LABORATORY HOUSEKEEPING CLUTTERED FUME CUPBOARDSOPEN SOLVENT CONTAINERS ON THE

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LABORATORY HOUSEKEEPING

Cluttered fume cupboards.......open solvent containers on the open bench...... stockpiles of waste

LABORATORY HOUSEKEEPING CLUTTERED FUME CUPBOARDSOPEN SOLVENT CONTAINERS ON THE

Storage at height..............equipment stored on the floor..........obstructed under-benches

LABORATORY HOUSEKEEPING CLUTTERED FUME CUPBOARDSOPEN SOLVENT CONTAINERS ON THE

Poor electrical safety.......items crammed behind fridges/under benches....cluttered sink areas

LABORATORY HOUSEKEEPING CLUTTERED FUME CUPBOARDSOPEN SOLVENT CONTAINERS ON THE

‘It’s just a little messy…it means we are working hard…what’s the worst that could happen?”

INTRODUCTION

Good housekeeping is essential to ensure a clean, safe and pleasant work environment. Lack of good housekeeping is associated with accidents and fires, and also reduces work efficiency. For a safe and healthy workplace, it is imperative that good housekeeping practices are employed. Maintaining high standards of housekeeping also conveys a sense of professionalism to those who visit or work in our laboratories.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this document is to provide general guidelines on good housekeeping to ensure a safe and healthy workplace for our staff, students and visitors.

SCOPE

This document is applicable to all staff, students and visitors working in laboratories in the Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre.

Guidelines for Good Housekeeping

Lab area

Laboratory floors, benches, cold rooms, fume hoods, cupboards, and shelves must be kept clean, organised and clear of debris, waste, etc. Equipment and chemicals must not be stored on the floor or under the benches. There must be room for leg room under the benches to allow staff to sit comfortably while they work at the bench.

All lab benches and fume cupboards must be cleared as much as possible at the end of each day.

When working with micro-organisms, lab benches must be cleaned before and after work with a 1% solution of Virkon, followed by 70% ethanol if desired. A fresh solution of Virkon must be prepared weekly. Please also refer to Bacteriophage document.

All spills must be cleaned up and disinfected promptly and thoroughly, especially in communal equipment (e.g. orbital incubators, balances, centrifuges, etc) and areas. Biological and chemical spills kits are available on each floor.

Corridors and aisles should be free of tripping hazards, and fire exits should not be blocked. There should always be two clear passageways to exits.

All solution bottles and samples must be clearly labelled to identify the contents, owner and lab group. This is vitally important in communal facilities such as cold rooms, incubators, etc.

Keep containers, equipment, samples, etc away from the edge of benches and shelves.

Do not use stools as additional bench space!

Keep shelving as orderly as possible - heavy items should be kept on the lower shelves, lighter items on the upper shelves, wherever possible. Step-stools are available to reach items stored above shoulder level.

Personal belongings and clothes must be kept in lockers and not left where they can be contaminated or cause obstruction

Pay attention to electrical safety: avoid using extension cords; do not overload electrical circuits; do not daisy-chain extension cables together; do not create electrical hazards in wet and damp areas. Contact Alan Kniveton if you require advice (64473).

All waste MUST be disposed of via the correct route. Waste disposal routes are clearly defined and details are available from the MIB H&S “waste” intranet pages (www.mib.ac.uk).

Do not store excess cardboard boxes, equipment boxes, Styrofoam, etc. under lab benches, on shelves, or above shelves/cabinets throughout the lab. This can be a safety as well as a fire hazard

Fridges and freezers must be cleaned regularly, and storage boxes, samples, etc, must be clearly labelled with their contents and owner.

If there is a problem, you must deal with it immediately – it is unacceptable to leave spills, contamination, etc, for others to find and have to deal with. Contact Tanya Aspinall for help if necessary (65187).

There should always be clear space around safety showers or eyewashes, fire extinguishers, and electrical controls.
The lab safety file must be clearly displayed within each lab area, and must be kept up-to-date. All risk assessments, COSHH assessments, etc must be signed and stored within the safety file.

Chemicals

Chemicals and solvents must be stored in the fume cupboards/vented cabinets after use.

Waste containers must be stored within secondary containment (bunding) to ensure that spills/leaks are contained.

Bulk waste containers must be emptied regularly. There must never be more than one bulk waste container per waste type (eg. 25 litre solvent waste container) present in the lab at any one time.

Keep the lids on chemical containers. It is unacceptable to have open solvent bottles sitting on the open bench.

All chemicals must be clearly labelled to identify the contents, owner and/or lab group. Keep your chemical inventory up to date. It is the responsibility of the group to maintain an up to date chemical inventory that will help you keep track of your chemicals. The inventory may be used by fire officers and university personnel who are responding to an emergency in your lab.

ACTION

The academic group leader or his/her nominated deputy is responsible for housekeeping within their lab areas (including space in communal facilities, such as cold rooms). It is expected that the group representatives will organise their areas, ensuring that cleaning rotas are drawn up and followed, waste is removed promptly and the general level of housekeeping is of a high standard.

ADDENDUM

It is the responsibility of the academic supervisor to ensure that ALL working areas are left clean and empty of clutter following the departure of a group member. ALL materials and paperwork MUST BE REMOVED and/or disposed of. Failure to do so will result in all items being removed by MIB management for disposal.

LABORATORY HOUSEKEEPING CLUTTERED FUME CUPBOARDSOPEN SOLVENT CONTAINERS ON THE

Professor Nigel Scrutton

Director

Manchester Institute of Biotechnology

Document to be read in conjunction with MIB H&S Compliance Policy

10122021 26 SEDIMENT LABORATORY PROCEDURES REDWOOD SCIENCES LABORATORY USDA
117 ACCREDITATION NO ISO 15189 TESTING LABORATORYMEDICAL DEPARTMENT 11704
12 ĆWICZENIE LABORATORYJNE NR 4 (W24) 4 022010

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