers. This Chemical Hygiene Plan will be reviewed, evaluated, and updated annually and must be made readily available to employees, their representatives, and any representative of CAL-OSHA. “Laboratory use of hazardous chemicals” means the handling or use of such chemicals in which all of the following conditions are met:

• Chemical manipulations are carried out in containers designed to be easily and safely manipulated by one person.
• Multiple chemical procedures or chemicals are used.
• The procedures involved are not part of a production process, nor in any way simulate a production process.
• Personnel Protective Equipment is available and in common use to minimize the potential for employee exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for chemical handling are vital documents that delineate safe and proper protocols for working with hazardous substances in laboratories. These SOPs are crucial guidelines aimed at minimizing risks, preventing accidents, and ensuring regulatory compliance. It is imperative for each laboratory to develop their own SOPs tailored to the specific hazardous chemicals used within their facility.

KGI SOP template (Ethedium Bromide)

Ethidium Bromide Working Area Sign

Hazardous Chemical Waste Regulations

Disposal of hazardous waste is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) under the Resource California Department of Conservation (RCRA). This Act makes it illegal to mismanage hazardous wastes. RCRA’s goals are to protect us from the hazards of waste disposal; conserve energy and natural resources by recycling and recovery; reduce or eliminate waste; and clean up waste that which may have spilled, leaked or been improperly disposed of.

EPA regulations, or rulemakings, translate the general mandate of RCRA into a set of requirements for the Agency and the regulated community. The RCRA hazardous waste program regulates commercial businesses as well as federal, State, and local government facilities that generate, transport, treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste.

Hazardous Chemical Waste Disposal Procedures

The Laboratory Safety Manager at Keck Graduate Institute oversees the disposal of chemical waste generated from KGI operations. The responsibility for the cost of waste disposal lies with KGI itself, rather than individual laboratories, to ensure that there are no barriers to properly managing chemical waste. A quarterly pickup schedule is arranged with an offsite waste management company for the collection of waste. To facilitate this process, all waste must be clearly labeled with hazardous waste identification tags and stored in designated areas within the laboratory until pickup occurs.

KGI Hazardous Waste Identification Tag

Minimizing Hazardous Chemical Waste Generation

• Maintain a Current Inventory
  The first step to effectively minimizing the amount of hazardous waste generated is to maintain a current inventory of all chemicals being used and stored in labs and work areas. Check chemical inventories first before ordering any new chemicals. It may also be possible to borrow small amounts of chemicals from other labs. Please take the time to check with your colleagues.
• Purchasing Chemicals
  When ordering new chemicals, order the amount of chemicals needed for the experiment being conducted. Do not order a larger size container for an experiment that will only last a semester or for an experiment that may occur in the future. Although chemicals usually cost less per unit when purchased in larger containers, when the actual usage, storage, and disposal are factored in, the cost savings diminishes significantly and may result in higher costs overall. In addition, chemicals in large containers that are not used frequently can be rendered useless over time by contamination or degradation. In general, only order the minimum quantity of a chemical needed for the experiment, or one year’s worth of stock at the absolute most.
• Nonhazardous Substitutes
  There are many nonhazardous substitutes for hazardous chemicals used in laboratories. Hazardous chemicals should be substituted with nonhazardous alternatives whenever possible, in particular those chemicals that are highly toxic, reactive, contain heavy metals, and are known as carcinogens.

As per OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), 29 CFR 1910.1200, employers must compile an inventory of all hazardous chemicals present in the workplace. At KGI, we conduct chemical inventories upon their arrival at the shipping and receiving department. Each lab is responsible for updating the inventory whenever there are changes such as chemical usage, depletion, disposal, or transfers between locations.

To access the current KGI chemical inventory on Safety Stratus, please log in to the Safety Stratus portal using your KGI credentials or assigned username and password if you are not affiliated with KGI.

To use Safety Stratus, you must first have been added to the system as a "General User." Please submit your request to Jasmine Yu, and your access will be processed as soon as possible. If you are a new PI or Group Owner and need a group established or need new locations/rooms added to your group, please send an email detailing your lab/room location to Jasmine Yu.

User Guides for General Users are available here: Chemical Inventory Demo (video coming soon)

Additionally, the website provides access to Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for the chemicals and other relevant information.

