Laboratory Safety Manual

Date Updated: February 2022

 Table of Content

AUTHORIZATION 3

PURPOSE 4

RULES AND REGULATIONS 5

BASIC LABORATORY SAFETY PRACTICES 5

1. WORKING ALONE 5
2. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) 5
LABORATORY COATS 5
GLOVES 6
SAFETY GLASSES/ FACE SHIELDS 6
3. GENERAL LABORATORY PRACTICES (GLPS) 6
4. FIRST AID 9
5. SPILLS 10
ACID/BASE 12
POWDER 12
FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS 12
VOLATILE TOXIC COMPOUNDS 12
BIOHAZARD SPILLS 13
6. FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND USES 14
FIRE ALARM 14
EMERGENCY EXIT 14
EMERGENCY SHOWER, EYEWASH, AND FIRE BLANKET 14
7. WASTE DISPOSAL 15
BIOHAZARD WASTE 15
NORMAL WASTE 15
CHEMICAL WASTE 16

APPENDIX 17

APPENDIX I 17
APPENDIX II 18
APPENDIX III 19

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Authorization

Name Signature Date

Marc Charles Obeid
Prepared By CORE-MOL Laboratory Manager
Laboratory Safety Officer

Dr. Mahmoud Mohsin

Revised By
Associate Professor of Chemistry

Dr. Doris Jaalouk

Approved By
Dean of College of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Achraf Al Faraj

Dean of Pharmacy

Dr. Zouhair Atieh

Authorized By
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs

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Purpose
The American University In Baghdad (AUIB) has committed to establishing advanced state-of-the-art
laboratories taking into consideration rules and regulations that ensure a healthy and safe
environment for all individuals associated with the institution, including students, faculty, staff, and
visitors.
To achieve optimum safety, this laboratory safety manual has a purpose to enlighten the students,
staff, and other related personnel on the safety procedures that should be followed when dealing
with different components to avoid potential hazards, the first response in case of emergencies,
accident reporting, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and more.
The American University of Iraq – Baghdad is a non-profit University. Nevertheless, our students
deserve to be taught using the newest equipment and techniques in the world and this is what we
are offering on our part, the best equipment, best laboratories, and best programs. Stating that, we
are fulfilling our part of the agreement and we hope you will fulfill yours. For AUIB, the most
important thing before students learn different things is their safety. Here, we are preparing
students for life, everywhere you go, you will encounter rules and regulations, the importance is to
understand and apply rather than just apply these rules and regulations.
What we expect from our students is to be professional during their academic studies. As
professionals, we need them to be eager for knowledge, to adopt new skills, new techniques, and
the proper ways to use equipment while maintaining their safety and the safety of their colleagues.

This laboratory manual should be always accessible to all personnel who are involved or work in
the lab where potential hazards could be found.

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Rules and Regulations
Students are part of AUIB and thus they should understand and follow all the rules and regulations
that are essential to maintain their safety, and others’ safety when working in a laboratory
environment. Any action that contradicts these rules and regulations might compromise your safety
and the safety of colleagues, assistants, and Instructors. Think wisely before attempting to put all
these individuals at risk, be responsible.
Students will have to read and understand this document and sign the below-attached authority
letter (APPENDIX I).
In case of an incident/injury, the Laboratory instructor, assistant, and the student will have to fill out
a Laboratory Incident Report Form (APPENDIX III) attached at the end of this document to archive
what happened, how it was dealt with, and what are some recommendations to avoid such problem
in the future.
In case of an incident/broken item, the Laboratory instructor, assistant and student will have to fill
out a Laboratory Damaged Items Report Form (APPENDIX II) attached at the end of this document
to archive what happened, who is responsible for the damage, is the damage intentional, due to
malpractice or due to negligence. If malpractice is the case, the responsible student will have to pay
for any damaged. This is done to lay the ground for a responsible and serious student in the future.

