Written laboratory policies may be found in the:
Student Incident Accident Report
Science Program - Equipment Loan Form
MU Hazardous Waste Management Plan
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
All MU personnel and students must wear the proper PPE in the labs. Required PPE includes appropriate clothing, lab coat, indirect vent splash goggles (if required) and gloves.Should a student come unprepared to the lab (without proper clothing or the required PPE), he/she will be asked to leave and change and/or retrieve their PPE. All laboratory personnel and students must remove all PPE before leaving the lab. Gloves must be removed before leaving the lab even if you are exiting and entering another lab. Wearing PPE is not permitted in hallways and restrooms.
Laboratory Clothing
Clothing worn in the laboratory should not be loose fitting, and should cover and protect as much skin as possible. The clothes should be made of materials that are resistant to chemicals, such as cotton or other natural fibers. Jeans and long-sleeved t-shirts are great examples of appropriate laboratory attire. Shorts and skirts where skin is exposed are prohibited. Long or loose hair must be tied back. Remove jewelry (including necklaces, rings, bracelets and watches) to prevent chemicals from seeping underneath them. Shoes must have closed toes and soles of a good gripping material. Clogs, perforated shoes, sandals, flip–flops and cloth shoes do not provide protection against spilled chemicals and are not to be worn in the lab. Those individuals who arrive for the lab inappropriately dressed will be asked to leave and return when they are appropriately dressed.
Laboratory Coats
Eye Protection
All persons in the lab area (where chemicals are used) must wear approved eye protection. Wearing of contact lenses in a laboratory is normally forbidden. If the use of contact lenses is required, indirect vent splash proof goggles must be worn at all times. Students enrolled in CHEM 121L, CHEM 131L, CHEM 132L,CHEM 221L, CHEM 222L, CHEM 398L, BIOL 421L/521L courses are required to purchase a pair of indirect vent splash proof goggles from Marywood University Gear Shop.No substitutions are allowed. Students will not be allowed to participate in the lab without their goggles. Safety glasses are not permitted in Chemistry labs. Appropriate eye protection is provided for all other labs. Remove eye protection when you leave the lab. This reduces the chance of spreading contaminants to other areas. The MU Science Department provides eye protection for employee use.
Emergency Clothing
Emergency clothing located in the chemistry lab (CNHS 305) is for emergency use only and should only be given to students who have had to disrobe and shower due to a chemical spill. It shall not be used for those who are inappropriately dressed for the lab. Those individuals who arrive for the lab inappropriately dressed will be asked to leave and return when they are appropriately dressed.
Dissection Policy
Cell Phone Use
Cell phone use is prohibited without the permission of the laboratory instructor. Cell phones may not be used as calculators during the laboratory.
Laboratory Access
No lab access will be granted until required lab safety training is complete.Laboratory access is granted on a semester by semester basis to authorized personnel (i.e. faculty, staff, lab assistants, graduate assistants, research assistants) at the discretion of the Lab Manager and Department Chair. Authorized personnel may report to the Madonna Hall ID Center at the beginning of each semester to have their MU identification card programmed for laboratory access.Access may be limited to certain laboratories and/or certain hours. Weekend and holiday access for faculty, research assistants and laboratory assistants to the Center for Natural and Health Science (CNHS) is granted on a semester-by-semester basis as determined by the Laboratory Manager and the Department Chairperson.
Laboratory Doors
Laboratory doors are fire rated, and must be kept closed at all times. Propping of laboratory doors is strictly prohibited.Lab instructors may prop lab doors at the beginning of class. Once class begins, the lab doors should be closed. Instructors should make accommodations for students that may need to leave the lab and return. Research lab doors should remain closed at all times. Propping of Research laboratory doors is strictly prohibited.
Laboratory Safety Training
Mandatory Chemical Hygiene, Blood Borne Pathogen and Fire Safety training is conducted for all Science Faculty, Laboratory Instructional Assistants, Visiting Researchers,Graduate Assistants, Laboratory Assistants, and Research Assistants typically during the first week of the fall semester. Science Department Laboratory Safety Training is required for all Science Faculty, Laboratory Instructional Assistants, Laboratory Assistants, Research Assistants, Visiting Researchers, and Graduate Assistants prior to working in the research or teaching laboratories. Laboratory safety raining modules are assigned by job title. The Laboratory Manager and Department Chairperson assigns MU employees laboratory safety training in Safety Skills upon hire. An email containing login information will be emailed to the employee by Safety Skills. The Laboratory Manager monitors compliance of online lab safety training and reports noncompliance to the Science Department Chairperson.
Principal Investigators must notify the Laboratory Manager with the name and email address of each research assistant prior to the start of each semester. Laboratory safety training in Safety Skills will be assigned to research assistants by the Laboratory Manager. An email containing login information will be emailed to the employee by Safety Skills. Username for Safety Skills is your MU email address and you will be directed by Safety Skills to create a password. Additional training may be required in consultation with the Principle Investigator if the appointment involves a research project. The Principal Investigator monitors compliance of online lab safety training for their own research assistants.
Additional online training may be required for research assistants and graduate assistants by the Office of Research and Community Collaboration. Specialized training of Laboratory Assistants, Graduate Assistants and Research Assistants is also conducted on a case-by-case basis by the Laboratory Manager or Principle Investigator.
No lab access will be granted until required lab safety training is complete. Work in the laboratories cannot begin until lab safety training is completed.
Incident/Accident Reports
An incident report should be filed with each laboratory accident or near miss. A report detailing the event must be filled out by the Supervisor, Laboratory Instructor or Principle Investigator as soon as possible.
Employee Incident/Accident Reports
If a MU employee is involved in an incident/accident an Incident/Accident Investigation Report must be filed with Human Resources within 24 hours.
Student Incident/Accident Reports
If a MU student (who does not work for MU) is involved in an incident/accident in a Science laboratory, a Science Department Laboratory Incident/Accident Report must be filed with the Laboratory Manager.This is the responsibility of the laboratory instructor or principal investigator to make sure it is completed. Copies of the MU Science Department Incident Report is linked here and must be downloaded into PDF form to fill out.