Purpose

Biological Safety at Keck Graduate Institute is responsible for providing support to all researchers, staff, and student body concerning the recognition, evaluation, and control of biological and infectious substances.

Biological Safety Manual

The biosafety manual for KGI has been adopted to accomplish the following goals:

• Protect personnel from exposure to infectious agents
• Prevent environmental contamination
• Provide an environment for high quality research while maintaining a safe work place
• Comply with applicable federal, state, and local requirements

KGI’s Biological Safety Manual includes:

• Biosafety and hazard levels
• Biohazard definitions
• Classification of infectious agents
• Rules, regulations, and guidelines
• Practices and procedures
• Recombinant DNA research
• Incident and near miss: introduction, analysis process, and reporting

Purpose

The Bloodborne Pathogens Program (BPP) at Keck Graduate Institute is required by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to provide the fundamentals of bloodborne pathogens, common modes of their transmission, methods of prevention, and other relevant information to all researchers, students, faculty, and staff working in laboratories with potentially infectious agents. The Bloodborne Pathogens Program implemented at KGI has been designed to meet the requirements of OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standard: 29 CFR 1910.1030

Exposure Control Plan

The Bloodborne Pathogen Standard has numerous requirements, including the development of an Exposure Control Plan. The Exposure control plan is the employer’s written program that outlines the protective measures an employer will take to eliminate or minimize employee exposure blood or other potential infectious materials (OPIM).

Exposure Control Plan

The exposure control plan must include at a minimum:

• An exposure determination which identifies job classifications and, in some cases, tasks and procedures where there is occupational exposure to blood and Other Potential Infectious Material (OPIM).
• Procedures for evaluating the circumstances surrounding an exposure incident; and
• A schedule of how and when other provisions of the standard will be implemented, including methods of compliance, communication hazards to employees, and record keeping.

Training

Bloodborne Pathogen training at KGI is required upon commencing work in a lab that involves blood or OPIM, and requires annual refresher training. The training includes topics in regulatory compliance, general discussion on bloodborne diseases and their routes of transmission, engineering and work practice controls, signs & labels, personal protective equipment (PPE), exposure control plan, response to emergencies involving blood, how to handle exposure incidents, post-exposure evaluation follow-up, and hepatitis B vaccine.

Hepatitis B Vaccine

Under the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, vaccination against Hepatitis B must be available to all employees, students, faculty and staff who have occupational exposure to blood at no cost to them, and at a reasonable time and place under the supervision of a licensed physician/licensed healthcare professional. Pre-screening may not be required as a condition of receiving the vaccine. Employees must sign a declination form if they choose to not be vaccinated, but may later opt to receive the vaccine at no cost.

Medical Surveillance Memo

Medical Waste Generators

The Medical Waste Management Act (PDF) (MWMA), Section 117705 of the California Health and Safety Code, considers any person whose act or process produces medical waste to be a “medical waste generator” in California (e.g., a facility or business that generates, and/or stores medical waste onsite). KGI is registered to be a large quantity generator (LQG=200 or more lbs/month) with on-site treatment permit and is required to submit a Medical Waste Management Plan to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Purpose

The purpose of this plan is to set forth guidelines for the proper disposal of medical waste in laboratories at Keck Graduate Institute and to also be in accordance with all applicable state, local, and governmental regulations addressing the use and disposal of medical waste.

Medical Waste Management Plan

Medical Waste Management Plan

Due to strict state requirements for medical waste disposal, the Chemical and Biological Safety Committee (CABS) at KGI has developed and implemented a medical waste management plan that contains the following:

• Facility information
• Containment and storage
• Biological waste packing, labeling, and transport
• Steam sterilization
• Training
• Disinfecting techniques
• Autoclave logs/maintenance forms

KGI Volunteer Policy outlines the guidelines for volunteer service on campus, emphasizing the importance of volunteers while ensuring compliance with safety and legal standards. Volunteers are defined as individuals who donate their time without expectation of compensation or future employment. The policy allows various individuals, including retirees, students, alumni, and community members, to volunteer, provided they meet specific eligibility requirements, such as proof of identity and legal residency. The policy prohibits current employees from volunteering in roles related to their regular work to avoid conflicts of interest. Additionally, volunteers, especially minors, must adhere to strict safety protocols, particularly in laboratory settings, to ensure their well-being. The policy also mandates that all volunteers complete necessary registration and liability forms, granting the institute the right to terminate volunteer assignments at any time.

