Basic Lab Safety

Electrical Engineering Department

Stanford University
Rev. 2023-02-01
Aria Rashidi Jeff Stribling
Instructional Lab Manager Lab64 Manager
+1 650 721-1710 +1 650 736-1664
[email protected] [email protected]
Purpose and Objectives
Purpose:
Provide information so you -
• Know your responsibilities
• Can locate and use safety resources
• Can recognize and avoid hazards while working
in the instructional labs

Objectives:
At the end of this presentation, you should be able to -
• Identify potential laboratory hazards
• Understand ways you can protect yourself & others
• Know what to do if there is a problem
Overview
• The EE Department fosters a Culture of Safety
• It is about “the way we do things”
• We want an environment where folks can
✓ Explore,
✓ Experiment
✓ Advance human knowledge
WHILE
being safe themselves and not endangering
others by their actions
The BIG Idea

YOU are responsible for two things:

1. YOUR OWN SAFETY

2. NOT ENDANGERING OTHERS

Role of Faculty & Staff
Faculty & Staff will assist you in ensuring your
safety by:
• Providing access to training &
personal protective equipment (PPE)*
• Helping evaluate risks
• Providing advice
• Eliminating safety hazards

BUT IT IS FUNDAMENTALLY UP TO YOU!

* If you require prescription safety glasses, please contact the Lab Manager
Culture of Safety
• If you have THE SLIGHTEST concern,
ASK FOR A SECOND OPINION
• If you are going to bring something into the
instructional labs or maker spaces,
INFORM THE FACILITIES OR LAB MANAGER

• IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING !!

ENSURING YOUR SAFETY
• Develop judgement
• Know how to identify risks and hazards
• Establish mitigation “bag of tricks”
• Get the mandatory safety training
• EHS-4200 – General Safety, Injury Prevention (IIPP) & Emergency
Preparedness
• EHS-3400 – Computer Ergonomics Training
• Additional safety training may be required
• Identify and avoid common lab hazards and risky
behaviors
• Be prepared / anticipate problems
DO NOT ENDANGER OTHERS
• Respect other folks’ “RIGHT TO KNOW”
• Impossible to avoid threats they don’t know about
• Once they know, they can make an “informed decision”
• EVERYBODY has a right to make an informed decision
• The NO BLAME RULE
• Nobody will be ridiculed for expressing a safety concern
• Nobody will be “blamed” for identifying a risk or hazard
that stops or delays an activity
Basic Safety in Packard
• Working in a “Buddy” area REQUIRES a “Buddy”
o “Buddy” areas are designated with signs near the door
o A “Buddy” is a Stanford affiliate who can -
• Summon help if needed
• Dial 9-911 in case of EMERGENCY
• Does not need to be a “lab partner”
• Get proper training before using tools
• Even “hand” tools (e.g., soldering equipment)
• Machine tool use REQUIRES tool-specific training
• Avoid hazards
• Don’t “hang around” where you can get hurt
• Use protective equipment to mitigate risks
• Safety glasses can save your eyesight
• EHS Personal Protective Equipment web page for more information
(http://web.stanford.edu/dept/EHS/prod/mainrencon/occhealth/ppe.html)
Different places, different hazards

• Common office environments (EHS-4200 & EHS-3400)

• Low power laboratory environments

• High energy laboratory environments

• Environments with exceptional or inherent hazards

This presentation focuses on low power lab safety

Common office environments
Office settings seem very safe…

What could possibly go wrong?

➢ Personal injury – first aid & ergonomics training

➢ Earthquake – emergency preparedness program
➢ Fire – fire safety program
➢ Health emergency – first aid training, AED program
➢ Safety Threat – See something, Say something
Building evacuations
• Two most common reasons for building evacuation:
➢Fire / Fire Alarm
➢Earthquake

• In the event of a building evacuation, you should:

• Leave the building in a calm, quick manner
✓ Walk, don’t run
✓ Leave your gear behind unless it’s easy to pick up as you GO!
• Use the stairs, NOT the elevator
• Check in at the Emergency Assembly Point (EAP)
Low power lab environments
Low power labs seem safe…

• Hazards are activity related

• Other people may be hazardous to you

• You can pose a hazard to others

Low Power EE Lab Hazards
• Things that bite – most common way to get hurt
• Stuff that burns – next most frequent injuries
• Flying stuff – not as frequent but can be REALLY BAD
• Slipping hazards – also bad but easily prevented

What about electrical hazards?

• OK, and a little bit about electrical hazards…

Things that “bite”

• Things that can cut or pinch

• Obvious: Exacto blades, razor blades, pocket knives, wire
cutters, pliers, etc.
• Non-obvious: Sharp edges of plastic sheets, sheet metal,
things you are trying to force that catch your fingers,
door frames, cabinet latches, etc.
• Prevention:
• Use safety knives if possible
Don’t let your
MOTIVATION run ahead of your ATTENTION!
(Consider how cooks use a knife…)
But you still can get hurt
• Get first aid
1. Stop the bleeding - by applying direct pressure to the injury.
2. Clean and protect the injury –
by gently washing with warm water and mild soap;
then apply an antibiotic ointment* to reduce chance of infection; and
put a sterile bandage on the area.
3. See a Health Care Provider if:
o the cut is deep or over a joint
o you cannot get the cut or laceration clean
o the injury is a deep puncture wound or
the person has not had a recent (within the last 5 to 10 years) tetanus shot or booster
o the injury is from a human or animal bite

