Laboratory routines

Info from Lab Service personnel at BOM and KOB

Before starting with laboratory work, the ”Laboratory safety handbook” should be read, the confirmation that the information has been received and understood, signed and the confirmation should have been given to the head of the department.

General rules

No eating, drinking or smoking allowed at the laboratory. This includes filling water bottles in the sink at the lab and disposal of leftovers/food packaging in the garbage bin.
Keep the workplace clean and always tidy up when finished
Never touch the chemicals with your bare hands
Never taste the chemicals or other laboratory material
Always wear a lab-coat, shoes and, when needed, gloves and/or eye protection
Never wear your lab-coat and gloves in the lunchroom
Never perform mouth pipetting; use assigned mechanical pipettes
Work in fume hoods or other ventilation systems when necessary
Never leave an open flame or use open flames near flammable liquids
Always ask before borrowing others’ equipment
Handle waste according to routines below
Always switch off the electricity before handling connected cables
Switch off electronic equipment, gas and water when not in use

Special lab

Class II lab

See local regulations. Before working with class II organisms you need to have proper permits and notify the responsible person (see "Laboratory safety handbook").

Radioactive material

See local regulations. All work with radioactive isotopes must be reported and authorised in advance by the Radiation Safety Officer and/or Permit holder (see "Laboratory safety handbook").

Cell lab

See local regulations. Before working with eucaryotic cells in culture you need to have proper permits and notify the responsible person (see "Laboratory safety handbook").

Work with human blood

See local regulations. Before working with human blood you need to have proper permits and notify the responsible person (see "Laboratory safety handbook").

Purchases and withdrawals of lab material consumables and chemicals

Charging for withdrawals

Withdrawals of ethanol, chemicals, lab material consumables, plastic boxes etc. will be charged once a year.

Ethanol

Ethanol may only be collected from Lab Service. Have some foresight before Christmas and summer holidays and at larger withdrawals.

Lab material consumables

If lab material consumables are collected from the “General lab material storage”, room 41018 floor 1 in House Vita, the binder must be filled in. If your research group/project are missing a sheet to write on, there are extra in the binder. Any problems, contact Terese Uddh Söderberg .

Chemicals

If you are in urgent need of chemicals, these can be bought from Lab Service, if available, at cost price. Minimum cost is 20 SEK.

Purchases

For information on agreements regarding chemicals and lab products see s:fhl/fakultetsgemensamt. Smaller purchases are preferably coordinated with Lab Service, contact Terese Uddh Söderberg, Nina Andersson-Junkka or Torbjörn Lennqvist via the function e-mail labservicefhl@lnu.se.

Lab. equipment and common facilities

Borrowing lab. equipment, instruments etc. from Lab Service/education

For long loans, own equipment should be purchased. Lab. equipment, glass etc. can be borrowed for a shorter period of time from education. For shorter loans from Lab Service or education, staff at Lab Service should be contacted. No equipment may be used without permission. If equipment has been borrowed, costs will be charged if any repairs, service and maintenance are needed.

Fume hoods

Fume hoods are not a storage space; do not store instruments/materials that do not belong to the experiment under a hood. The door of the fume hood should be completely closed when work is finished. If you have any problems, contact the technicians.

Centrifuge

To get access to the floor centrifuges and ultracentrifuge, instructions are needed. For proper information on how to use the floor centrifuges on floor 1, contact Terese Uddh Söderberg or Fredrik Svensson and for the ultracentrifuge, contact Marlene Norrby. You are not allowed to use the centrifuges on nights or weekends. More information about guiding rules when using the centrifuge you find here. If you have any problems, contact the technicians or Terese Uddh Söderberg.

Autoclave

Autoclaves for common use are available on floor 1, one for destruction (waste) and one for clean runs (liquid and instruments). In order to use the autoclaves, you must receive instruction. Contact Lab Service for instruction. The autoclaves are booked in logbooks; no usage is allowed without name and contact information provided. More information about guiding rules and instructionss when using the auticlaves you find here. In case of problems contact Terese Uddh Söderberg or the technicians.

Milli-Q facility

Milli-Q facilities for common use are available on floor 1 and 3. Contact Lab Service if information on usage is needed. In case of problems contact Terese Uddh Söderberg or the technicians.

Ice machines

Iice machines for common use are available on floor 1, 2 and 3. In case of problems contact Terese Uddh Söderberg or the technicians.

Acid wash room

A common room for acid washing is available on 1st floor. Read the routines for the acid wash room here before using this room. The logbook should always be filled in with name and used acid. Each research group should keep their acids and glass in their own lab. No storage of glassware or acids for washing are allowed in this room, only acids and glass used during courses. Do not remove the blue gloves from this room if you borrow them while washing. The door shall be kept closed. In case of problems contact Terese Uddh Söderberg or the technicians.

Routines for dishes

Research labs:

Everything in the wash basket must be rinsed with water and tape pieces removed, before being carried down to the room intended for washing wagons (41066, on the first floor). The wash basket and wagon must be marked with the room number / research group. When the dishes are ready, the cleaning staff will take the wagon with basket back to the research lab.

Education lab

After lab work in the course lab, all glasses must be rinsed thoroughly with water and all pieces of tape removed. The dishes should be placed in a wash basket that is placed on the lab. Pipettes should be placed in the intended pipette cylinder with deionized water. NOTE! It is important that the teacher who has the lab ensures that this is done. The wash baskets in these labs are collected by the cleaning staff.

Waste

Hazardous chemical waste must be stored in appropriate containers which are clearly labelled. The containers are placed in the assigned ventilated room (41019) on the 1^st floor. Read the routines how to handle chemical wastes and leave in the waste room h ere.

Biological waste that is due to be destroyed should be packed in bags and put in black containers in the freezer on the 1^st floor (ask technicians or Lab Service). NB! The waste should not be frozen before it is put in the container.

Contaminated materials should be collected in yellow containers and labelled clearly. Piercing and cutting waste is also collected in these containers. Contact the technicians or Lab Service.

If radioactive waste needs to be disposed of, contact the Radiation Safety Officer.

Risk assessment

A risk assessment must always be conducted before starting lab work with new moments or new chemicals. The Safety Data Sheet should be read before you start working with hazardous chemicals and before you discard your waste. The risk assessment can also be done in KLARA.

Safety Data Sheets

According to The Swedish Work Environment Authority’s regulations, Safety Data Sheets should be kept in every lab near where the chemicals are located, preferably in an orange binder. You can also find risk- and safety information about chemical products in the KLARA product database.

Chemical inventory list (KLARA)

An inventory list of all chemicals must be available according to The Swedish Work Environment Authority. This also applies to research groups. Contact Terese Uddh Söderberg or Torbjörn Lennqvist at Lab Service for information and a log-in account for KLARA.

Education labs

Booking

When using the education rooms/labs, booking shall always be done through the booking administrator.

Laboratory lessons when service from Lab Service or technicians is needed

The schedule for courses where service from Lab Service or the technicians is needed, must be provided at latest 14 days in advance. Laboratory lessons that require new equipment or unusual chemicals, filter etc. may need more than 14 days notice.

After laboratory lesson

After using the education labs, it is important to clean up carefully. Take care of the dishes as instructed above. If anything breaks or didn’t work correctly, inform Lab Service immediately.