• KGI volunteer policy
• KGI  volunteer policy - minor

KGI after-hour lab working policy is designed to ensure the safety of laboratory workers and the security of KGI property during non-business hours, which are from 5:30 pm to 8:30 am, on weekends, and during holidays. The policy mandates that lab work conducted during these hours requires prior approval from the Principal Investigator (PI) and adherence to specific safety protocols. The policy emphasizes the importance of the "buddy system," where lab workers must have a designated partner present or on-call, depending on the risk level of the work being performed. The policy also outlines restrictions for different groups, such as prohibiting high school students from working after hours and requiring undergraduate students to be supervised by a graduate-level lab worker or faculty member. All after-hours activities involving potential hazards must have a documented safety protocol and are subject to review by KGI's chemical and biological safety officer.

• After-hour lab working policy

The locker reservation policy at KGI ensures that students have a secure place to store personal items, such as backpacks, food, and drinks while working in research labs. Leaving items on the floor outside lab areas is strictly prohibited to maintain a clean and safe environment. Students can reserve lockers up to one month in advance, with reservations available for up to one semester on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are free, but bottom-row lockers are available for daily use without reservation. Students are required to bring their own locks, which must be removed at the end of the reservation term. Failure to comply with the locker rules, including leaving food or drinks overnight, may lead to losing locker privileges. To reserve a locker, students must complete a reservation form and email it to Jasmine Yu for approval.

• Locker reservation form

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) laboratory standards are a comprehensive set of regulations designed to ensure the safety and health of personnel working in laboratory environments. These standards encompass a wide array of safety practices, focusing on the proper handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous chemicals, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the implementation of emergency response procedures. OSHA’s regulations aim to minimize the risk of chemical exposure and accidents, promoting a culture of safety through mandatory training, clear labeling, and strict adherence to safety protocols. By providing a structured framework, OSHA’s laboratory standards play a critical role in protecting researchers, technicians, and other laboratory staff from potential hazards, thereby fostering a safer and more productive work environment.

General Industry Standards (29 CFR Part 1910)

1. 29 CFR 1910.1450 - Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories (Laboratory Standard)
   Requires laboratories to have a Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) to protect employees from chemical hazards.
2. 29 CFR 1910.1200 - Hazard Communication Standard (HCS)
   Mandates chemical manufacturers and employers to provide information about hazardous chemicals through labels, safety data sheets (SDS), and training.
3. 29 CFR 1910.132 - Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
   Sets requirements for the use of personal protective equipment to protect employees from workplace hazards.
4. 29 CFR 1910.133 - Eye and Face Protection
   Specifies the standards for protective eyewear and face protection.
5. 29 CFR 1910.1030 - Bloodborne Pathogens
   Requires precautions to prevent occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sets comprehensive standards and guidelines to ensure the safety and health of laboratory personnel and the integrity of laboratory work. These standards encompass a wide range of practices and protocols, including biosafety measures, clinical laboratory regulations, chemical safety, specimen handling, and procedures for dealing with bloodborne pathogens. By adhering to these guidelines, laboratories can mitigate risks associated with infectious agents, hazardous chemicals, and other occupational hazards. The CDC's rigorous standards are essential for maintaining a safe and compliant laboratory environment, protecting both laboratory workers and the broader public from potential health threats.

1. Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL)
   Provides guidance on biosafety and biocontainment principles, practices, and procedures necessary to prevent infection and exposure to laboratory personnel and the environment.
2. Guidance for the packaging and transporting infectious substances
   Provides requirements and recommendations for packaging and shipping infectious substances to ensure safety during transport.
3. General Biosafety Guidelines
   Offers a broad range of recommendations for ensuring biosafety in various laboratory settings, including proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE), laboratory hygiene, and waste disposal.
4. Exposure Control Plan for Bloodborne Pathogens
   Provides strategies and procedures to minimize exposure to bloodborne pathogens in laboratory settings.