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Laboratory Safety: General health & safety requirements

Definitions 

A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, teaching, and experiments may be performed. A laboratory worker is anyone who carries out an activity within a laboratory. As well as persons carrying out research etc., this includes maintenance work, cleaning and waste collection. 

 

Provision of information, instruction and training 

  • Identify appropriate laboratory health and safety rules, commensurate with work activities 
  • Ensure health and safety rules are clearly communicated, e.g. in departmental safety handbook, posted in lab areas, and during induction 
  • Record that health and safety rules have been read and understood 

 

Risk Assessments 

Everyone carrying out scientific or technological research, teaching and/or experiments must do so under a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. To note – there may be more than one risk assessment applicable for your work / study activity and/or location. 

 

 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Laboratory’s

An SOP is a documented guide that details the exact steps required to complete a specific task or process. It ensures quality, safety, regulatory compliance, and consistent performance across a team/task. This differs from a risk assessment (RA), which is a systematic process of identifying potential hazards, evaluating the risks they pose, and deciding on sensible measures to control or eliminate them. Before writing an SOP, an RA should be conducted. The safety controls identified in the RA (such as wearing specific gloves or turning on an extractor fan) must be written directly into the steps of the SOP.

 

 

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 

PPE refers to all equipment intended to be worn or held by a person at work which protects against one or more risks to their health or safety.   A risk assessment should identify the need for PPE which should only be used as a last resort. Your School, Institute or Directorate will pay for any PPE for staff that is identified. 

Everyday clothing and footwear 

Wet laboratories (teaching and research), hazardous substance stores and research workshops at Queen Mary contain many hazardous substances in liquid form and in dust, powder and other solid forms. When handling hazardous substance liquids in particular, spills, splashes and droplets can occur which can both contaminate and penetrate / permeate bare skin. Normal everyday footwear and clothing is not considered personal protective equipment (PPE); however, they should provide minimum protection to the skin and the foot in wet laboratories and similar facilities noted above. 

 

Reading Glasses & Contact Lenses 

Reading and other vision glasses should not be worn as a substitute for laboratory safety glasses as they do not offer sufficient protection against impact or accidental exposure to chemicals. If you wear glasses, you should wear additional safety glasses over the top. Alternatively, you can obtain prescription safety glasses.  

 

Wearing contact lenses in laboratories is generally discouraged or tightly regulated due to the risks of chemical absorption, trapped splashes, and delayed emergency eye flushing. 

Key Safety Risks 

  • Chemical absorption: Soft contact lenses can absorb and trap hazardous chemical vapours or water-soluble substances against the cornea. 
  • Trapped particulates: Dust, fine powders, and foreign splashes can slide under the lens and cause severe corneal scratching. 
  • Emergency flushing hindrance: In the event of a corrosive splash, tight eyelid spasms or the lens itself can complicate or delay effective rinsing at an eyewash station 

 

Standards for use of personal music players / headphones 

  • Headphones/earphones/earbuds should not be used in the following laboratories due to risk of substance transfer to the body, externally onto skin or internal ingress:  CL3 or CL2, radioactive substances or where chemicals that are of significant handling and transfer risk to the body (e.g. carcinogens, reproductive toxins, corrosives, toxics, potent sensitisers) 
  • Noise cancelling/reducing headphones/earphones/earbuds should not be used.   
  • If the wearer's situational awareness is reduced to the extent that their health and safety is compromised by the use of these devices e.g., they cannot hear emergency alarms, calls for help etc, then these devices must not be used. 
  • Headphones/earphones/earbuds must be stored in such a way that minimizes the risk of them being contaminated by biological, chemical or other substances and materials. 
  • Personal electronic devices must not be used with gloves on – even if the glove is clean – this give a perception that users do not understand the risk of cross contamination. 

 

Waste Disposal  

Waste disposal is an important part of working safely in a lab. If material is not disposed of in the correct way, it can pose unnecessary risk to those working in the lab and anyone who may encounter it during disposal. You should try to keep your workstation clean and tidy throughout your lab session by regularly disposing of waste items.  

 

Your School or Institute will detail these requirements with any adaptations required for localised research or teaching activities, based on area risk assessment/s. 

 

Further Information 

 

Primary Legislation 

  • Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974. 
  • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (COSHH). 

 

For advice and assistance at Queen Mary 

For Advice and Assistance at Queen Mary,  contact the H&S Manager / Advisor for your Faculty / PS or the subject lead at http://www.hsd.qmul.ac.uk/contact-us/ 

All H&S staff can be contacted via the help desk at hs-helpdesk@qmul.ac.uk 

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