Lab safety
This guide contains information resources for the laboratory environment and was developed for informational/educational purposes. Please see Stanford's Department of Environmental Health and Safety website for official information about Stanford's policies, procedures, and training.
Table of Contents
- Home
- Training
- Safety culture
- Prudent practices
- * Personal protection
- * Electrical safety
- * Laser safety
- * Lab design
- Handling & storage
- * Standard procedures
- * Biological materials
- * Hazardous substances
- * Reactive substances
- * Reagents & solvents
- * Nanomaterials
- * Waste management
- * Spills & emergencies
- * Lessons learned
- Undergrad lab safety
- Websites
- Find chem safety data
- Find reactions & protocols
- Find safety articles & books
- About using this guide
Home
Fostering a Safety Culture in Stanford Labs
"PI’s are the single most important element for developing and sustaining a strong, proactive laboratory safety culture and must clearly communicate and reinforce to everyone within their groups that safety within their research laboratory is a top priority and define roles, responsibilities, authority and accountability for safety within their laboratory." Read more - A report on Advancing Safety Culture in the University Laboratory (2016)
Chem Lab Safety search tool
Below are two versions of the Chem Lab Safety search tool. The Stanford version contains more content (licensed resources). The second version is openly accessible (for now). Both versions are prototypes so comments and suggestions are welcome. Both versions use federated search technology (searches multiple resources at one time) provided by Deep Web Technologies.
The Safety Zone | CENtral Science Blog
The Safety Zone covers chemical safety issues in academic and industrial research labs and in manufacturing. It is intended to be a forum for exchange and discussion of lab and plant safety and accident information without the fanfare of a news article. Written primarily by C&EN senior editor Jyllian Kemsley, the blog also includes contributions from other C&EN staff writers as well as health and safety experts in academia, industry, and government.
- Safety Zone live today at #ACSDC
- #Chemsafety programming at #ACSDC
- Hazards of high oxygen concentration, mixing incompatible materials, and more in process safety newsletters
- Eye protection in Cuba lab photos
- Creating a 21st century chemical research laboratory: Hazard assessments and fundamentals webinar
- #Chemsafety programming at #ACSSanFran
- Exploding pumps trigger Sciex mass spectrometer alert
- Hazardous reactions database launched
- From the archives: UC Berkeley lab demolished when molten salt bath explodes
- Safety workshops before #ACSSanFran
Journal of Chemical Health and Safety
An official publication of the ACS Division of Chemical Health & Safety, the Journal of Chemical Health & Safety focuses on news, information, and ideas relating to issues and advances in chemical health and safety.
Training
Safety Training at Stanford University
Free Online Training Videos
- Safety Orientation & Training: Office Ergonomics; Laboratory Ergonomics; Fall, Slip & Trip Prevention; PPE Basics; Waste Handling; Secondary Containment; Housekeeping; Basic Electrical Safety; Fire Extinguisher Basics; and Lone Worker.
- Specialized Topics: Fume Hood Basics, Gas Cylinder User, Glassware Handling, Mechanical Integrity, Vacuum Equipment, Biological Hazards, Nanoparticle Safety, Cryogenics, and Pyrophorics.
- Plan, Evaluate & Execute: Lab Hazard/Management of Change, Lab Hazard Assessment/Trigger Grid, Safe Operation Card, Reactive Chemicals, Energy Calculations, Interpreting Material Safety Data Sheets, Chemical Labeling, Sample Transportation & Shipping, and Line of Fire.
- Sustainable Safety Culture: Making Safety Personal, Inspections, Interventions, Recognition, Mentoring, Neaer Miss Reporting, Learning Experiences, Effective Safety Communications, Sustainability, and Leadership Engagement.
Sample searches
Includes methods you can use for other types of searches in a resource.
Reagent - Triphosgene
Overview
Find Chemical Substance Identification Information
Find MSDS and Physical Properties
- Lab Safety Demo - Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. Web Information Service.
- Lab Safety Demo - Combined Chemical Dictionary
- Lab Safety Demo - Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis
- Lab Safety Demo - Reaxys
Find References and Reactions
- Lab Safety Demo - SciFinder : Substance and References (Part 1: Substance ID, Properties, and Literature References)
- Lab Safety Demo - SciFinder : Reactions (Part 2: Triphosgene as Reagent in Reaction Searches)
- Lab Safety Demo - SciFinder : Reactions - Product (Part 3: Reaction search for a product that may include Triphosgene as a reactant or reagent)
Please note: until permission is granted from information providers, access to "Lab Safety Demo" searches are limited to Stanford users.
Safety culture
Key publications
While the report is focused on laboratory safety, it is envisioned as the first step in what will be an intensive – and ongoing – effort to further develop a positive culture of health and safety throughout the entire Stanford campus and community."
