Laboratory safety for labs involving chemicals can be hazardous due to the nature of certain chemicals. The Environmental Health and Safety Department, known as EH&S, presents information about laboratory safety to students at UNR that will have future experiences with working in a chemical lab. A two-day presentation was held for Chemical Engineering 102.

A PowerPoint presentation was used to inform the students about the necessary information. Some key topics that were focused on were how to identify safety hazards in the laboratory and how to minimize the safety risks. Different types of chemical hazards were identified, such as corrosive chemicals and oxidizers. The proper storage and transport of chemicals was discussed during the presentation. Handling glassware and proper used of the fume hood was explained. On the second day of the presentation, Chemical waste management was discussed. EH&S provides clean up kits in chemical labs. The container consists of different material for chemical spills, such as gloves, towels, acid-base neutralizer, etc. EH&S will pick up waste removal and the containers with the chemical waste from the lab and transport it to UNR’s waste facility. For large chemical spills, EH&S can be contacted and assist with the clean up.

As part of the presentation, a chemical spill was simulated with students demonstrating the proper procedure. Two students put on the correct safety gear and used one of the safety kits provided. The chemical was represented by water. A certificate of completion was given to all students that attended both presentations.