LAB INDUCTION

BEVERIDGE/TANURDZIC LABSCHOOL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCESTHE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND

2012

TABLE OF CONTENTSSafety Policy.................................................................................................................................................................................3Laboratory Contacts......................................................................................................................................................................4Equipment and Procedures...........................................................................................................................................................5

Accidents..................................................................................................................................................................................5Autoclaves................................................................................................................................................................................5Centrifuges................................................................................................................................................................................5Chemical Area and Chemical use.............................................................................................................................................5Consumables/Chemicals...........................................................................................................................................................6Dishwasher................................................................................................................................................................................6Drying Oven.............................................................................................................................................................................6Electrical leads:.........................................................................................................................................................................6Emergencies..............................................................................................................................................................................6Emergency Exits.......................................................................................................................................................................6Enzymes....................................................................................................................................................................................6Exit Procedure...........................................................................................................................................................................7Fire Extinguishers.....................................................................................................................................................................7First Aid Kit..............................................................................................................................................................................7Flammables Cabinet.................................................................................................................................................................7Fridges/Freezers – upright........................................................................................................................................................7Freezers (-80C)........................................................................................................................................................................8Fume Hood...............................................................................................................................................................................8Gel Pouring Area......................................................................................................................................................................8Gel Running Areas....................................................................................................................................................................8Gel Documentation System......................................................................................................................................................9Glasshouses...............................................................................................................................................................................9Growth Cabinets.......................................................................................................................................................................9Heat Blocks...............................................................................................................................................................................9Hazardous Waste......................................................................................................................................................................9Isotope Use...............................................................................................................................................................................9Keys........................................................................................................................................................................................10Laminar Flow Hood................................................................................................................................................................10Lab Benches............................................................................................................................................................................10Microscope Area.....................................................................................................................................................................10Microwave Oven.....................................................................................................................................................................10MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet).......................................................................................................................................10Non-infectious waste / Pathological Waste & Path Waste Bins.............................................................................................10OGTR (Office of the Gene Technology Regulator)...............................................................................................................11Out of Hours Work.................................................................................................................................................................11PC2 Practices..........................................................................................................................................................................11PCR Machines........................................................................................................................................................................12Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)....................................................................................................................................12Pipettes....................................................................................................................................................................................12Quarantine...............................................................................................................................................................................13Radiation.................................................................................................................................................................................13Recycling................................................................................................................................................................................13Responsibilities.......................................................................................................................................................................13Risk Assessments....................................................................................................................................................................13Sharps......................................................................................................................................................................................14Sinks........................................................................................................................................................................................14Security...................................................................................................................................................................................14Spills Kit.................................................................................................................................................................................14Water Baths.............................................................................................................................................................................14Water - RO and Milli-Q..........................................................................................................................................................14

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)2

Safety PolicyIn order to maintain an efficient and safe environment in the laboratory, the laboratory rules below must be adhered to.

All new students, staff and visitors must have appropriate safety training before commencing (unsupervised) work in the lab. This involves:

Online inductions (Blackboard)o Workplace inductiono Annual Fire Safetyo Lab Safetyo Biosafety Course (PC2 training)o Privacy @ UQ

School induction – WHSO (Miller Zivkovic) Lab Induction – Lab Manager

If your research project uses radioactivity, you must attend a Radiation Safety Training course (sign up via OH&S website - http://www.uq.edu.au/staffdevelopment/ohse). You are then qualified to conduct experiments with radioactivity.

If your research project uses glasshouses, you must complete a glasshouse induction in person with glasshouse staff.

In the event of a fire/medical emergency etc…, contact security on ex53333 (3365 3333 from an external phone). See the “Accidents” heading below for further information. All lab users are responsible for helping other lab users (and asking for help) when an emergency situation occurs.

You will be working in a laboratory that has many potential risks. If you are unsure about any of the potential risks please get an experienced person to give you adequate advice and/or training. Every task that you perform in the laboratory must have an associated risk assessment. You must read through and mark the risk assessment as read (on the risk assessment database - http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/index.html?page=29960) to say that you understand the risks associated with the task and that you are aware of how to protect yourself from such risks.

