Unit D Agricultural Lab Equipment and Safety

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Unit D Agricultural Lab Equipment and Safety

• Competencies 9.00-10.00

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What is safety?

• Safety is defined as freedom from danger, risk,
  or injury.
• This is NOT possible to achieve. So, we have to
  ensure that our environment is as safe as
  possible by
• Keeping a clean area
• Using safety equipment
• Following all instructions

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Safety Equipment
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Safety Equipment

• The following safety equipment is most often used
  in laboratory settings
• Eye protection
• Lab coats
• Gloves
• Fire protection equipment
• Materials storage cabinets
• Eye wash/shower
• Fume hood

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Eye Protection

• Safety glasses, safety goggles, or face shield
• Used to protect eyes and face from spills or
  splashes (one of the most common accidents in
  labs)

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Eye Protection

• Face shields offer the most protection
• Scratches can be avoided by never laying the
  protection face down

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Lab Coats

• Protect body and clothes from spills
• Contribute to a sterile environment

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Gloves

• Usually surgical style, thin plastic
• Offer some protection to skin
• Used to achieve aseptic conditions

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Fire Protection Equipment

• Fire blanket
• Fire extinguisher
• Fire alarm
• Should be easily accessible and clearly marked
• In order to extinguish a fire, the fuel must be
  known

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Fire Protection Equipment

• Fire extinguishers should be rated for chemical
  and/or liquid fires
• Classes of fire extinguishers
• Class A-paper/wood
• Class B-liquids
• Class C-electrical
• Class D-combustible metals

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Fire Protection Equipment

• Fire extinguisher should be aimed at the base of
  the flames and used until flames are completely
  extinguished.

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Fire Protection Equipment

• Fire blankets are most effective for smoldering
  small flames on an individuals clothing or
  person.

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Materials Storage Cabinets

• Flammables
• Most common type of cabinet
• Isolates flammable chemicals for safety
• Should contain chemicals ONLY
• Fire resistant, not fire proof

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Materials Storage Cabinets

• Acids
• Isolate chemicals with specialized spill
  containers

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Eye Wash/Shower

• Should be checked often
• Should only be used in case of emergency
• After chemical exposure, eyes should be rinsed
  for more than a minute to ensure that damage is
  limited as much as possible.

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Fume Hood

• Removes noxious fumes produced by chemical
  solutions from the laboratory
• Very expensive

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Safety Principles
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General Guidelines

• Keep the workspace clean and clear of any
  obstructions and excess equipment, people, and/or
  supplies.
• Keep supplies and equipment in an easily
  accessible location.

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Chemical Safety

• Make certain that chemicals are clearly labeled
  with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) well
  marked and easily accessible.

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Chemical Spills and Exposure

• Spills should be quickly contained and the area
  secured
• Special media can be used to absorb harmful
  chemicals

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Chemical Spills and Exposure

• Any exposed skin should be immediately rinsed or
  neutralized (in the case of acid or base)
• particularly with eye exposure MSDS should be
  consulted for treatment
• A mild acid can sometimes be used to neutralize
  areas exposed to a strong base (works both ways)

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Chemical Spills and Exposure

• Chemicals consumed orally should be treated using
  the chemicals MSDS sheet.

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MSDS Sheets

• MSDS sheets contain important information on
  chemicals including
• Chemical properties
• Storage
• Disposal procedures
• Treatment for exposure

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Handling Chemicals

• Only use chemicals that are properly labeled,
  with current MSDS sheets
• Use only approved containers for mixing and
  storing chemical solutions
• Use a graduated cylinder or digital scale to
  ensure that the proper amount of chemicals are
  added to the solution

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Handling Chemicals

• When pouring liquid chemicals, place containers
  in contact whenever possible to prevent spills.
• Do not leave chemicals unattended outside of
  storage areas.
• When creating acid solutions, acids should always
  be poured slowly into water, to prevent splashing

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Handling Chemicals

• Federal law requires chemicals to be diluted
  before disposal being careful not to mix
  chemicals that react violently.
• Make certain that all necessary permits are
  obtained from government regulatory agencies for
  the use of restricted chemicals and biologicals.

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Creating and Maintaining a Sterile Environment
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Sterilization Equipment

• An autoclave is the best method for sterilization
  of small lab equipment, water/solutions,
  glassware, and lab materials.
• Even paper towels and cotton swabs can be
  sterilized.
• Autoclaves will KILL all live material

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Sterilization Equipment

• Flow hoods and surfaces can be cleaned/disinfected
  with a bleach based solution

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Sterilization Equipment

• Forceps and other equipment should never be
  placed in contact with surfaces
• Should be kept in a 70 ethanol (alcohol)
  solution, and flamed over an alcohol lamp before
  contacting sterile material.

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Creating a Sterile Environment

• Tissue culture and other aseptic lab techniques
  work best in a clean room or under a Laminar Flow
  Hood

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Creating a Sterile Environment

• Laminar flow hoods use a special filter (hepa
  filter) to clean air that needs changed after a
  given number of hours.
• Sterile boxes can be created with plexiglass or
  plastic sheeting for a more affordable but less
  reliable alternative.

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Creating a Sterile Environment

• Once the area is sterilized the movement of
  equipment and materials into and out of the work
  area should be minimized.

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Maintaining Sterile Conditions

• A face shield or front cover should be used to
  prevent contamination from mouth and nose
  (breathing).

