Laboratory Safety

At Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the safety of employees, students and visitors is of paramount concern. The goal is to promote a safe working, learning and recreational environment by eliminating safety violations that are caused by ignorance or negligence. To this end, faculty and staff are trained in proper safety procedures, and periodic safety inspections and preparedness drills are conducted. Student knowledge and participation is also required to make Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi a safe environment.

Link to Scientific Diving Page

Laboratory Safety Seminar (SMTE 0091)

Many courses that are offered through programs in the Department of Life Sciences have laboratories associated with them. Enrollment in the laboratory section of these courses always requires concurrent enrollment in Laboratory Safety Seminar (SMTE 0091). This course familiarizes students with basic safety rules, regulations, and policies, and must be repeated in each semester that a student is enrolled in a science laboratory. (Enrollment in only one Laboratory Safety Seminar is required during a single semester—even if the student is enrolled in several laboratory sections.)

The Laboratory Safety Seminar is a web-based course (SMTE 0091W). The web site for this course (available to students who are enrolled in the course) describes the basic safety rules, regulations, and policies, and students will be tested on their knowledge of these. Students re-take examinations (with different sets of questions) until they achieve satisfactory scores.

Important Note: Completion of (not just enrollment in) the Laboratory Safety Seminar is a firm co-requisite for science laboratories. Although there is no credit for (and no cost to) the student for taking this course, there is a penalty for absence or failure to complete it. Students who are absent from or fail to complete the Laboratory Safety Seminar will not be allowed to remain in the laboratory section(s), resulting in a “zero” or “F” for each laboratory section. (In most cases, a “zero” or “F” in the laboratory section means that the student will fail the entire course.)

Individual laboratory instructors will also inform students about safety rules, regulations, and policies that are specific to a particular course or laboratory room. This information will reinforce and build on the basics that were covered in the Laboratory Safety Seminar.

Many laboratory courses require that students complete a Common Emergency Information Form which is kept by the instructor. Some laboratories may require the completion of additional Forms.

The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

Each laboratory that uses potentially dangerous chemicals maintains a log that contains a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for each chemical in the laboratory. These links provide information about how to understand and use MSDS information, and how to obtain an MSDS for a specific chemical.