Laboratory Safety

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Lab Signs are posted at the entrance to every lab at SLAC.  Please take a brief look at them to ensure you understand what the requirements are for entry, the requirements for work, and any possible hazards that you may come into contact with while working in the lab. PPE requirements for entry include wearing Safety Glasses, Closed Toe Shoes​, and Long Pants​. All food and drink is prohibited from the labs. PPE requirements for work in the labs additionally include gloves, and also lab coats (if applicable).​

Spill Response

If you spill hazardous materials, you may proceed to clean it up yourself.  You may do so only if 1) you are authorized to handle the spilled material, 2) proper PPE and spill kit are available, AND 3) it is safe to do so.  If any of these conditions are not met, do not attempt to clean up the spill, stay in a safe area, and wait for specialized responders.​

If all of these conditions are met, the general spill cleanup procedure as follows.  First, report the incident to your supervisor.  Control the access to the affected area to secure the incident.  Before you start the cleanup, make sure to put on proper PPEs and locate a spill kit.  Contain the spill with provided absorbent sheets or paper towels.  Then, decontaminate or neutralize the spilled material for the appropriate duration of time.  Finally capture all impacted media and dispose of them as hazardous wastes.  ​

Emergency Procedures: Exposures (Chemical and Biological)

If you are exposed to chemical inhalation, move to fresh air immediately and seek medical attention. 

If your eyes are contaminated with chemical or biological agents, use the eyewash immediately.  Make sure that you flush your affected eye for a minimum of 15 minutes.  If only one eye is affected, make sure to keep your affected eye at a lower level than your healthy eye to prevent the other eye from getting contaminated during the rinse-off. 

If your skin is contaminated, immediately rinse affected area with running water for a minimum of 15 minutes. For large exposure areas, use an emergency shower, and remove contaminated clothing under the shower. 

In the event of needle/stick incident, wash with soap and water for a minimum of 15 minutes. ​

​Emergency Procedures: Fire

All users must be aware of where the closest fire alarm pull station is.  Fire alarm pull stations are located next to all exit doors.  If you are the discoverer of the incident, sound the alarm by pulling the switch at the pull station and immediately evacuate the building and head to the emergency assembly point.  Use a fire extinguisher only if you are trained in its proper use, you have already called 911, and you know the correct class of fire extinguisher to use for the fire.  When you are evacuated from the building, meet the fire department and tell them exactly where the fire is.​​

Emergency Reporting at SSRL

All users must know the evacuation route and emergency assembly point (EAP), building evacuation plans are posted by exits.​ You must know what to do in case of​ life threatning emergencies (incident notification cards are provided at the badging office).​​

• For life threatening emergencies like smoke, explosions, large hazardous material release, you must: Call 911, followed by calling ext. 5555, then notify your supervisor (duty operator or D.O.).
• For non-life threatening emergencies like injuries: inform your supervisor (D.O.), followed by SLAC medical (M-F, 9AM - 5PM) or ext. 5555 if its after-hours (notify SLAC medical next bus. day).
• For non-life threatning "off normal events" like equipment damage, near misses etc., notify supervisor (D.O.) then call ext. 5555.