The most common serious events that may occur in the lab (causing injury or illness) are: Slips and falls: see http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/pdfs/ERGO-manualtasks.pdf; also: “General

workplace safety induction” course via blackboard Chemical splashes into eyes / onto clothes: see “Laboratory safety induction” and

“Chemical safety training” courses via blackboard Ethanol fires: see “Laboratory safety induction” via blackboard Cuts: see also section on “Sharps” in this document Lifting injuries: see http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/pdfs/ERGO-manualtasks.pdf; also “General

workplace safety induction” course via blackboard Posture issues: see the ergonomics section of the OH&S policies website:

http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/134438#rehab Toxic vapours (from mercaptoethanol, phenols etc.): see the “Fume Hood” section in this

document, also chemical safety information on the OH&S policies website at http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/134438#hygiene

This laboratory is specified as a PC2 (Physical Containment Level 2) Facility. All members must follow the PC2 Work Practices (see online biosafety training course for more details) and the regulations (posted on the lab door) from the Office of Gene Technology Regulations (OGTR).

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)3

Laboratory doors must be locked when no-one is in the lab. When you are in the lab, make sure the door is unlocked in case of emergency.

Laboratory ContactsFor any issues arising in the lab, please contact one or more of the following people:

Lab Heads: Christine Beveridge; ph: ex57525; email: c.beveridge@uq.edu.au; contact regarding: OGTR, safety, radiationMilos Tanurdzic; ph: ex52045; email: m.tanurdzic@uq.edu.au; contact regarding: OGTR, quarantine, safety, radiation

Research Fellows: Phil Brewer; ph: ex54821; email: philip.brewer@uq.edu.au; contact regarding: autoclave, dishwasher, gel documentation, microscopes, centrifugeMike Mason; ph: ex54821; email: Michael.Mason@uq.edu.au; contact regarding: sample concentrators and evaporators, real-time PCR

Beveridge Lab research assistant and lab manger: Rosanna Powell; ph: ex54821; email: r.powell2@uq.edu.au; contact regarding: chemical storage and disposal, inductions, ordering

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)4

Equipment and ProceduresThe following is a brief rundown on the equipment and procedures that we have in the lab. Please read through these carefully and refer to this document regularly. This list is by no means exhaustive. If you come across something in the lab that is not mentioned here, ask someone with more experience to help you. Please let the lab manager know if there is something that you think should be added to this document so that it can be updated.

Accidents ALL serious accidents in the lab must be reported to the Schools OH&S Officer or via the online

injury, illness and incident reporting system (http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/index.html). There is a chemical spills kit (see Spills kit) in room 159 with the appropriate materials to deal with a

spill. If the accident is serious call the Emergency number (3365 3333) If the accident involves flammables, hazardous chemicals, fire or radiation and cannot be quickly

contained then EVACUATE the lab and call the emergency number (3365 3333). Make sure that no-one enters the lab.

Autoclaves Autoclaves operate at high temperature and pressure and are a serious potential hazard if not used

correctly. The autoclave has detailed operating instructions posted above it. When autoclaving liquids in screw-top containers the lids must be loose (or the container may

explode at temperature or implode when cooling). Wear protective gloves (kept with the autoclave) when removing contents of the autoclave as they

may be very hot.

Centrifuges Centrifuges must be balanced (i.e. equal number and weight of tubes distributed around the rotor

head). If the centrifuge makes a lot of noise it is probably unbalanced. Stop it immediately and rebalance the tubes.

Always use a screw-on or press-on lid on the rotor head. This reduces noise, stops your tubes getting hot (from air friction) and prevents leakages from escaping.

Keep the insides of the centrifuge clean by wiping out with a cloth wetted with 70% ethanol. When not in use keep the cover down to keep dust out.

Chemical Area and Chemical use Use the chemical area for dispensing and weighing out chemicals, and adjusting the pH of solutions. Most chemicals are hazardous, some extremely so, either by inhalation of dust, ingestion, or contact

with skin. Always use gloves, preferably nitrile gloves when dealing with dangerous chemicals. All chemicals used in this lab are potentially dangerous. Please read information on the bottles and

always read the chemical MSDS and hazard data sheet before use - go to the OHS website and click on Chemwatch MSDS (http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/index.html) or look in the chemicals folder.

Some chemicals MUST be weighed out in the fume hood to protect you from inhaling any particles. Clean up any spills immediately. If necessary, use the spill kit which is stored near the eye wash

sink. Make sure you know which spill kit to use. Keep chemicals clean. Tip them out when you can or use a CLEAN spatula. If you finish a chemical, or notice that a chemical is running very low, write it on the shopping list. Always rinse the pH meter probe with distilled water after you have finished with it, gently dry the

outside and carefully replace the cap (filled with 3M KCl) on the pH probe. Keep the chemicals area clean and tidy. Always return chemicals to the correct place on the shelves.