• Inform the Course Assistant or Instructor

• Inform the Lab Manager
• The Lab Manager needs to fill out a form for any injury
o YES, even slight injuries
o YES, EVEN LITTLE CUTS OR SLIVERS
* For some people, antibiotic ointments may cause a rash. If this happens, stop using the ointment.
Stuff that burns
• Soldering equipment • Hot melt glue
• Hot air tools • Molten solder
• HOT components!! • 3D-printer extruder nozzles

• Prevention:
➢ Get proper training
✓ PPE (safety glasses) ✓ Fume extractors
➢Use tools to hold things that will get hot
Don’t let your
MOTIVATION outstrip your ATTENTION!
But when you get burned
• Get first aid
• Immerse the burn in cool water for
at least 5 minutes. The cool water
helps reduce swelling by pulling heat
away from the burned skin.
• Inform the Course Assistant or Instructor
• Inform the Lab Manager
• The Lab Manager needs to fill out a form for any injury
o YES, even slight injuries
o YES, EVEN MINOR BURNS
Flying Stuff
• Cut wire leads
• Shards of things that break while being forced
• Plastics shards
• Pieces of tools
• Springs from things with springs
• Prevention:
➢ PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR (aka – Safety Glasses)
➢ Cut so flying things won’t hit other folks
➢Cup your hand over the part being cut, or
➢Keep a finger on the piece being cut
Slipping Hazards
• Spilled stuff
• Water  Soda  Pizza  Banana peels!?!?
• Fine dust

• Prevention:
➢ Call attention to the spill.
➢ Clean it up!
 Electrical Hazards
• Focus on your safety as an electricity consumer*
• There are primary and secondary electrical hazards
(Secondary hazards are caused by primary hazards, e.g., an electrical shock causes someone to fall off a ladder. The
electrical shock is the primary hazard and the resulting fall is the secondary hazard.)

Primary Secondary
• Electrical shock  Falls
• Flash burns  Mechanical injuries
(Burns from an electrical arc)
 Burns from electrical fires

If we can prevent the 1°, we avoid the 2°.

* There are more considerations for safe design, understanding power distribution, working with batteries, solar panels, etc. If
you are looking for this sort of information, the additional resources at the end of this presentation might be a place to start.
Electrical Shock Hazards
• Electrical shock happens when
electricity passes through your body
• Shock severity depends on:
• Amount of current (magnitude)
• Type of current - AC vs. DC
• Duration of shock
• Path of the current
• Electric shock can cause loss of muscle control
• You cannot “let go” even if you try because your
muscles are controlled by the electricity, not by
your nervous system
Effects of Electrical Current
Xmas Lights Heater

Perception 0.5 – 1.5 mA

Muscle Contraction 1 – 5 mA

Pain 3 – 10 mA

“Let-Go” Threshold 10 – 40 mA

Respiratory Paralysis 30 – 75 mA

Ventricular Fibrillation 75 – 100 mA

Cardiac Paralysis 250 – 300 mA

Organ Burns 5000 – 6000 mA

mA at 60 Hz 0.1 1.0 10 100 1000 10000

Reference: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – Document HS5220-W
Use of outlet strips
• Must be for temporary use (<90 days)
(this is a fire regulation)
• Must have a circuit breaker
• Must be plugged into a wall outlet
NOT connected one to another in series
(aka “daisy-chained”)

Plug of additional strip

(VIOLATION)

• Must be visible for inspection

Recognizing & avoiding shock
hazards

Exposed Wiring

Live Equipment

Other People
Things you can do
• Notify the Lab Manager of
damaged or obviously “repaired”
equipment
• Notify Lab Manager if equipment needs repair
• Turn off / unplug equipment when finished
• Use replacement fuses of the same or lesser rating
• Use tools that minimize shock probability
Example – Heatshrink tubing on screwdriver shafts
More things you can do
• TURN OFF THE POWER!!!
• UNPLUG IT!!!
• Discharge capacitors!
• Know what you are working on
• Schematics if possible
• Identify power entry points, fuses, things that might be at
line voltage, etc.
Summary
• YOU are responsible for your safety.
• If you have a concern, ASK!
➢Ask a CA, the Instructor or the Lab Manager.
• Use protective eyewear!
• Anticipate problems and take preventative action.
• Work with other people present whenever possible.
• If you get hurt:
➢Get first aid
➢Inform the Course Assistant or Instructor
➢Inform the Lab Manager
➢Fill out SU-17B Form
Additional Resources
• Electrical Safety – Stanford EHS-2800
• Laser safety – Stanford EHS-4820
• Radiation Safety Training – Stanford EHS-5250
• Manual soldering – EE Training Module TBD
• Designing line powered equipment - EE Training
Module TBD
• Working with batteries - EE Training Module TBD
• Using solar cells - EE Training Module TBD
• Machine tool safety - EE Training Module TBD
Basic Lab Safety “Cheat Sheet”
• Wear protective goggles / eyewear whenever
soldering, using power tools or working with
materials that can shatter.
• Ask permission before bringing chemicals into a
laboratory.
• Bring a “buddy” to work with you whenever
possible.
• BUT a “buddy” is REQUIRED when you are working
in a “Buddy Area”.
• When in doubt, ASK!!