Team:Austin UTexas/Safety
Safety!
This year we worked with Lactobacillus plantarum and Escherichia coli. These organisms are classified as Risk Group 1 (low risk) according to the DSMZ, a collection microorganism and cell cultures run by Leibniz-Institute. Lactobacillus plantarum and Escherichia coli were obtained from the Barrick Lab who ordered them from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC).
When work was done in the lab space, everyone wore gloves, lab coats, and goggles to ensure personal protection from any chemicals and microbes. Additionally, if any accidental emergency were to happen, all members of the team knew where safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, emergency shut off valves, eye wash station, etc., were located. Contamination prevention was an extensive part of the lab’s safety. To abide by contamination prevention measures, all waste was disposed of in the proper waste containers. Furthermore, to prevent confusion, all laboratory equipment, such as test tubes, and bottles, had labels with proper identification to ensure that accidental usage of the reagents and other media was prevented. All team members also followed general laboratory safety protocols, such as no eating/drinking within the lab space.
