Safety Comes First

     The first pieces of equipment a researcher should familiarize himself or herself with is the safety equipment. Gloves, goggles, and lab coats are all required to maintain a safe working environment. Ethanol should be used to clean any surfaces that are going to be used. Know where the eye wash, emergency shower, fire extinguisher, fire blanket, and phone are, and how to work all of them. Make sure you know where biohazard containers are placed, and what goes in them (usually anything that contains DNA or possibly harmful material).

    http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chemlab/info/safety/equipment.html

     Most labs will have a designated area for gel electrophoresis, because of the use of ethidium bromide, a carcinogen. Anything used in this area should stay in this area to reduce contamination.

 





   
    Also, know how to use a Bunsen burner, and make sure it is turned on when you are working with bacteria, in order to keep the general area sterile.

 





     After you are done with an experiment, know how to clean up after yourself. Clean the surface you used with ethanol, and spray and beakers with alcanox, or bleach, if needed. Make sure all glassware is completely clean.

     Sometimes, biological waste is cleared using an autoclave. Know where the nearest autoclave is, and how to use it. Autoclaves function at high temperatures, so be sure to use the designated gloves when working with them.

     Well, there you have it! Lab safety in a nutshell.