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)5

Electronic balances need to be kept level in order to work properly. Do not move them around. Please clean once you have finished using them.

Consumables/Chemicals All consumable materials such as gloves, tips, Eppendorf tubes, Petri dishes, tissues, etc. can be

found in the consumables cupboards. When these stocks are running low, please write the item on the shopping list so that it can be re-

ordered before it runs out entirely. To purchase any chemicals or enzymes for your experiments that we do not already have, please

write the item on the shopping list (fill in as much detail as possible). If an item is urgent, also send an email to the lab manager to let them know when the chemical/enzyme is needed. Some items must be ordered from overseas, so give as much notice as possible.

Dishwasher Use the dishwasher to clean glass and certain plastics. Some plastics may melt in the washing

machine so always test plastics first. Fill the machine up as needed and check the lab for any dirty glassware that might need washing. When the cycle is complete put the clean glassware/plastics in the draining rack or drying oven and

put them away when dry.

Drying Oven Use the drying oven to dry glassware and plasticware Take care when removing objects from the drying oven as they will be hot. Wear appropriate hand

protection. Don’t leave plasticware (tip boxes especially) in the drying oven for more than 1-2 days as the high

temperature destroys the plastic.

Electrical leads: Make sure leads are not frayed or melted. All electrical equipment should be tagged with an inspection tag or plugged into a residual current

device.

Emergencies Call security on 53333 or 3365 3333 in case of bomb threat, chemical spill, explosion, fire or medical

emergency. Do not call 000 as the fire brigade/ambulance will not know where to go. Call security and they will

dial 000 and meet the emergency services at the entrance to the university and direct them where to go.

Emergency Exits Familiarise yourself with all exits to the building BEFORE an emergency. There are maps located at various places on each level of the Goddard building.

Enzymes Enzymes (Taq DNA polymerase, SYBR mix, reverse transcriptase, etc…) are very temperature

sensitive and therefore need to be kept cold at all times. Store at –20°C (-80°C for long term storage). Keep on ice or in a cold storage block when in use on the bench. Only have ONE working tube of enzyme at a time. Use a fresh, sterile tip when removing aliquots of enzymes to avoid contaminating the stock.

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)6

Exit ProcedureOn completion of your project you are required to: Return any keys you have signed out to Goods Receiving, on Level 1 Goddard building.

Hand in your lab notebooks to your supervisor. Your UQ lab notebook remains the property of the School of Biological Sciences. You should therefore return the notebooks to your supervisor before leaving. Other data, notebooks and materials or copies should also be left, such that we can collaboratively, if possible, follow up your research with publications or ongoing research.

You must also turn over all materials that you have used and produced, including seeds, strains, clones and protocols.

Make sure your supervisor has electronic copies of your work files and knows how to contact you in the future.

Clean up your bench area/cupboard in the lab (if applicable) and your desk in the office – this includes correct disposal of chemicals and unwanted materials

Clean up your fridge and freezer space of any unwanted material and show your supervisor where your important material is stored

Clean up growth cabinet/glasshouse space that you have been using during your project Ensure that your supervisor has a copy of your project report/thesis

Fire Extinguishers There are a number of fire extinguishers and other fire fighting equipment in the Goddard building

and the lab. Each fire extinguisher has a sign above it stating what type it is (CO2, powder etc) and what type of

fire it should be used on – familiarise yourself with this as it is very important that you use the right extinguisher for the right fire.

The universities’ policy on fighting fires:“If it is safe to do so, use the appropriate fire extinguisher to put out anyfire (do not attempt to fight a fire if the fire is large or if you are notfamiliar with the use of the fire extinguisher)”.

First Aid Kit There is a first aid cabinet in the lab, and a more comprehensive kit in the tea room on level 2 of the

Goddard building. If an incident occurs that requires something from the first aid kit, you must report it to Sue Lowrey or

the lab manager and they will get the item replaced. You must also report the incident on the online injury, illness and incident reporting system (http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/index.html).

Flammables Cabinet All large volumes of flammable liquids must be stored in a steel flammables cabinet. Flammables in

original containers are labelled with a flammables sticker. Take care when opening the door in case any bottles fall out. There are 2 flammables cabinets in the lab, under the benches in the equipment area.

