LABORATORY/WORKSHOP HOUSEKEEPING POLICY

Good housekeeping creates an intrinsically safe workplace and should be maintained meticulously, particularly in areas where highly toxic substances are handled. Also, good housekeeping can increase your working space.

• Keep benches tidy. Surfaces should be clean and free of infrequently used chemicals, glassware and equipment. Store away apparatus no longer required and ensure that waste materials are removed as soon as possible.

• Keep all corridors and passages clear. In particular emergency exit, safety shower and fire extinguisher access should not be impeded. Sinks housing eye-wash stations should not be cluttered. This would avoid impeding access to the eye-wash and knocking over glassware and chemicals with the hose.

• Secure all gas cylinders to walls or benches.

• Keep containers and equipment away from the edge of benches. If you’re reaching over bottles, samples, etc. to get to something, chances are you're about to knock something on the floor and cause a major incident.

• Shelves above the lab benches should be kept as orderly as possible. Vials should be kept in vial boxes or spill trays. Knocking one over may cause a domino effect, spilling the contents of many vials.

• Be realistic about how much equipment and supplies you can store on shelving. Overloading shelves with infrequently used equipment and extra lab supplies will likely cause you problems with falling items when you least suspect it. You could injure yourself or fellow lab personnel. When you’re not sure of a shelf’s weight capacity, don’t take a chance on it.

• Equipment, machinery and tools should be kept clean and free of unnecessary materials. Do not allow excess grease or oil to accumulate.

• Keep the lids on chemical containers. This sounds obvious but it will effectively reduce the possibility of a spill and reduce any fumes released into your lab.

• Make sure all containers are clearly labelled. Containers in which chemicals have been decanted into must be labelled with the following information: Product/chemical name, Hazard diamond or signal word (eg flammable liquid, toxic), Risk & Safety Phrases for hazardous substances, ID of the owner. For smaller containers (eg vials) apply the label to the outer storage box. Never take chances with an unlabelled container.

• Do not store chemical containers on the floor. Liquid chemicals should be in bunded areas or in spill trays.

• Keep the laboratory floor dry at all times. Immediately attend to spills of chemicals/water and notify other lab workers of potential slipping hazards.

• Extension leads and computer cables must not run across aisles and passage ways, thus avoiding potential tripping hazards.

• Do not use stairways, floors and passages as storage areas. This avoids tripping hazards and creates easier egress.

• Be careful when opening laboratory doors. Except in dire emergencies, no one should ever run in the building.

• Food and drink must not be taken into laboratories where flammable, toxic or radioactive materials are to be used.

• Large, heavy and cumbersome boxes or equipment should only be stored on shelving between knee and shoulder height.
  Boxes stored above shoulder height should be clearly marked with their contents.
  Empty chemical containers to be disposed of must have the label defaced or removed. Containers that will be reused must have the original label totally defaced or covered over with the new label.

• Dangerous goods boxes used for storage should have the class diamond and label defaced or removed. This avoids confusion as to what is in the box.

• Ensure runnels and sinks are clear of rubbish, debris and any obstruction that could block the flow of water into the drain.

• Broken or unwanted furniture, trolleys etc can be placed up against the wall by the back door or the Chemistry building (near the liquid nitrogen vessel) on a Friday, to be picked up by the hard rubbish collectors on Saturdays. Do not store “junk” in the building. Room B64 has often been used as a room for dumping unwanted goods, but that is not it’s purpose. It is there for the short-term storage of lab equipment that will be used again.