Basic Laboratory Safety practices

1. Working Alone
Working alone is working in the absence of a supervisor or co-worker. A student or laboratory
assistant should not be working alone in cases where the type of work or procedure that is being
done could cause a potential hazard to the personnel. Hazards include but are not limited to
chemical exposure, burns, electrocution, asphyxiation, or others.
All laboratory experiments and procedures should be evaluated for potential hazards by the safety
officer and recommendations will be generated accordingly to maintain the safety of the personnel
dealing with these procedures.

2. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

PPEs’ are tools used to ensure the safety of the personnel working in a laboratory environment and
minimize the potential hazards that could be encountered in such environments.

Laboratory coats
Lab coats are the first barrier of defense against potential hazards, whether against chemical
spills (Chemistry Lab), Biological spills (Biology Lab), electrical and pressurized equipment
(Physics and Dentistry Labs), or other potential hazards.

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 Lab coats should be under no circumstances be removed in the laboratory environment.
Students and personnel entering or performing any procedure within the laboratory should
wear a lab coat before entering the laboratory.

Gloves
Gloves are the barrier to exposed hands. Gloves should be always worn in the laboratory
environment as many potential biological and chemical hazards are present. Gloves should
be changed when their integrity is compromised, they are contaminated, or work with
infectious material is done.
Under no circumstances disposable gloves should be washed, reused, or worn outside the
laboratory.
After completion of the experiment or work being done, gloves should be disposed of in
biosafety hazard bags for further decontamination and hands are to be washed properly.

Safety glasses/ Face shields

Safety glasses or face shields are used to protect the eyes and face from potential splashes of
infectious or other hazardous material such as chemicals, open flames, blood, sharps, etc.

3. General Laboratory Practices (GLPs)

A student is part of the laboratory environment. A student could be a hazard to himself and others
due to negligence or malpractice. The job of the Laboratory instructor and laboratory assistant is to
make sure the student understands the safety rules and procedure and abide by these rules to
maintain his safety and others’ safety. For this reason, at the beginning of each Laboratory course, a
full reminder of the safety procedure should be explained, in addition, at the beginning of every
experiment, all available hazards and necessary precautions specific for the experiment to be done
should be instructed and implied to maintain a safe environment for every individual that is
accessing the laboratories.
Following are GLPs that should be followed by students at all times.

• Students are not allowed to bring their stuff into the lab except for a notebook and a pen.
The lab is a potentially hazardous environment and minimizing the probability of transfer of
any hazardous substance to the students’ belongings is our aim. Moreover, any unnecessary
item that enters the lab could be a potential hazard by itself (Tripping hazard or pushing
material over the bench)

• Students should wash exposed areas of skin (hands mainly) upon entry into the lab and
before the exit of the lab.

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 • Students should be wearing Lab coats and gloves all the time in the laboratory environment
to avoid skin contact with hazards. Safety glasses are worn to minimize splashes of any
hazardous material into the eyes of the laboratory personnel depending on the experiment
being done and its potential of generating splashes. (Laboratory instructor and SOP will
mention this)

• Pregnant women or students taking immunosuppressive drugs or have a special medical

condition should inform the laboratory instructor. Assessment will be done on the chemicals
used for the experiment regarding their health hazard and their effects on fetal health and
measures will be taken accordingly.

• A centrifuge should be properly balanced by mass before centrifugation. If not sure how to
do it, just ask for support. If the centrifuge is shaking or making an odd noise, something
should be wrong. Stop the centrifuge and check your tubes again.

• Never try to stop or open a moving centrifuge.

• Do not leave a heat source unattended.

• Secure loose hair and clothing as these might come into contact with the reagents and
equipment being used during an experiment and might cause a potential hazard to the
student.

• Open-toe shoes are prohibited, any chemical spill or sharp material drop could cause severe
damage to the exposed skin.

• Contact lenses are prohibited in the lab environment as they may react or be affected by the
reagents used during experiments even if safety goggles are used.

• Any personnel aiming to work in the laboratory should wipe the bench before and after
finishing the experiment with a 10% bleach solution. This should be sufficient for most lab
surfaces. Any other recommendation based on the non-compatibility of the substance being
used with 10% bleach, will be instructed, thus implying different decontamination
procedures.

