Safety Rules and Laboratory Practices

I decided to make this my first topic for this blog is because before we do anything in the kitchen, we must first practice the safety rules and regulations of the kitchen.

One of the primary concerns of everyone working in a laboratory is the observance of good working habits and safety measures. Following are some pointers for safe and healthy laboratory procedures.

Sanitation is top priority in the laboratory room. This means that everyone in the laboratory, all the food, equipment, and the place itself should always be kept clean.

Keeping Oneself Clean

The following are guidelines in keeping oneself clean:

1. Always wash your hand with soap and water before starting to work, after wiping spilled foods, after sneezing, or after using the comfort room.
2. Always wear a clean fresh apron.
3. Keep finger nails short and clean.
4. Make it a habit to start the day with a bath or shower and change into fresh clothes everyday.
5. Comb and brush hair neatly in place. Wear a hair net, cap, or hat which covers the hair and prevents it from falling.
6. Do not wear any costume jewelry or wrist watch.
7. Brush teeth after every meal.

Keeping the Food Clean

The steps in keeping the food clean are as follows:

1. Do not handle food and ingredients when hands are dirty.
2. Avoid sneezing or coughing while handling the products or any ingredient or equipment.
3. Keep perishable foods or other food supplies either very hot or very cold.
4. Refrigirate foods properly.
5. Do not return materials or ingredients to their containers of they have been dropped to the floor or if they touched a dirty surface.
6. Keep contact of hands with ingredients to a minimum.
7. Do not keep food and equipment under conditions of possible contamination.
8. Open cartons on three sides with a  knife leaving one side to serve as hinge over to protect remaining ingredients.
9. Check pans and ingredients for any foreign materials during processing.
10. Fresh produce should be washed before use.
11. Keep all containers of ingredients covered except when transferring ingredients.
12. Keep bags of partially used openings of ingredients folded.
13. Use only easy-to-clean containers for ingredients.
14. Brush bags and wipe off dust from cans before opening.
15. Do not dump fresh vegetables on top of old ones.

Keeping the Equipment Clean

Equipment must be cleaned properly and promptly every use so that the growth of microorganisms which cause diseases and illness can be prevented.