Lab Safety

Providing support, in the form of risk assessment, review, consultation(link sends e-mail), training, and the necessary resources and guidance for research at UC Berkeley.

Dispose of Waste

Master list of waste types is displayed below. Note: If you cannot find the item that you are trying to get rid of in this list, please contact EH&S at ehs@berkeley.edu or (510) 642-3073. collapse all expand all Aerosol Cans

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Daphne Kuta

Lab Safety Specialist
Lab Safety
EH&S Inspections

Ren Ramos

Lab Safety Specialist
Lab Safety
EH&S Inspections

Skin Burns from Heating Glass Vessel

September 25, 2023
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety
What happened?

A researcher was heating a small volume (<30mL) of hexanes/ethyl acetate containing approximately one gram of an organic azide. The solution was placed in a capped, 40mL pyrex media storage bottle. Holding the bottle of the azide solution in their left hand, the researcher was heating it with a heat gun with their right hand behind a horizontal fume hood sash protecting their face and torso.

Fume Hood Sash Cracks due to Reaction Vessel Overpressurization

September 25, 2023
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety
What happened?

Using dry Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent, a reaction between an organic macrocycle and bromoethane was placed in a round bottom pressure vessel. The reaction was heated using armor aluminum beads in a stainless steel bowl sitting atop a hotplate. The setup was briefly left unattended inside a fume hood with the sash closed.

Without a means for temperature control, the hotplate generated excess heat, which in turn produced excess pressure. Overpressurization caused the round bottom vessel to shatter. Glass shards along with the aluminum heating beads...

Kelsey Mesa

Chemical Hygiene Officer / Lab Safety Specialist
Chemical Safety
Lab Safety
EH&S Inspections

Laboratory Safety Self-inspections

Each year, EH&S initiates and tracks the completion of lab safety self-inspections, which are conducted by principal investigators or their delegates. The topics covered are designed to supplement inspections conducted by EH&S in order to facilitate safety awareness and ownership within the lab.

The self-inspection questionnaire can be viewed prior to initiating the self-inspections: Lab Safety Self-inspection Questions.

Compliance Requirement

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Electrical Safety Program

Electrical Safety at UC Berkeley

The UC Berkeley Electrical Safety Program provides information about electrical hazards, guides University safe-work policy, electrical safety procedures, equipment design, development and installation for all electrical work, equipment and systems at UC Berkeley. All faculty, staff, students, visitors and contractors must comply with the requirements of this program as it ensures their safety by:

Defining safe work practices and use requirements for...

Biological Safety

Providing support, in the form of risk assessment, review, consultation and training, for research at UC Berkeley that involves the use of recombinant DNA, biohazardous materials and biological toxins.

Biosafety How Do I: collapse all...

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Labs

EH&S provides campus researchers with lab coats, safety glasses, and goggles. We also provide shared protective equipment to labs, such as face shields and protective aprons.

Please contact the PPE coordinator at ppe@berkeley.edu or by calling (510) 642-3073 if you have any questions or comments about personal protective equipment for your lab.