• Any edible material is prohibited in the lab. Eating, drinking, and smoking in the lab
environment is dangerous for, the person performing the action, his colleagues, and the
experiment being done.

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 • Pipetting is the use of a certain device to transfer liquid from a container to another
container using suction. Under no circumstances you are allowed to transfer liquids using
mouth pipetting. Many have done it and are facing serious consequences due to the nature
of hazardous material they swallowed by mistake. Specialized equipment is used for this
purpose to ensure the students’ safety and to make sure such mistakes and complications do
not happen.

• Students should be aware of all available safety devices in the laboratory, their locations, and
how to use each. These devices include the fire extinguisher and classes and use of each, fire
alarm location, emergency shower, eyewash station, and fire blanket.

• Students should know the emergency exit routes, and Emergency Assembly Points (EAPs).

• All chemicals should be closed immediately and returned to their original location when not
in use.

• Never return poured chemical to the original container. Do the calculation for the quantity
needed for the experiment and transfer accordingly. Any remaining chemical should not be
returned to the original container as this may lead to contamination of the original
container. Instead, pour the remaining chemical into a separate container and label it with
the chemical name, date of preparation, and your initials. Unlabeled chemicals should never
be used.

• Always handle volatile chemicals inside a fume hood. Do not try to smell these chemicals as
some may be toxic instantly as well as in the long run. Always assume chemicals of unknown
properties as hazardous and highly toxic.

• When a new hazard is introduced into the lab, make sure to post signs to spread awareness
of this new hazard.

• All equipment, chemicals, and reagents should not be placed near the edge of the bench as
these might be knocked off easily.

• Always pour the solution with the highest concentration into the solution with the lowest in
case of a dilution. Neglecting this procedure might have some serious implications and
consequences.

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 • Horseplay is prohibited in the laboratory environment. This might distract the person
working and cause serious consequences since the laboratory environment is full of hazards.

• Care should be taken when performing the extraction of volatile solvents. Never point the
openings of a separatory funnel towards yourself or your colleagues, release the stopcock to
release the generated gases inside an operating class 1 cabinet.

• Unauthorized experiments should not be performed. Permission should be obtained from

the laboratory instructor as well as the safety officer after an assessment of the potential
hazards of the experiment and the reason behind it.
If an unauthorized experiment was performed, the person performing the experiment and
all personnel that was involved somehow in facilitating and assisting in the experiment will
be held responsible for all resulting consequences.

• Under no circumstances should any chemical, reagent, or equipment be taken outside the
lab and vice versa. Students responsible will be held responsible for all resulting
consequences.

• Students, assistants, and laboratory instructors should report any sort of accident and should
fill out a form describing the incident itself, the causes, its implications, how this issue was
addressed, and if medical attention was required. (Laboratory Incident Report Form)

4. First Aid
These are certain practices that should be done in case of an emergency. Keep in mind that the first action
that you take in case of an accident will make the difference between mild and severe implications. Learn the
safety manual top to bottom, this will make you avoid accidents and be aware of what to do in case they
happened.

• In case of a burn, the student should apply ice-cold water for 10 minutes over the burning
location, this is the most effective first-aid measure to be taken. Seek medical attention
afterward.

• In case of a minor cut in the laboratory, antiseptic from the first aid kit should be applied
followed by a bandage and accident report form filling.

• For severe cuts and excessive bleeding, apply a compress over the wound to limit bleeding
and seek medical attention immediately.

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 • Acids and Bases are corrosive substances that could damage the human skin. Duration of
exposure, concentration, and strength of acids and bases are key components in the damage
they cause to the skin. If any acid or base got in contact with your skin, wash the area
immediately with water for 10 minutes then seek medical attention. DO NOT try to
neutralize the acid or base as neutralization will generate heat and further damage the area
of contact.

• In case of chemical splashes into the eyes (chemical eye injury), the student should
IMMEDIATELY wash his eyes on the eyewash station for 10 – 15 minutes, then seek medical
attention. This is a critical step; any delay will have serious consequences.

