PSSO SAFETY Information Center

Welcome to PSSO Safety Information Center, your one-stop website where you can get information regarding Safety matters. The information here attempts to be as extensive as possible but if you have any suggestions concerning additions, please email us.

The Chemistry Safety Committee is grateful to Dr. Ken MacNeil, Departmental Safety Adviser, School of Chemistry at the University of Bristol, for his very kind help and advice on safety matters. The Safety Manual has been adapted with permission from the School of Chemistry, University of Bristol.

Safety Manual

For the full version of the Safety Manual, Click here. The abbreviated version, Safety Handout, can be downloaded here.

1. Personnel Responsibilities
• Research Supervisor / Principal Investigator
• Supervised Practical Teaching
2. Coping with Emergency
• Coping With Emergency
• Emergency Telephone Numbers
• Fire Wardens
• Basic First Aid
• First Aider
• First Aid Boxes
• Emergency (Fire) Alarm
3. Health and Safety Procedures in the Department of Chemistry
• Safety, Health and Environment Policy
• Risk Assessment
• Preventing Fires and Floods
• Chemical Hazards
• Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
4. Personal Safety
• Eating, Drinking or Smoking
• Protective Clothing
• Fumehood Safety
• Chemical Safety
• Important Safety Practices
• Use of Hazardous Chemicals
• Electrical Safety
• Laser Safety
• Mechanical Safety
• Glassware Safety
• Cryogenic Safety
• Noise and Safety
• Radiation Safety
• Out of Hours Working
• Unattended Experiments
• Pregnancy
• Tidiness
5. Accident and Incident Reporting
• Reporting Details
• Previous Accidents
• Article from Science Journal on Lessons Learnt from Lab Acquired Infection (LAI)
• Safety Alert
  • Sudden closure of centrifuge lid
6. Regulations on Purchase of Chemicals
7. Chemical Waste Disposal
• Waste Chemicals
• Waste Solvents
• Organic liquids acceptable as waste solvents
8. Safety Inspections
9. Security in the Department
10. Lab Vacation
11. Personnel connected with Safety in the Department
12. Training

2007
Risk Assessment Presentation Powerpoint
Safety Briefing 16 Mar
----- Slides
----- Webcast
Template for Comprehensive Risk Assessment
----- Example
Awareness on Safety Management System

2006
First Aid Details

2005
First Aid Details
FoS Safety Management System
Fire Safety Awareness
Working Safely in Research Labs
Biosafety, Radiation and Radioactivity

Undergraduate Safety Information

The undergraduate risk assessment form should be completed by undergraduates working in Research Labs. The student should read the prepared risk assessments relevant to his/her work and verify that he/she has done so. Undergraduates working in the teaching lab should read the Undergraduate Safety Note, sign and return the acknowledgement page to the teaching lab where he/she is doing the experiments. In addition, experimental risk assessments and safety data for each experiments can be found in the links below:

• Experimental risk assessments for undergraduate lab modules can be downloaded here.
• Safety data can be downloaded here.

Forms

• Authorised Personnel Form
• Transponder Loan form
• Roll Call Form
• Lab Self-Checklist
• Lab Handover Form
• Lab Clearance Form
• Incident Report Form
• Project Risk Assessment Form
• Experiment Risk Assessment Form
• Teaching Lab Staff Risk Assessment Form
• Teaching Lab Experiment Risk Assessment Form
• Service Lab Staff Risk Assessment Form
• Risk Assessment by Graduates and Research Workers Form
• Undergraduate Risk Assessment Form
• Risk Assessment Forms for samples from Non-Chemistry Department
• Carcinogen usage record form
• Application for Medical Examination as a Radiation/Laser Worker
• Application for Radiation and Laser licences



• Procurement - Letter of Justification
  For Calling Fewer Than 3 Quotations For Purchases Of More Than S$5,000 But Not Exceeding S$15,000 (before GST)
• Procurement - Order Form 1
  For Purchases of NOT MORE than S$5,000 (excluding GST)
  
• Procurement - Order Form 2
  For Purchases of MORE than S$5,000 but Not Exceeding S$15,000 (excluding GST)

Prepared Risk Assessment forms for common activities

Equipment and Procedures

• Use of Fume Hoods
• Use of Glassware
• Use of Standard Electrical Equipment
• Transport and Use of Compressed Gas Cylinders
• Use of Reduced Pressure or Vacuum
• Use of Laboratory Heating Equipment
• Use and Disposal of "Sharps"
• Use of Ultra-Violet Light Sources
• Laser Work in a Laboratory
• Use of high power Microwave and Radiofrequency power supplies
• General Office Work
• Visual Display Equipment
• Use of Laboratory Centrifuges
• Use of a Potentiostat
• Manual Handling

Chemicals and Materials

• Handling, Transportation and Storage of Liquid Nitrogen and other Cryogenic Material
• Transport, Storage and Use of Solvents and other Flammable Liquids
• Disposal of Waste solvents
• Use of the Sodium Press to make Sodium Wire for solvent drying
• Use of Pyrophoric Materials
• Use of Flammable, Explosive and Toxic Gases
• Use of Carcinogens, Mutagens and Substances Toxic to Reproduction
• Use of Acutely Very Toxic Substances
• Use, Handling and Clean-Up Procedures for Mercury
• Use of Hydrofluoric Acid
• Use of Cyanide Salts
• Use of Diborane Gas

Adapted with permission from School of Chemistry, University of Bristol.

Appendix

• Chemical Storage Guideline
• Incompatible Chemical list
• Hazard Symbol Guide
• Good Safe Practices in the Department
• Special Chemical Waste Disposal Guide