Safety Rules within the Art Community

Label all containers, clearly listing their contents and special hazards.
Store hazardous materials in nonbreakable containers at all times. Use metal or plastic containers, not glass. Do not use coke bottles, milk cartons, or other food containers.
Do not store large containers on high shelves where they might fall and break.
Do not store chemicals that might react with each other in the same area.
Keep all containers closed, even when working, to prevent escape of vapors, dusts, etc. into the air.
Do not eat, drink, or smoke in the studio. Smoking can multiply the harmful effects of materials on the lungs and in some cases, can convert materials into more hazardous forms. For example, methylene chloride, used as a plastic and paint solvent, can be converted into the poisonous gas phosgene by lit cigarettes.
Wear special clothing in the studio and remove it when leaving. Wash it frequently and separately from other clothing.
In case of spills or accidental contact with irritating chemicals, wash the affected area with lots of water. In case of eye contact flush with water for 15 minutes and seek medical attention.
Wash hands carefully with soap and water after each class, before eating, and during breaks. Never use a solvent to clean hands; if soap and water are not sufficient, use a waterless hand cleaner and then soap and water.

Wear gloves or protective barrier creams to protect hands against dermatitis from solvents, acids, and alkalis.
Wipe up spills immediately with paper towels and place in an approved waste disposal can to prevent evaporation of the liquid in the air.
If the liquid is stored in containers of 5 gallons or more, use a pump to dispense the liquid. Do not pour by tipping the container.
Wear safety goggles when pouring liquids. These can splash and cause eye damage.

Transfer powders that create dusts with spoons, scoops, or similar implements. Do not dump powders since this creates dust in the air.
To prevent inhalation, handle dusts in wet form whenever possible. Make up large batches rather than several small batches to keep exposure to dust to a minimum.
Wear approved dust mask when transferring and handling toxic dusts unless working in a fume hood.
Dust in the air from processes such as stone carving and cutting plastics an be kept to a minimum if the work is sprayed with water.
Clean up spills immediately with wet paper towels or water.
If the powder comes in a paper bag or sack, store the opened bag in a metal or plastic container which can be sealed.

Many art processes product toxic gases (nitric acid etching, welding, and cutting plastics). Adequate ventilation is the only way to protect against these hazards.

Within the college, the maximum container size for class I and II liquids is one gallon.
No more than 60 gallons of combined storage of class I and II liquids should be stored and then only in approved fireproof storage cabinets.
Do not smoke or permit smoking in any studio, especially a studio containing flammable or combustible liquids.
Cover all vessels containing flammable liquids.
Clean up spills of flammable liquids immediately.
When transferring hazardous liquids from one container to another, bind the two containers together with wire to ground them and to prevent static electricity, which can ignite flammable liquids.
Make sure all electrical equipment is in good repair and adequately grounded.
Fans and local exhaust ventilation systems should have nonsparking or nonferrous blades, and the motor and controls should be outside the path of the vapors or be explosion proof.
Do not use gas-fired space heaters.
Do not store flammable liquids near escape routes from studios.
Keep a fire extinguisher within each studio for emergency use.