Student Laboratory Rules

1. All students must complete and document safety training prior to working in the student lab. Students are expected to follow all guidelines in the safety training materials on fire, electrical, chemical, and biological safety.
2. Students are responsible for locating and being familiar with the operation of the safety equipment in the student lab. Remember, when necessary, the eye wash and safety shower should be used for at least 15 minutes.
3. Students must wear closed-toed shoes in the laboratory. Dresses and skirts must be at least knee-length and pants must be at least mid-calf. Shorts and miniskirts are not permitted in the laboratory. Long hair must be tied back. Care must be exercised to keep hair, clothing, jewelry, etc. away from open flames or laboratory equipment.
4. Any breaks of the skin on the hands or wrists should be bandaged before putting on gloves.
5. Standard (Universal) precautions require you to consider every specimen to be potentially infectious. For this reason, proper personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn at all times in the laboratory:
   1. Lab Coats must be worn and closed (i.e., buttoned) when performing laboratory work. If you have a significant spill on your lab coat, discard it immediately and don a clean coat.  In the case all your coats are soiled, please inform the lab instructor.
   2. Gloves are required when handling specimens, cleaning laboratory equipment and work area and cleaning up spills. If you are latex sensitive, please inform the instructors and alternate gloves will be provided for you. Gloves must be replaced whenever torn or appreciably soiled with blood or body fluids. Hands must be washed immediately after removing gloves. When removing gloves, grasp the cuff of the glove and pull the glove off inside out. Avoid touching skin with glove surface. Never wash and reuse disposable gloves.
   3. Face shields and other PPE are available and must be used when appropriate. Students should use the face shield during any CLS laboratory exercise where there is a reasonable anticipation of aerosol formation or a splash occurring. It should be cleaned after every use. To use, adjust the headband to fit your head and snap the catch. To place or remove shield from face, use a clean paper towel and handle the shield by the knobs. Do not handle by the part that covers your face. When the shield is not in use, place on a paper towel on your bench away from your immediate work area. To decontaminate shield at the end of lab, wet a clean paper towel with 10% bleach solution and, holding the shield by the knob, clean the surface. Rinse under the faucet with water. Place on clean paper towel to drain. Remove gloves and wash hands. Dry face shield with paper towel and store in your cabinet.
6. Lab coats, gloves, and other PPE should not be worn outside the laboratory. Remove PPE and wash hands before leaving for any reason. Wash your hands with 4% chlorhexidine gluconate soap.
7. Do not remove specimens, reagents, or equipment from the laboratory. This includes writing utensils, calculators and rulers used in the lab.
8. Avoid touching face with gloves and do not put ANYTHING in mouth. No mouth pipetting! No eating, drinking, smoking, gum chewing, manipulating contact lenses, or application of cosmetics is permitted in the laboratory.
9. Any spills should be cleaned up according to instructions given during safety training. Instructors are available for guidance in cleaning up spills. Do not clean up broken glass with unprotected hands. Use puncture resistant gloves and tongs, forceps, or brush/dustpan. Any spills of blood or body fluids should be disinfected with 10% bleach solution. Check the expiration of the 10% bleach solution. It is stable for 30 days after preparation.
10. Dispose of all lab materials as instructed. All contaminated disposable items must be placed into designated biohazard containers. Contaminated sharps must be placed into designated puncture-proof containers.
11. Contaminated needles or other sharps must not be sheared, bent, recapped, or removed from syringes or other devices.
12. Do not open the lid of a centrifuge when it is in motion. Ensure that the centrifuge is properly balanced, and that tubes are free from visible defects prior to use. Do not centrifuge uncovered specimens. Cover with stoppers, parafilm or caps. The exceptions are urine and specimens requiring frequent manipulation during a series of centrifugations (e.g., Ab/Ag testing).
13. If a spill occurs in a centrifuge, turn in off and unplug it. If the spill possibly contains organisms infectious by aerosol route, allow 30-60 minutes to permit settling of aerosols if possible. Wearing a faceshield and gloves, soak up liquids using absorbent towels. Decontaminate the spill area with 10% bleach. Note that bleach corrodes stainless steel. If bleach is used, stainless steel surfaces must be fully rinsed with water upon completion of decontamination. Use tongs or other mechanical means to pick up broken glass; do not use unprotected hands. Discard contaminated materials into a biohazard waste container.
14. Any injury sustained in the laboratory must be reported to the instructor immediately.
15. When leaving the laboratory, turn off equipment and put away supplies. Disinfect the cleared work area with 10% bleach solution. Remove PPE and wash hands after disinfecting the bench.
16. All personal items must be placed in your cabinet during lab. Headphones, cell phones, and pagers must be turned off. (Personal items may be stored in your cabinet, but may not be 100% secure and will not be accessible at all times. Food and drink may NOT be stored in the laboratory.)
17. All work performed in the laboratory is governed by the honor code. Work must be done independently unless otherwise instructed. All results generated must be immediately recorded in INK on the laboratory worksheet. Any mistake should be corrected by drawing a single line through the error and writing in the correct answer.
18. Use of laboratory is limited to designated lab hours when proper supervision is available. Visitors are not allowed in the student laboratory.

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