Working in a lab
Working in a laboratory is different from working in an office. Some of the rules that apply when working in or around a laboratory are given below.
You will find the information under your Faculty tab.
When you start working in a laboratory, you have to take notice of several requirements beforehand. This is not only about the materials you are going to use, but also legislation and internal regulations. The section 'Laboratory general' describes all preparative actions you have to take and all background information you need before you can start experiments, like doing a risk assessment and thinking about the necessity of permits or selection of the right type of safety gear. The section 'Working safely with...' is about the actual risks and how you can deal with those in your laboratory.
Research risk assessment |
Practical guidelines for the performance of a risk assessment in the design phase/before the start of research. | RhL010 |
Task Risk Analysis |
The Task Risk analysis is a tool for assessing risks. | |
Safety equipment |
Safety equipment general |
RhL020 |
| Glove information for users | RhL020a | |
| Glove policy | Glove policy | |
| Ordering gloves | RhL020b | |
| Glove information for managers and supervisors | RhL020c | |
Laboratory classification |
About classified laboratories and corresponding rules and permits for the layout / furnishing of labs and the performance of activities. | RhL021 |
Ventilation and exhaustion |
About different types of ventilation, their correct use and adequate selection. | RhL022 |
The fumehood |
About correct operation and use of fumehoods. | RhL023 |
RSI and ergonomics in the lab |
About prevention of RSI/CANS with repetitive lab activities (pipetting, microscopy). | RhL030 |
OSH when purchasing |
Regulations you should be aware of when purchasing equipment. Balance safe use and costs. | RhL040 |
Transportation and shipment of research material |
Over regels en (import)vergunningen bij vervoer van chemicaliën en biologisch onderzoeksmateriaal, zowel intern als , of verzenden naar/ontvangen van elders. | RhL050 |
Certification, maintenance and repairs |
Which equipment needs to be checked and/or serviced regularly and who is allowed to do that? | |
Relocation and room modifications |
Relocations and modifications to or in the room may influence safety and health in a positive or negative way. The Management-of-chance procedure should be carried out before the change. | RhL070 |
Third party activities in the lab |
What to do when maintenance personnel or other "outsiders" enter your (classified) laboratory to start their activities? Is that safe and allowed? | RhL080 |
Waste collection guide |
Description of the various chemical/biological/general waste streams within the Fcaulty of Science, written by Facility Management. | |
Chemicals registration (GROS) |
Short description to start working with GROS. | RhL100 |
Pregnancy and work |
About additional measures when pregnant and working in a lab. With risk checklist and background information. About rights and obligations for pregnant woman and their supervisors. |
| Chemicals | ||
Chemicals |
Contains background information about hazard symbols, H&P statements, MSDS, limit values and general precautions for the use of chemicals. | VOM011 |
CMR substances |
Special precautions when working with carcinogens, mutagens and reproduction toxic (CMR) substances. | VOM012 |
Storage of hazardous substances |
Rules on chemicals storage from the Health and Safety at Work Act and the PGS-15 translated for users in a laboratory environment. | VOM014 |
HF and other fluorides |
HF can lead to very severe injuries, even death. A safe working procdure for HF is described and the contents of the anti-HF-kit are discussed. | VOM015 |
Nanomaterials |
Describes the current Faculty's procedure for handling nanomaterials and the specialists' method to assess the risk of the used nanomaterials. | VOM050 |
| Gasses and cryogenic substances | ||
Gasses |
Information about the safe use of gasses. | VOM021 |
Storage of gasses |
Rules on storage of gasses from the Health and Safety at Work Act and the PGS-15 translated for users in a laboratory environment. | |
Cryogenic substances |
About risks and measures when working with cryogenic substances. See also the website of the cryogenic department. | VOM025 |
| Biological material | ||
Biological material |
What is biological material and how can I work safely with it? Includes general background information and legislation. See also the university's webpage on biological material. | |
GMO work organisation |
Describes roles and responsibilities of all participants in the GMO organisation. | VOM033a |
Disinfection |
About the effectivity and suitability of various dvan de verschillende disinfection methods. | |
| Radiation, lasers and magnets | ||
Ionising radiation |
Rules, risks and measures when working with radio active isotopes and radiation equipment. About X-ray and gamma radiation. | |
Lasers |
Rules, risks and measures when working with lasers. The laser safety organisation and all university's rules are described in the Handbook Laser Safety. | |
Magnets |
Rules, risks and measures when working with magnets. | |
Other types of radiation |
About UV, IR, microwave, radio frequent radiation etc. See also the Dutch brochure Elektromagnetische velden in arbeidssituaties. | |
Fieldwork |
Rules, risks and measures when working in the field by biologists or environmentalists. | |
Electricity |
Rules, risks and measures when working with en onderhoud van elektrische apparatuur | |
Noise |
About harmful and objectionable noise at work, and measures to protect your hearing. | VOM080 |