• Do not panic, in case of an emergency, report to the instructor, and he will guide you.

• In case of fainting, give the student fresh air and lay them on their back so that the head is
lower than the body. Use ammonia or smelling salts, if available and cold packs on the
forehead could be helpful. Ask for medical assistance.

5. Spills
Spills are an unintended release of a substance out of a container, that could be dangerous to the
environment and students. Before each experiment, students and instructors should get acquainted
with the reagents being used and their properties by reading the MSDS sheet. Then they will be
informed of the first approach to be taken in case of a spill depending on the characteristic of each
reagent. Before starting the experiment, students and instructors should check the availability of
material and reagents necessary for emergency spill cleanup for this appropriate experiment.
Following are some Pictograms used to illustrate the characteristics of each chemical:

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In case of a spill, no matter how small it is, the student should back off the spill area without
attempting to contain the spill as this may cause an additional hazard, then inform the laboratory
instructor of the accident. Spills are classified into two types. Complex spills require outside
assistance, and they are rarely encountered in the laboratory environment and simple spills that
could be handled by the laboratory personnel, students, or instructor. The instructor will assess the
situation and proceed accordingly. Always make sure to have all PPEs (gloves, a lab coat, and
appropriate eye protection at least) to do the cleanup before any attempt. An accident report form
should be filled out. Different types of spills need different approaches. These are as follows:

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Acid/Base
Neutralization is the key when dealing with acids (not containing heavy metals) and bases. Care
should be taken when performing neutralization since the process generates a large amount of heat
and could cause splashes. Always wear your PPEs. Neutralization of acids could be done using soda
ash or sodium bicarbonate. Neutralization of Bases could be done using citric acid or ascorbic acid.
Monitor the progress of pH using a pH paper. After neutralization, liquid can be mopped up and
rinsed down the drain. If glass particles are involved in the spill scene, after neutralization, remove
the glass particle using a dustpan and transfer them to the sharp container then, liquid can be
mopped up and rinsed down the drain.
Powder
If a spill occurred in a safety hood, do not turn off the exhaust fan. If it occurs in the lab area, turn
off ventilation to minimize the powder from being spread. Use a HEPA-filtered particulate respirator
in addition to the lab coat, safety goggles, and gloves; place wet absorbent material over the spill to
absorb/dissolve the dry material. Once the powder has disappeared, remove absorbent material
and proceed with wet spills cleanup. If glass particles are involved in the spill scene, once the
powder has disappeared, remove the glass particle using a dustpan and transfer them to the sharp
container then, proceed with wet spills cleanup.
Flammable liquids
Usually, flammable liquids should not be handled near a potential source of ignition, however, if for
a reason spill of flammable liquids occurred near a potential source of ignition, the first reaction that
should be done is to remove all potential sources of ignition. Make sure you are wearing a lab coat,
safety goggles, and gloves; place absorbent material or spill pad (preferably not an inert absorbent)
over the spill to absorb the flammable liquid material. Once the liquid has been removed, transfer
the soaked pads into heavy-duty bags and sent them to be incinerated. If glass particles are involved
in the spill scene, remove the glass particle using a dustpan and transfer them to the sharp
container then, place absorbent material or spill pad (preferably not an inert absorbent) over the
spill to absorb the flammable liquid material. Once the liquid has been removed, transfer the soaked
pads into heavy-duty bags and sent them to be incinerated. Make sure to ventilate adequately the
spill area to remove all sources of flammable liquid vapors before proceeding with the experiment.
Volatile Toxic Compounds
Make sure you are wearing a lab coat, safety goggles, and gloves; place absorbent material or spill
pad (preferably not an inert absorbent) over the spill to absorb the volatile toxic compound. Once
the liquid has been removed, transfer the soaked pads into heavy-duty bags and sent them to the
hazardous management facility to be incinerated. If glass particles are involved in the spill scene,
remove the glass particle using a dustpan and transfer them to the sharp container then, place
absorbent material or spill pad (preferably not an inert absorbent) over the spill to absorb the

