1. All researchers, including postdoctoral research associates, graduate students and summer and MSc interns must complete the required NCL Safety training and adhere to the safety rules.
2. Safety glasses should be worn in the laboratory at all times, even when not directly handling chemicals.
3. Proper Lab attire long pants, closed-toe shoes are required to be worn when working in the lab. Confine long hair. Do not wear high-heeled shoes, open-toed/heeled shoes, sandals or shoes made of woven materials.
4. Always wear gloves when handling chemicals.
5. When pouring large quantities of hazardous chemicals, in addition to goggles, wear a face shield large enough to protect your ears and neck as well as your face.
6. All the reactions should be performed inside the fume-hood. The front sash should always be closed as far as possible.
7. Read the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for information on all chemicals you plan to use. You should know the hazards of the materials used (e.g., corrosivity, flammability, reactivity, and toxicity).
8. No one is allowed to work alone in the laboratory. There should be at least 2/3 people.
9. Before performing any experiment, you must assess the hazards related to the work, including; what are the worst possible things that could go wrong, how to deal with them, and what are the prudent practices.
10. If you want to conduct any experiment which may have potential risk of fire/explosion, discuss with your PI and then perform this experiment in presence of a senior student after taking all safety precautions.
11. Do not use mobile phone or ear phone while you are working on a bench or fumehood or performing any other experiment. Mobile phone should be kept on your laptop/computer table.
12. Do not pour chemical waste in the sink/drain. Put chemical waste in waste disposal containers.
13. Do not use any electrical appliances with broken/damaged wiring.
14. Do not block emergency exits or hallways.
15. Any pyrophoric reactions i.e. reaction using n-BuLi/LiAlH4 or any such items should be performed during the day time with proper care and arrangements.
16. Remove gloves before handling common items like phones, instruments, door knobs, computer keyboards etc.
17. For safety purposes, I prefer researchers being present during the daytime (9 AM- 9 PM). There is of course flexibility. In any case, all members are requested to come to the lab latest by 10 AM, and leave latest by 11 PM. The crystal measure days are different. However, even on crystal measure day, at least 2 should be in the lab.
18. Clean your work bench and fume hood before you leave the lab.
19. Are you the last person to leave the lab? Check the following-
(a) Doors and windows are closed!
(b) Solvent are tightly closed and kept in the yellow cupboard
(c) Argon or inert gas is closed!
(d) Rota and chiller are switched off!
(e) Lights are off!
(f) Vacuum pumps are off!
Use of Pyrophoric Chemicals: Any reactions involve pyrophoric chemical should be performed during the day time with proper care and necessary safety arrangements.
Fire Extinguisher and Sand: If any fire extinguisher in your laboratory is already used and it is empty, please inform your PI and safety committee. Kindly check and maintain the availability of fire extinguisher and sands in your laboratory for safe working.
Group Meeting: Our regular group meetings will take place every Saturday at 3:00 PM. At this time, the Lab Safety In-Charge must notify the PI of all safety violations with photographic evidence, no matter how small. We will wrap up the work week immediately following the meeting, and there will be no work on Sundays.
Power to NCL Safety Committee: The NCL Safety Committee reserves the right to conduct safety inspections in the laboratory at any time. If a student is found violating safety regulations, the committee may immediately halt their work and issue a 2-day suspension. A second violation by the same student will result in a 14-day suspension. Any subsequent violations will lead to the student's permanent termination from the lab.