Safety rules for working in the course

laboratories at Biotechnology, Albanova

You are obliged to know and follow the safety instructions

General notes
Prevent accident by
- Carefully study the safety rules (below).
- Follow the safety information in risk assessments and MSDS (Material safety data
sheet)
- Keep your workspace clean and tidy
- Use the appropriate safety equipment such as goggles and gloves
- Always report accidents and/or incidents to your course assistants to prevent further
accident
- Using your experience from previous lab courses, eating, drinking, using mobile phones
or checking e-mail is not allowed in the course lab

Here is the link https://intra.kth.se/styrning/miljo-hallbar-utveckling/miljoarbete-kth-
skolor/bio/rutiner-bio to where you will find our different documents regarding safety in the
lab and chemical/ waste handling.

Relieve the consequences of an accident by, in advance

Knowing where first-aid kits, fire extinguisher, emergency showers and main electrical switch
are located
Knowing how to take care of injured person
Not ignoring small accidents, which may have severe consequences if not treated properly

Safety equipment
Fix extinguisher, emergency shower, eye shower and first-aid kits are available in the lab.

If a serious accident occurs
Sweden’s Emergency number (00)112 (ambulance, fire brigade or police).

Addresses: Roslagstullsbacken 21.

Send someone outside, to the given address to show the way to the accident / injured person.
Do not forget to also call KTH Emergency number (00) 790 7700 to inform about the accident.

Evacuation
In case of an emergency, for example a fire, the building may be evacuated. Each floor has
three evacuation leaders, they will be wearing orange vests. If they ask you to leave the building
you MUST IMMEDIATELY stop your work and leave the building. Never use the elevator in
the case of an emergency evacuation. Take the stairs and join your colleagues at the turning
area Ruddamsvägen near the bus stops. If there is someone working in the lab who has not been
evacuated, inform the evacuation leaders immediately.

General rules for taking care of a severely injured person

The person may be in chock. The symptoms are paleness, sweating, weak breath and fast
beating pulse. This condition may be life threatening.
Make sure the person can breath properly. Clear airways if blocked. If the person is
unconscious, place him/her on the side to avoid choking. If not breathing, breathe into person’s
mouth
Stop any major bleeding, hold the injured body part high
The person should be put on the side with head low, to ensure blood circulating to the brain
Keep the person comfortably warm. Treat hom/her with care and make sure the ventilation is
good
Do not give the person anything to drink since this may interfere with surgery. If thirsty, the
lips may be moistened
Be prepared to tell the ambulance personnel what has happened

Eye injuries
Splashes from acid, bases and most other chemicals can be removed by rinsing with vast
amounts of water for at least 15 min. Use the eye washes. Rinse until someone has contacted
Healthcare Contact (Vårdguiden) (00)32 01 00. They will give further instructions. All eye
injuries should be examined by a physician.

Poisoning
In a case of poisoning, always call (00)112 and ask for Giftcentralen. If known, inform the
Giftcentralen what chemicals are cause of injury. NOTE: If ACIDS, BASES or PETROLEUM
products are swallowed, do NOT induce vomiting. For ACIDS, BASES, dilute by drinking vast
amounts of water. If PETROLEUM products are swallowed, quickly bring the person to a
hospital.
If poisoned by gas, quickly bring the person into fresh air. If the injured person suffers from
respiratory arrest, proceed with first aid (artificial respiration) and quickly bring the person to
hospital. If irritants are inhaled, avoid physical exercise to eliminate formation of lung edema.

Electrical injuries
Cut the power off! If this is not possible, assist the victim by releasing him/ her with an
ISOLATED tool, a dry wooden handle, a dry lab coat or similar. A PERSON IN CONTACT
WITH CURRENT IS NORMALLY PARALYZED AND NOT ABLE TO MOVE!
Start first aid immediately if needed. Call for help from emergency personnel and look after the
person until they arrive. There might be a risk of heart failure up to 15 minutes after an electric
injury.

Burns and corrosive injuries

In a case of fire in clothes or hair, put out the fire by using an emergency shower or fire blanket.
As soon as possible, use vast amounts of water for at least 15 minutes to cool the burn down.
Less serious injuries can be disinfected and handled with bandage/plaster. Do not puncture any
blisters due to the risk of infection. Corrosive injuries caused by strong acids or bases are treated
by VAST AMOUNTS of water.
Serious burns (charred skin or if the total exposed area is bigger than the palm of your hand)
should always be treated in a hospital. In addition, hospital care is always needed in case
burning injuries are located in a sensitive area (e.g. in the face, genitals, hands, feet or over
large joints), are caused by chemicals or electricity and if the injury is white or dark brown and
deep.

Other things
- Always talk to your lab assistant if you are uncertain about any of the steps in the
experiments you are performing
- Always mark bottles, tubes etc. with what it contains, date and signature.
- Do not place flasks close to an edge of the lab bench as they easily could fall down.
- If you are handing over a flask with something potential harmful, you should make sure
that the flask is properly closed and that the receiving person has a good grip of the
bottle.
- When using a centrifuge, it is important to load the rotor evenly. Tighten the lid
properly, since this will ensure that the rotor is correctly placed.
- Be careful when using the autoclave. Do not open it while there is a high pressure in the
chamber. Even when the pressure is normal, hot steam can cause injuries.
- If you spill a chemical, wipe it off immediately with plenty of water.
- Make sure that you dispose chemical waste according the routines. Do not throw
harmful solvents in the sink. Use the designated bottles. Put glass waste in dedicated
containers marked “glasavfall”.
- If there is a risk of splashes or splinters use goggles.
- Mouth pipetting is forbidden.
- When diluting an acid, always add the acid in water while stirring, never the opposite.
- Common microorganisms used in research can cause illness to someone who is sensitive
or has reduced immune system. Be careful in all aspects when working with so called
“safe” microorganisms. Biological contaminants (solid/liquid) will be collected in a
special bag/glass bottles autoclave and dispose.