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flammable liquid material. Make sure to ventilate adequately the spill area to remove all sources of
flammable liquid vapors before proceeding with the experiment.
Biohazard spills
A biohazard spill is a spill that contains potentially infectious materials. These may include bacteria,
blood, body fluids, or others.
• Biohazard spill in the Lab
The person cleaning should be wearing a disposable lab coat, safety goggles, and two layers
of gloves before cleaning initiation. Soak the spill area with 10% bleach solution for a
minimum of 20 minutes of contact time. Wipe up spillage with a disposable cloth followed by
wiping the spill area and all potentially affected areas (due to splashes) with a disposable
disinfectant-soaked cloth. If Glass particles are involved in the spill scene, remove the glass
particle using a dustpan and transfer them to the sharp container before the previous step.
Put all the cloths used to clean the area in addition to the disposable lab coat and gloves in a
biohazard bag, close it tightly and send it to be autoclaved. Fill out an accident report form.

• Biohazard spill in a centrifuge

A spill in the centrifuge is usually caused by a broken tube. If breakage was discovered during
centrifugation, turn off the centrifuge, keep the lid closed, and wait for 15 minutes. If
breakage was discovered upon opening of the lid, close the lid again and wait for 15 minutes.
This will make aerosols settle down to prevent environmental contamination. Use PPEs
during the disinfection process. Remove the broken glass from the bucket or rotor using
forceps. Remove the bucket or rotor and soak in 10% bleach for 24 hours or autoclave if it is
autoclavable. Place paper towels soaked with disinfectant (10% bleach) over the entire spill
area inside the chamber and soak overnight. Wipe again using disinfectant followed by
distilled water after incubation has finished. Unbroken, capped tubes may be placed in
disinfectant and recovered after 20 minutes of contact time. All disposable paper towels
used should be thrown in a biohazard bag and autoclaved before being discarded or they
could be sent for incineration.

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 6. Fire Extinguisher and uses
First, pull the pin, then cool the area surrounding the fire with the extinguisher to prevent the
spread of flames. Then, aim at the base of the fire to extinguish it and not into the flame.

• Class A fire extinguisher (pressurized water)

These are used for ordinary fires such as (wood, cloth, paper, rubber, and many
plastics)
• Class B fire extinguisher (dry chemical)
These are used for flammables such as (gasoline, oil, grease, and flammable gases).
Using class A fire extinguishers on flammable liquids will spread the fire instead of
extinguishing it.
• Class C fire extinguisher (Carbon Dioxide)
These are used for electrical equipment and gases (expensive equipment, servers,
and others)
• Class D fire extinguisher (Pressurized dry powder)
These are used for burning metals (magnesium and others)

Fire alarm
The fire alarm is a small red box with two arrows pointing towards a black dot. This is where
you can activate the alarm. Kindly make sure to use this button only in case of fire. Other
emergencies could be communicated differently.

Emergency exit
In case of fire, if fire could not be controlled, search for the green light with EXIT written on
it. This is your way out.
In case of bombing or natural disaster, seek shelter under tables
or door head jams, assess the situation for falling debris or
hazards, then head towards the exit sign
Emergency shower, eyewash, and fire blanket
This device is used in case of clothing on fire, chemical splashes into the eyes or
chemical spill on clothes.

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 • In case of clothing on fire or chemical spill on clothes,
stand beneath A and pull B. Wash thoroughly for 10 to 15
minutes. Seek medical attention. Remove any overlying
clothe that may prevent thorough washing of the skin.
• Fire blanket could be used by wrapping the personnel
in case of clothing on fire.
• In case of splashes in the eyes, put your face in front of C
and press on D. Wash thoroughly for 10 to 15 minutes then
seek medical attention.

7. Waste Disposal
Working in a lab will generate a lot of waste. If not disposed of properly, this waste could cause
serious damage to the personnel, environment, laboratory, and others. These are but are not
limited to biohazardous material and chemical products and reagents.
Biohazard waste
Biohazard waste is waste contaminated with infectious agents such as (blood and body fluids).
These could be divided into two groups:
Sharp object contaminated with biohazardous material
These contaminated sharp objects should be disposed of in a sharps container
labeled with a biohazard sign. These include needles, lancets, broken test tubes,
slides, and any object that could inflict damage to a person if not disposed of properly
and were in contact with biohazardous material. When the waste reaches the fill
level, the container should be closed, labeled with the date, and sent for incineration
or autoclaved onsite.