Fridges/Freezers – upright The doors on several fridges/freezers don’t close automatically so make sure you close the door

properly. Label all tubes and bottles of samples and reagents with your name and date, otherwise they will be

thrown out during regular clean-ups. Do not use open racks for storage, use the boxes with lids, and label them clearly. Keep your material up to date and throw out unwanted material and reagents.

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)7

Freezers (-80C) There are two -80C freezers; room 259 and the CT room (146). Wear the protective gloves provided to handle items stored in the -80 freezer. Never touch metal

items with bare hands. Label all tubes and bottles of samples and reagents with your name and date, otherwise they will be

thrown out during regular clean-ups There are designated shelves/areas in the freezer for storing your material. Please do not just put

your stuff anywhere. Things can easily go missing. Please figure out what you need from the freezer before you open it. It loses temperature very

quickly and the alarm will go off if the temperature increases by 5 degrees. The alarm is hooked up to security, so if you will be doing something with the freezer and you think

the alarm may go off, please call security first to let them know (use the non-emergency contact number: 3365 1234).

If you have to move someone else’s boxes to get to yours, please put them back quickly and in the same way that you found them.

Fume Hood Read the instructions on the outside of the fume hood before use. Use the fume hood for EVERYTHING that produces a noticeable odour or is dangerous by

inhalation. This includes: phenol, chloroform, isoamyl alcohol, TEMED, DMSO, beta-mercaptoethanol, SDS powder, smelly tissue samples etc.

Do not leave anything in the fume hood. If it is cluttered it will not ventilate properly. Always clean up after yourself. Keep the front shield pulled at least 1/2 to 2/3 down when not in use. If you place waste into the bin in the fume hood, it is essential that the fume hood is left running until

all volatiles from the waste have been released. It is therefore good practice to run the fume hood overnight after each use.

Gel Pouring Area Keep the gel pouring area clean and tidy. Make sure that you use the heat proof gloves for handling hot agar bottles. Clean up any spills as soon as possible (it’s often easier to let the agarose set first). Wash up and return all combs, clips and gel tanks to the appropriate cupboards/boxes. Keep the microwave (see Microwave section) clean and tidy. Carefully remove glass plate and clean

if there is a spill.

Gel Running Areas Gel rigs are a potential high-voltage electrical hazard. Always turn the power OFF and unplug the wires from the power pack before removing the lid of the

gel rig. The gel running buffers need to be changed regularly. If you change the buffer always label the lid of

the rig with the date, type of buffer (TAE or TBE) and concentration (1x, 3/4x, 1/2x etc). Plug the cords in the right way round, DNA runs from black (-) to red (+). Always leave the lids on the gel rigs so that buffer does not evaporate and to keep dust out. Clean up any spills immediately. Ensure that there aren’t any extra leads hanging loose from the powerpack you are using. When cleaning gel tanks, do not place tanks directly on the bench to dry as this can damage the

electrodes which stick out from the top of the tanks. Instead, use the draining rack near the sink in the gel area.

Gel Documentation System Remember to turn the system off at the back when you have finished.

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)8

Do not cut gels directly on the glass as this will damage the glass. Use the plastic cutting screen. Wipe the UV transilluminator down with 70% EtOH when you have finished.

Glasshouses PC2 and Quarantine glasshouse operating procedure refer to documents provided at the

glasshouse induction. All plants grown in the glasshouse must be labelled You must clean up after your experiment is finished. See lab manager for help ordering soil / allocating glasshouse space for upcoming experiments.

Growth Cabinets There are 5 growth cabinets in the lab, as well as controlled environment space in the CT room

(146). You have the ability to manipulate the temperature, humidity and photoperiod. Before you do this,

check with other lab members to see who is using the growth cabinet and what their needs are. This area can get overheated easily if the air conditioning is not working effectively. If this happens,

the growth cabinets may shut down. Please leave the door open to allow the hot air to escape from the cabinet and tell the lab manager or the Post-doctoral fellow in charge of the growth cabinets. This should be considered an emergency so please contact the lab head or Post-docs in this case.

Please follow the Arabidopsis growing protocol and tidy up after yourself when you have used this room and the cabinets.

Heat Blocks The heat blocks can be set to various temperatures. Please put a label on the heat block when you use it stating your name, the temperature and how

long you are using it for. There are also warning signs available near the heat blocks to warn other users of the area.

