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Chemistry

Safety

The chemistry laboratory has hazards that are less common in everyday life. It is essential that all students, instructors, lab assistants, teaching assistants and researchers are:

  • aware of the hazards
  • knowledgeable of emergency facilities available in the lab
  • familiar with the necessary procedures in the event of an emergency

Use this page to find information, links and resources on safe practices in chemistry laboratories.

Incident reporting

All accidents, injuries and near-misses must be reported as soon as possible to a supervisor and documented using the Departmental Incident & Investigation Report form.

For medical or emergency assistance, first call 911 and then call Campus Security at 250-721-7599.

Departmental Incident & Investigation Report form Learn more about incident reporting

Basic lab safety

  • Do not eat or drink in a laboratory.
  • Do not enter a laboratory if your judgement is impaired due to consuming alcohol, cannabis products or other drugs.
  • Do not work alone in a chemistry laboratory without permission and written instructions from your supervisor, including a procedure for regular checking on the coworker.
  • Do not enter a laboratory without wearing appropriate eye protection. (Contact lenses are not recommended in the chemistry laboratory.)
  • Do not work in a laboratory without wearing a lab coat, clothing that covers the entire leg, shoes that completely cover the feet and long hair tied.
  • When performing experiments that require gloves, remove the gloves when leaving the room and do not wear them outside of the laboratory.
  • Use an appropriate transport container when samples are being transported from one laboratory to another via a corridor.

Lab emergency & safety equipment

Make sure you are familiar with all emergency equipment before you begin working in a lab.

Each chemistry laboratory has a First Aid Kit. Identify the location and contents of the kit before starting work in a laboratory.

In the event of an injury, no matter how minor, call Campus Security (250-721-7599) or 911 for assistance. While waiting for assistance, a coworker, instructor or teaching assistant who has First Aid training should provide basic First Aid.

There are emergency showers in all chemistry laboratories. Identify the location of the shower before starting work in a laboratory and become familiar with its operation. A person who has been splashed with corrosive liquid or solvent should be quickly doused under the shower. Call for assistance immediately.

Each chemistry laboratory contains a number of fire extinguishers. Identify the location of before starting work in a laboratory.

The CO2 extinguishers can be quickly identified by the large black nozzle. This type of extinguisher is used for organic liquid fires and minor electrical fires. Do not use a CO2 extinguisher on sodium, potassium, or metal hydride fires, which should be covered in sand, available in red buckets sand in each laboratory.

All Purpose (ABC) Dry Chemical Extinguishers can be quickly identified by the small nozzle and pressure gauge. To operate this type of extinguisher, pull the pin on the side of the handgrip, direct the nozzle at the base of the flames and squeeze the handgrip. This type is useful for all fires. The exceptions are sodium, potassium, or metal hydride fires, for which sand should be used.

Please report use of a fire extinguisher, however minor, to the Chemistry Main Office.

Spill kits are used to soak up a small liquid spill, the location and contents of which must be identified by every worker or student when first starting work in a laboratory. In the event of a chemical spill, call for assistance and notify the supervisor of the lab. Follow the instructions on the spill kit. Store the absorbent containing the liquid in a container in the fume hood.

Emergency events

See below on instructions to follow during fires or earthquakes.

Identify the location of the safe/emergency exits (posted in the lobby areas and near exits in all buildings) before starting work in a laboratory. If the fire alarm sounds, make your experiment safe and pull out all plugs from the electrical sockets. Leave the building by the nearest exit and go directly to one of the assembly points at the fountain or on the grass between the Petch Building and the Elliott Lecture Building. Never use the elevator when the fire alarm sounds.

If a fire starts in the laboratory, sound the fire alarm, call 911, clear the immediate area of people, if you are in doubt that you can extinguish the fire, evacuate. Personal safety must be the priority in an emergency. Do not re-enter the building until an emergency coordinator has indicated that it is safe to do so.

In the event of an earthquake duck, cover and hold-on. When the shaking has stopped, evacuate the building as in the case of the fire alarm sounding. Watch for falling debris, both inside and outside of the building. Keep well away from any structures, trees and fallen power lines. Be prepared for aftershocks. Assemble with others in one group and be prepared to identify yourself to the emergency coordinator. Know the evacuation routes, and where the emergency assembly points are located, for the building. These are posted in the lobby areas and near exits in all buildings.

Hazardous chemicals and waste management

Some compounds are toxic, flammable or reactive. Before using a compound, acquire the necessary information so that you are knowledgeable of the potential hazards, how to minimize risk and appropriate waste disposal procedures. Do not dispose of chemicals down the sink.

Consider the six categories of chemistry laboratory waste for which the laboratory has a separate waste container:

  1. Landfill (paper towels, non-recyclable paper)
  2. Glass (cleaned broken glass and non-recyclable glass)
  3. Halogenated Organic Liquids
  4. Non-halogenated Organic Liquids
  5. Solid Chemicals (e.g ionic salts)
  6. Aqueous Solutions (Acidic or basic solutions are neutralized. If they contain toxic cations, they are collected for disposal as hazardous waste.)

The UVic Department of Occupational Health, Safety and Environment (OHSE) is responsible for the appropriate disposal of hazardous waste throughout the campus and provide necessary guidelines and training.

For more details on all the mentioned practices above, read through the links below.