Safety Alerts and Lessons Learned
ETA Safety Alerts are made available as a quick source of information on a specific safety or environmental topic that may be of interest. Safety Alerts are organized by category. There is also a search function. If you can't find what you need, please contact the ETA Safety Manager, Ron Scholtz X8137.
Lab coats are used to cover your regular clothes and minimize chemical contamination and splash hazards while working in the lab areas. They can also provide some temporary protection against fire depending on the type of material the lab coat is made of. Lab coats are not designed to be impermeable to chemicals, but they can provide additional safety since they can be quickly removed to isolate harmful exposures. Learn more about lab coat requirements and protocols.
Gloves worn on the hand prevent injury from direct skin contact with hazardous materials. It is important that the proper type of glove is worn when handling hazardous chemicals. Failure to follow proper precautions when wearing chemical gloves can result in a serious injury due to exposure to a hazardous chemical. Learn more about wearing chemical gloves.
Laboratory fume hoods are an important engineering control used to remove airborne contaminants from a worker’s breathing zone. Improper use or operation of a fume hood could result in exposure to hazardous chemicals, injuries, fires, and even explosions. Learn more about the requirements for the proper operation and maintenance of fume hoods.
Keep your hood sash closed when not in use. This will ensure safety of experiments set-up inside and significantly reduce energy. Go to this link to find out more: Keep Your Hood Sash Closed
Discharge or evaporation of hazardous liquids, wastes, vapors, gases, fumes and dusts to the atmosphere is not permitted. Learn more about how to properly dispose of hazardous wastes.
Check out the “1 Minute 4 Safety” slide library designed to assist Berkeley Lab employees in conducting discussions on the environment, safety, and health topics
Search and contribute to Berkeley Lab's lessons learned library