Hazardous Waste There are several types of hazardous waste:

1. liquid chemical waste, eg. phenol, chloroform, formaldehyde (for information on handling chemical spills see OH&S guideline at http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/pdfs/OHYG-spillprocedure.pdf).

2. sharps, eg. glass, scalpel blades, needles (see Sharps).3. biological waste, eg. general lab path waste, bacterial cultures (see Pathological Waste).

Liquid chemical waste must be placed into appropriate, labelled containers (The lab manager can order containers from the Chem store).

Chemical waste containers can be found in/under the fume hood at the end of the lab. Liquid chemical waste can be disposed of by contacting the waste officer (see emergency spills). Do not dispose of ANYTHING down the sink unless you have checked the MSDS and Health and

Safety that this is OK. Remember that the waste will end up in the Brisbane River/Moreton Bay. For all other Chemical waste that is classified as hazardous please consult Marshall Butterworth on

3365 1418.

Isotope Use Only trained staff should use radiolabelled chemicals.

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)9

Keys There are keys to the pathological waste bins, ice machine, liquid nitrogen etc. kept in the key rack

near the labcoat hooks. Return keys as soon as you are finished using them.

Laminar Flow Hood Keep the laminar flow hood clean and tidy. Wipe down with a weak solution of bleach and then distilled water, or use 70% ethanol.

Lab Benches The lab bays are to be kept tidy by the people using it. Empty nearby rubbish bins, wipe down

benches, keep uncluttered etc.

Microscope Area This area contains expensive, specialist equipment. Ask someone with more experience than you to

show you how to use the microscopes. They can easily be damaged if used improperly. Clean up after yourself when you have finished using the microscopes.

Microwave Oven Use the microwave for heating up solutions and dissolving agar and agarose. Use the heat-proof gloves provided and wear clean rubber gloves underneath. When heating liquids in bottles the lids must be FULLY LOOSENED. Failure to do so may cause the

bottle to explode under pressure. Keep the microwave clean and clean up any spills immediately

MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) Every hazardous chemical that is used in the lab has a printed MSDS. These MSDSes are kept in a folder in the lab. If an incident occurs, send the MSDS(es) of the

chemicals that the person was using along with them in the ambulance, so that doctors / paramedics can employ the proper treatment.

When starting work with a chemical that you are not familiar with, you must first read through the MSDS (use chemwatch on the lab computers / your office computer). Chemwatch is found through the “Chemwatch MSDS” link on the OH&S website (http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/). UQ login is required for access.

Non-infectious waste / Pathological Waste & Path Waste Bins For all clinical waste from the large wheelie clinical waste bins with yellow liners, seal the bags

and put them in the large yellow bin. Disposal of rubber gloves or any laboratory items such as tips and plates MUST NOT be thrown

into general waste bins (black liners). This essentially means the general waste bins are only for non-contaminated hand towel, tissues and packaging.

The path waste bins (yellow) are for pathological waste only (i.e. gloves, contaminated plasticware and paper, sterilised biological waste) but NOT for general waste (see above). Do not put sharps (scalpel blades, broken glass etc) directly into the path waste bins. Sharps

must go in a sharps bin or a scalpel blade remover. All quarantine material must be disposed of appropriately – see Quarantine disposal document. Empty the path waste bins before they get too full. This means before they are too full to seal with

tape, or when they reach 20kg (be careful if disposing of a large amount of soil, as it gets heavy quickly). Seal the bags with tape first or tie in a knot.

Full bags should be taken out to the lockable path waste bins outside the Goddard building. Transport bags inside the yellow wheelie bins, and use the bucket inside the bin to tip the bag into

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)10

the path waste bin. If a bag breaks causing a major leakage which is not easily and completely cleaned up it must be reported to the OGTR, so ensure that you are very careful with sealed bags of path waste. Please use the dustpan and brush at the bottom of the wheelie bins if a spill occurs.

The bins MUST be locked shut once they contain path waste. The weight limit of large path waste bins is 20 KG. Do not overfill as overweight bins will not be collected by waste company.

OGTR (Office of the Gene Technology Regulator) The lab and CT rooms are PC2 rated facilities. With this rating comes a lot of responsibility. It is a requirement that anyone working in a PC2 rated lab has undergone PC2 training online

through blackboard (access via MyUQ). You must do this training and then sign the sheet in the grey OGTR folder. Other things to be written down in this folder are equipment maintenance, certification and visiting

personnel.

