Technical information

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6.1 The DMSE Safety Primer
Index
• The DMSE Safety Program
• Emergencies and First Aid
• Basic Elements of Laboratory Safety
• Chemical Hygiene
• Radiation Safety
Electrical safety
• Cryogenic safety
• Fire safety
THE DMSE SAFETY PROGRAM
Introduction
Unfortunately, we tend to think of safety only after an accident. Laboratory safety, however, deserves and
requires
the same planning and attention that we give to research and teaching; it must not be an
afterthought. There are both civil and criminal legal consequences of liability; and there are federal, state,
and local laws that codify and regulate safe practices and environmental hazards. The details in the
regulations that govern safety, environmental hazards, and waste disposal are changing and evolving, but
the principles that underlie the approaches to these problems have not changed: when we are in the
laboratory, we must think about what we are doing, we must be aware of the dangers, and we must know
what to do if an accident occurs.
This Safety Primer is not intended to be an all-inclusive treatment of laboratory safety; such a document
would be extremely large. The
Primer
is condensed from a number of larger documents, and is a summary
of fundamental safety procedures all workers must know. It is intended as a first step in what must become
a continuing education and concern with safety. Each laboratory situation has its own specific safety rules
and procedures, and these must be added to the general information included here. Information in this
manual is supplemental to that in other useful sources, such as the
DMSE Chemical Hygiene Plan,
and the
MIT Accident Prevention Guide
.
Responsibilities
Employees, Staff, Students, and Visitors
All students, visiting scientists, employees of DMSE, and all personnel who use the Departmental
laboratories are subject to DMSE safety procedures, as augmented by the specific procedures dictated by
the individual Laboratory Supervisors (usually the DMSE faculty member in charge of the laboratory).
When the laboratory itself does not have a supervisor (true in some central facilities), the worker's advisor
or supervisor carries out these duties. Each laboratory user is expected to do the following:
• All laboratory workers, including faculty, students, and visitors must pass a safety test based on
this
Primer
before using DMSE laboratory facilities. This test is administered to 3.081 students at
the beginning of the term; others should contact the DMSE Safety Technician (Mr. Frederick
Wilson, room 13-4078, phone 3-6866) to arrange an appointment.
• The Laboratory Supervisor is required to provide specific information covering the procedures of
the particular laboratory involved. Both the worker and the supervisor must sign a form agreeing
that this briefing has been carried out satisfactorily before work may begin.