Learn more
Prudent practices
* Personal protection
Protective clothing - more items on this topic
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Guowen Song, Sumit Mandal and René M. Rossi. 2017
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Guowen Song, Sumit Mandal and René M. Rossi. 2017
* Electrical safety
New books on electrical safety measures
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Peng Wang, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin, China. 2017
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David Marne. 2017
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Batteries
Electric batteries
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edited by Ashutosh Tiwari, Filiz Kuralay and Lokman Uzun. 2017
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edited by Jingshan Li, Shiyu Zhou, Yehui Han.. 2017
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Guangjin Zhao. 2017
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Ibrahim Dincer, Halil S. Hamut, Nader Javani... 2017
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Ibrahim Dincer, Halil S. Hamut, Nader Javani... 2017
* Laser safety
Laser Safety
For Stanford information, please see: Stanford EH&S > Laser Safety Program
* Lab design
Laboratories design and construction
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Ahmad Soueid, E. Clayton Teague, James Murday, editors. 2015
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Ken Barat. 2015
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edited by Egbert Dittrich. 2015
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edited by Egbert Dittrich. 2015
Laboratories safety measures
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edited by Dawn P. Wooley, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, Karen B. Byers, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts. 2017
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Committee on Chemical Management Toolkit Expansion: Standard Operating Procedures, Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, Division on Earth and Life Studies, the National Acedemies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine. 2016
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American Chemical Society. 2016
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American Chemical Society. 2016
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American Chemical Society. 2016
Handling & storage
Handling, Labelling, and Storing Chemicals
* Standard procedures
Standard operating procedures
"A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a set of written instructions that describes in detail how to perform a laboratory process or experiment safely and effectively." Source: Stanford Environmental Health and Safety. Stanford Operating Procedures.
iAuditor app
* Biological materials
Biological safety
For Stanford information, please see: Stanford EH&S > BioSafety Program
Biological laboratories -- safety measures
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edited by Dawn P. Wooley, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, Karen B. Byers, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts. 2017
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edited by Manfred Weidmann, Nigel Silmann, Patrick Butaye, Mandy Elschner. 2014
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Alison K. Hottes, Benjamin Rusek, and Fran Sharples, rapporteurs ; National Academy of Sciences and National Research Council of the National Academies. 2012
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Reynolds M. Salerno, Jennifer Gaudioso. 2007
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Reynolds M. Salerno, Jennifer Gaudioso. 2007
Microbiological laboratories
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edited by Dawn P. Wooley, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, Karen B. Byers, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts. 2017
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editor in chief, Amy L. Leber, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio. 2016
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Katarzyna A. Rejnak, editor. 2016
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María Consuelo Vanegas López.. 2015
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edited by Jacob T. Bjerrum. 2015
* Hazardous substances
Hazardous and toxic substances
More resources on harzardous substances
More resources on toxic substances
* Reactive substances
Quick Reference
* Reagents & solvents
* Nanomaterials
Nanomaterials Safety
For Stanford information, please see: Stanford University - General Principles and Practices for Working Safely with Engineered Nanomaterials
* Waste management
Waste Management
* Spills & emergencies
Spill & Emergency Response
* Lessons learned
Undergrad lab safety
- Aligns with the revised safety instruction requirements from the ACS Committee on Professional Training 2015 “Guidelines and Evaluation Procedures for Bachelor’s Degree Programs”
- Provides a systematic approach to incorporating safety and health into the chemistry curriculum
- Topics are divided into layers of progressively more advanced and appropriate safety issues so that some topics are covered 2-3 times, at increasing levels of depth
- Develops a strong safety ethic by continuous reinforcement of safety; to recognize, assess, and manage laboratory hazards; and to plan for response to laboratory emergencies
- Covers a thorough exposure to chemical health and safety so that students will have the proper education and training when they enter the workforce or graduate school"
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For Chemistry 132 Students
Websites
Organizations
Find chem safety data
Safety data sheets
Find reactions & protocols
Lab protocols
Analytical methods
Find safety articles & books
Safety Literature Databases
xSearch
View new books on safety-related topics
American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Center for Chemical Process Safety.
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Center for Chemical Process Safety of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, New York, NY.. 2017
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Center For Chemical Process Safety of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. 2016
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by: CCPS. 2016
About using this guide
Use this guide to:
- Identify personal protective equipment and training needed before working in the laboratory.
- Read about best practices for safe operations in the lab.
- Consult materials about safe handling of chemicals.
- See resources for working safely with biological materials, nanoengineered materials, and lasers.
- Become knowledgeable about hazardous and reactive substances that you may use or that may be formed in reactions during your experiments.
- View resources on toxicology, waste management, and spills.
- Visit websites to learn more about safety-related organizations.
The "Find" sections at the end of this guide contain searchable databases for finding chemical health and safety information. Sections include:
- Find substance identification information are resources to help you locate a CAS Registry Number, a unique identifier for a substance. CAS RNs enable you to do a more precise and comprehensive search than may be possible if you are searching by chemical name.
- Find MSDS and chemical and physical properties for substances by searching databases.
- Find protocols are intended to help you find procedures, practices, and methods you can use in the laboratory.
- Find reactions and articles in databases to learn more about experimental conditions and what reactions have been reported in the literature for substances you are working with in the lab.
Related subject guides include "major reference works" if you need background information about topics such as a working with a class of compounds or a particular functional group.