Out of Hours Work If you are working in the lab / glasshouse out of usual hours during the week or on weekends, it is

important to let someone know that you will be here and fill out the appropriate out of hours form (http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/pdfs/OHYG-afterhours.pdf). You should do a risk assessment for out of hours work.

You must also let that person know when you are leaving or have left the lab / glasshouse. This is for your own safety, in case something happens to you while working in the lab.

PC2 Practices Access to the facility is restricted to authorized persons and/or authorized classes of persons. All facility personnel must be trained in the requirements of the OGTR PC2 laboratory Facility

Guidelines (online training via blackboard, access through MyUQ). All facility doors must be closed when laboratory procedures are in progress. Lab coats and closed footwear must be worn at all times when working in the laboratory and

gloves must be worn when performing experiments. Eating, drinking, smoking and applying cosmetics are prohibited in all laboratory and open

adjoining areas (e.g., computer room, kitchen etc.). Storage of food or drink is prohibited. Long hair must be tied back or covered with a hair net at all times to avoid contamination. All cultures for your experiment must be clearly identified. If you are transporting any transgenic plants or GMOs to outside of facility, the materials must

be contained in two separate sealed containers, with the outer one being unbreakable. For mailing any infectious substances, diagnostic specimens and GMOs, contact Lab

Manager to get shipping information.Decontamination

All work benches, surfaces and equipment where procedures have taken place must be decontaminated immediately with 70% ethanol after any spills and when laboratory procedures using GMOs are completed;

If bleach is used as a disinfectant it should be labelled with an expiry date, even when made up daily;

All GMOs, organisms infected with GMOs, equipment or protective clothing contaminated with GMOs, and liquid and solid wastes containing GMOs, must be decontaminated by steam sterilization (autoclaving) or chemical treatment or high temperature incineration;

Wash hands before using dedicated reading/writing areas. Computers and writing material may be used on work benches only if they are essential to procedures performed;

Persons who have been performing procedures in the facility must wash or decontaminate their hands when leaving the facility, after handling cultures or before using any dedicated facilities such as reading /writing/computer areas

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)11

Incidents You must report as soon as practicable to the Laboratory Manager any unintentional release

of GMOs from the facility or spill during transport (you must also inform OHS/OGTR, first contact is Elizabeth Miric on extension 51857 or 3365 1857 from an external phone)

Fire and Medical Emergency, phone Security (all hours, extension 53333 or 3365 5333 from an external phone).

PCR Machines When programming the machines the final hold temperature should be no less than 10°C. At lower

temperatures significant amounts of moisture condense into the block and will damage the machine. The machine has to work very hard to keep the block at lower than room temperatures and this can shorten the life span.

Do not move the PCR machines and ensure that there is at least 20cm of clear space on all sides to allow the air vents to function correctly.

Turn machines off when not in use.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) LAB COATS

You MUST wear a lab coat at all times when in the lab. If you are not wearing a lab coat you will be asked to leave the lab.To store your lab coat, please hang it on the hook (with your name on it) on the wall at the front door to the lab.

GLOVESYou MUST wear appropriate protective gloves when carrying out work with GM materials or hazardous chemicals. You should also wear gloves when you are using equipment in the lab that may be contaminated with hazardous chemicals by other users (eg, PCR machines, centrifuges etc.)

COVERED SHOESYou MUST wear covered shoes at all times when in the lab, regardless of whether you are doing lab work or not. This is to protect YOU from chemical spills, sharps, biological waste spills. If you are not wearing covered shoes you will be asked to leave the lab.

EYE PROTECTIONYou MUST wear eye-protection whenever handling equipment or reagents that could be potentially damaging to your eyes. This includes wearing a face shield when using UV light (light box, laminar flow or hand-held lamp), plastic eye glasses when using sharps, hot/cold liquids (e.g. liquid nitrogen), corrosive/flammable/caustic liquids (e.g. concentrated bleach, HCl solutions). Make sure that people near you are also protected.

Pipettes When using pipettes, draw up and dispense liquids SLOWLY to prevent liquid entering (and

contaminating) the barrel. Push the pipette onto the tip GENTLY. There is no need to bash it several times to make the tip stay

on. Always hang the pipette up after use. This helps others find them and prevents dust/liquids entering

the barrel. Never leave a pipette lying on the bench with a tip on. Only use the pipette within the recommended range, setting the pipette above or below this range

will damage them and the measurement will not be accurate. The correct ranges for the Gilson pipettes are:

P2 0.1-2µLP20 0.5-20µL

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)12

P100 10-100µLP200 20-200µLP1000 200-1000µL

Quarantine Do not touch any material labeled as quarantine if you have not done the appropriate

training.