Non-sharp biohazardous material

All objects that could not be classified as sharps such as contaminated tissues, gloves,
and plastic Pasteur pipettes should be disposed of in biohazard bags. When the waste
reaches the fill level, the biohazard bag should be closed, labeled with the date, and
sent for incineration or autoclaved onsite.
Normal Waste
Normal waste is waste that did not come into contact with infectious. Similarly, normal waste could
be divided into two groups:

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Sharp material
These sharp objects should be disposed of in a sharps container. These include
needles, lancets, broken test tubes, slides, and any object that could inflict damage to
a person if not disposed of properly and did not contact any biohazardous material.
When the waste reaches the fill level, the container should be closed, disposed of in
the normal bin.

Non-sharp material
All objects that could not be classified as sharps and did not come into contact with
any biohazardous material such as tissues, gloves, plastic Pasteur pipettes should be
disposed of in the normal bin.
Chemical Waste
Chemical waste is all the reagents, chemicals, and product generated or used for a certain
experimental procedure. Some of these chemicals are safe to be released in the environment, some
need neutralization before releasing and others need specialized treatment.
Water-soluble and non-caustic chemical waste
Water-soluble and non-caustic chemicals should be diluted with water then poured down the drain
followed by water to wash all the plumbing of any residing chemical.
Acidic waste
Store acidic waste in appropriately labeled containers with the name of the reagent disposed of in it.
If the acid waste does not have any heavy metals or other toxic substances dissolved in it, neutralize
the pH to approximately 7 then dispose of the neutralized mixture in the standard sewer system.
Basic waste
Store Basic waste in appropriately labeled containers with the name of the reagent disposed of in it.
Neutralize the pH to approximately 7 then dispose of the neutralized mixture in the standard sewer
system.
Toxic waste
Store toxic waste in appropriately labeled containers with the name of the reagent disposed of in it.
Contact specialized companies for this purpose. Unfortunately, there are no such services in
Baghdad, thus high-temperature incineration or autoclave could be used for some products.

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 Appendix

APPENDIX I

Authority Letter

I confirm that I have read and understood all the

rules and regulations in this document and will abide by these regulations. I will make sure to be

responsible and maintain my safety and the safety of my colleagues while working in the Lab. Under

no circumstances, I shall take any equipment or reagent outside the lab.

Student Name: ID number:

Department: Instructor Name:

Phone number: Date:

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APPENDIX II
Laboratory Damaged Items Report Form
Course code: Course name:
Location: Time:

Item(s) Description/Problem

Item 1 Item 2
Name: Name:
Serial Number: Serial Number:
Brand: Brand:
Volume: Volume:
Problem: Problem:

Item 3 Item 4
Name: Name:
Serial Number: Serial Number:
Brand: Brand:
Volume: Volume:
Problem: Problem:

Incident Description / Report

Student involved: YES No Malpractice Negligence

Instructor / Lab Assistant / Staff Information

Full Name:
Position:
Signature: Date:

Student Information If Responsible

Full Name:
Major: ID number:
Signature: Date:

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APPENDIX III
Laboratory Incident Report Form
Injured Party
Full Name: Position:
Age: Department:
e-mail: Phone Number:
Major: ID Number:
Witness
Full Name: Position:
Age: Department:
e-mail: Phone Number:
Major: ID Number:
Event Description
Date: Time:
Location:
Incident:

Intervention/Treatment
None Hospitalized
First Aid Others
Advised to see GP
Recommendations/comments
Repetitive accidents with the same individual? Yes No
Recommendations if any

Disclaimer
Signature of Injured Party Signature of Witness

Date
This document must be submitted to the safety officer/Laboratory Manager within 24 hours of the incident

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