RULES, PROCEDURES, AND SAFETY FOR THE MICROBIOLOGY LAB

Staying Safe:

L Learn the location of the fire extinguisher, emergency shower, and eye wash.

L No eating, drinking, or smoking in the laboratory!

L Report all accidents to the instructor or teaching assistant.

L Dispose of broken glassware in the special box, not the trash can.

L Keep long hair tied up and away from Bunsen burners.

L Handle all bacteria as if they cause disease!

L If you have any health conditions that would make you more susceptible to infections, inform your instructor.

Keeping Yourself and your Work Area Clean:

L Place contaminated materials, (e.g. old cultures) in metal buckets on the floor, microscope slides in container on front desk.
blue-tape bucket for reusable glassware
orange-tape bucket for disposable glassware
separate bucket for pointy things like pipets and swabs
Petri dishes and other plastic items that melt in biohazard bag

L Place ordinary wastepaper in the plastic lined wastebaskets.

L Pour disinfectant on any spilled culture before cleaning it up.

L Wipe down your lab bench with disinfectant when you arrive and just before you leave.

L Wash your hands before leaving the lab.

L Consider wearing old clothes or a lab coat; spills happen and dyes are messy.