Radiation Before you can start radiation work you need to be authorised and trained by an experienced

radiation user (Training can be booked through the staff development website: https://staffdevelopment.hr.uq.edu.au/course/OWS011, radiation information is available on the OH&S website at http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/index.html?page=35888).

Radiation certification training course is required for all new users.

Recycling Recycle as much as possible! There is a cardboard recycling bin for cardboard boxes (incl. glove boxes), outside the Goddard

building. Return polystyrene boxes to the recycling area outside of the Goods Receiving area in the Goddard

courtyard. There are also paper recycling bins around the Goddard building. You can’t recycle lab glassware (pyrex); it must be disposed of in a sharps bin if broken and

contaminated. There is also a special bin outside Goddard for clean waste glass. For more info on how to recycle materials see http://www.pf.uq.edu.au/Ems/GrnOffPrgrm.html

Responsibilities As a member of this lab, you are responsible for keeping it clean and running smoothly. Please take as much care of items (equipment, journals, chemicals etc) in the lab as you would of

your own personal items. Lab equipment is expensive and if it is broken, then you cannot perform your research or it will be delayed.

If you notice that a piece of equipment requires maintenance or repair, notify the lab manager. Never ever leave a mess in the lab. If you need to leave a mess to get help with cleaning up, leave

a sign for other lab users. Be tidy and respectful of others, both in the use of the space, and your behaviour.

Risk Assessments You will be working in a laboratory which has many potential risks that you must be made aware of. With the acknowledgement of these risks and proper training and care, no accidents should happen. Risk assessments for work in the lab have been posted in the risk assessment database. These folders contain risk assessments for all common procedures that we use in the lab and field. You must read through the risk assessment and sign in the “read by” section before you start

working on that process. If you are about to start a procedure in the lab that has no previous risk assessment, you must write

one and get it approved in the database. If an incident occurs, you must report it on the online injury, illness and incident reporting system

(http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/index.html).

Sharps Sharps (scalpel blades, glass pipettes, capillaries, needles, broken glass, cover slips, glass slides

etc) MUST be disposed of in a sharps container. DO NOT put sharps directly into a rubbish bin or path waste bin or YOU MAY INJURE SOMEONE.

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)13

Full sharps waste bins can be sealed shut and then placed into a path waste bin for disposal. Scalpel blade removers must be used. When these are full (100 blades) you can throw the entire

thing in the path waste bins.

Sinks The sinks are NOT dumping grounds for rubbish or things you can’t be bothered washing up. Do not leave dirty glassware in or around the sinks. No-one else is employed to do your washing up. Always clean dirty glassware immediately: scrub with Decon detergent and a brush, rinse 2-3 times

with tap water, rinse 2-3 times with RO water. Be careful with agarose which needs to be wiped out of glassware, and don’t allow it to go down the

sink (it will block the sink).

Security Before 7am and after 5:30pm during the week and all day on the weekends, keep the external doors

to the lab area closed and locked. Always lock up if you are the last person to leave the lab, or think you are the last person to leave. Turn off all lights if you are the last person to leave. Do not leave valuables in the lab, computer room or your office, unless they are locked away. Call security on x51234 if you see anything suspicious.

Spills Kit There is a spills kit located in the laboratory. The spill kit comprises two boxes, containing different

materials to deal with spills of different types of chemicals. Contained in the spill kit are the appropriate materials to deal with a chemical spill. Please read the document “Chemical Spill Response Guideline” for further information

(http://www.uq.edu.au/ohs/pdfs/OHYG-spillprocedure.pdf).

Water Baths Make sure there is sufficient water in the bath to cover the heating element and recirculating pump

before switching on. Top up with RO water only. Change the water regularly as water baths are known to be sites where the legionella bacterium will

grow.

Water - RO and Milli-Q The RO water (green taps in sinks) is distilled water from a departmental purified water system Milli-Q water can be obtained from the Milli-Q machine located in lab 159 above the sink. Ask

someone how to use this machine before using it for the first time

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)14

Beveridge/Tanurdzic Lab Lab induction (updated July 2012)

15