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Maintaining Sterile Conditions

• Hands and arms
• Should be carefully washed with soap and water
• An anti-bacterial soap should be used on hands
  over wrists, immediately before placement in
  sterile surgical gloves.
• Hands should be kept inside the air curtain of
  the flow hood at all times, away from the edge or
  entrance to avoid accidental contamination.

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Maintaining Sterile Conditions

• Sleeves should be away from hands and shedding
  materials should be avoided
• A lab coat is ideal.

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Tips for Laboratory Projects
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MSDS Sheets

• MSDS Sheets provide all the information necessary
  for storage, handling, and disposal of a chemical
  or solution
• Includes the chemical formula, reactivity data,
  storage temperatures, exposure/
  inhalation/ingestion treatments, disposal
  methods, dangers with use, etc.
• Should be easily accessible in the lab

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Mixing Chemicals

• Make certain to clearly label the COMPOSITION AND
  STRENGTH of all solutions
• Under concentrated solutions can be ineffective
• Over concentrated solutions can be extremely
  dangerous

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Mixing Chemicals

• Always pour concentrated acids INTO cool water
  (NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND)
• Pour with beakers or bottles in contact when
  possible, running the liquid down the side of the
  glass to avoid splashing or flash boiling
• KNOW WHAT YOU ARE COMBINING OR CREATING!!!

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Use of Biological Materials

• Biological materials should be carefully stored
  and utilized with careful attention to
  temperature.
• Bacteria cultures should NEVER be incubated at
  temperatures ABOVE 30 degrees C, as higher temps
  encourage the growth of organisms harmful to
  humans.

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Use of Biological Materials

• Biological materials should be clearly labeled
  and stored in clearly marked and isolated areas.

BACTERIA
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Use of Biological Materials

• Any harmful biological materials should be
  destroyed prior to disposal
• Autoclaves can be used to destroy most bacteria
  cultures and plant or animal cells.
• Agricultural labs often use special biological
  materials disposal containers to store materials
  until pickup for destruction by an external
  company.

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Laboratory Equipment and Its Uses
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Laboratory Equipment

• There are several different types of equipment
  that are essential to labs
• Autoclave
• Centrifuge
• Micropipette
• Compound Light Microscope
• Incubator
• Water Bath
• Hot Plate
• Shaker
• Graduated Cylinder

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Autoclave

• A chamber that uses high levels of heat and
  pressure to sterilize instruments and materials,
  or destroy harmful organisms/pathogens.

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Autoclave Safety

• Check all gauges and valves before using an
  autoclave.
• Never leave equipment unattended while running,
  as high temperatures and pressure can be
  dangerous.

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Centrifuge

• An instrument used to isolate solids (in the form
  of a small pellet) from a solution.
• Utilizes very small tubes to hold the solution.

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Using a Centrifuge

• Proper use of a centrifuge requires that the
  instrument be balanced.
• This can be accomplished by placing an equal
  number of tubes directly across from each other
  in the instrument.

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Micropipette

• An instrument used to measure and extract very
  small amounts of liquid from a solution.
• Different versions measure to different levels of
  accuracy, but usually to the nearest uL
  (microliter)
• Often used to hand small amounts of solution
  needed in DNA labs.

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Using a Micropipette

• To avoid air bubbles and extract the correct
  amount of solution utilizing a micropipette, the
  tip must be completely submerged in the solution.

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Compound Light Microscope

• The most common and versatile microscope in
  agricultural research labs.
• Uses a light source in combination with a variety
  of lenses to magnify images usually up to no more
  than 200x.

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Compound Light Microscope
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Incubator

• Sealed chamber with controls to manage
  temperature (and sometimes humidity)
• Used for culture of microorganisms

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Incubator Safety

• When culturing bacteria, it is important that the
  incubator remains closed, and the plates tightly
  sealed.

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Water Bath

• A vessel that uses water to heat or maintain a
  constant temperature of laboratory materials or
  equipment.
• Often used to heat or thaw fragile biologicals
  including semen.

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Using a Water Bath

• When using a water bath to thaw semen straws, the
  bath should be heated to 93 degrees F and the
  straws submersed immediately upon removal from
  the storage tank for 45 seconds.

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Hot Plate

• Instrument that applies direct heat to glassware
  containing laboratory solutions
• Coil models (like stove tops) are dangerous
• Newer models have ceramic tops and often
  integrated magnetic stirrers.

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Shaker

• Used to mix or agitate small volumes of solution,
  often prior to placement in a centrifuge.

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Graduated Cylinder

• Used to measure the volume of liquids
• Readings should always be taken at the MENISCUS,
  the lowest part of the curve.

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Recording and Presenting Laboratory Data
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Logging Scientific Data

• Most easily accomplished in a database
  program-ex Microsoft Excel
• Abilities include
• Easy input of large amounts of data in a table
  form
• Quick manipulation of data including sorting,
  labeling, and the creation of charts/graphs
• Can handle both qualitative and quantitative data

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Publishing Findings

• Word processors are usually used to prepare
  scientific reports-ex Microsoft Word or Apple
  Works
• Allow quick entry and manipulation of large
  amounts of text
• Easy import of graphics and charts from other
  programs
• Ability to include hyperlinks and export layout
  to html

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Presenting Research

• Accomplished using a specialized presentation
  program-ex Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote
• Easy display of text points (bullets), graphics,
  charts, and even video
• Highly visual and interactive method for the
  presentation of research findings
• Animation and sound can be used for increased
  emphasis.