Laboratory safety rules and equipment

Basic Laboratory Safety Rules and Procedures

 

General laboratory safety

 

       I.            All persons working in the laboratory must help keep the area clean and orderly.

    II.            All personal items must be stored in cubbies or assigned cabinets.

 III.            Lab benches must be kept free of extraneous debris at all times.

 IV.            Fume hoods should not be used to store chemicals and should be kept free from nonessential items.

    V.            Any solutions or other chemicals stored in the lab must be properly labeled as to their identity and/or contents.

 

Personal safety

 

       I.            Food and beverages are prohibited in the laboratory.

    II.            Safety eyewear must be used when designated necessary by the laboratory instructor.

 III.            Open-toed shoes, short pants or skirts above the knee, and sleeveless shirts or blouses are not allowed in the labs.

 IV.            Tie long hair back when working with flames and chemicals.

    V.            Cell phones are only permitted in the laboratories with the permission of the instructor.

 VI.            Avoid all skin contact with hazardous chemicals by wearing the appropriate gloves, but do not wear gloves outside of the labs.

VII.            Wash hands with soap and water upon entering the lab, and before leaving the lab.

VIII.            Don’t taste chemicals.

 IX.            Don’t use damaged glassware, dispose of it in the broken glass receptacle.

    X.            Be personally informed of the dangers associated with all chemicals that you are using as directed by your laboratory manual, or by instructor instructions. The MSDS documents for all chemicals are located in the chemical stockroom and on all computers in the laboratories.

 XI.            Dispose of sharps (needles, lancets, etc.) in the appropriate biohazard container.

XII.            Never touch another person’s bodily fluids without personal protective gear.

 

 

Emergency procedures

 

         I.            Report any unsafe conditions and accidents immediately to the laboratory supervisor or instructor.

      II.            Know the location of and how to use the following emergency equipment

·         Eyewash stations

·         First aid kit

·         Emergency showers

·         Fire extinguishers

   III.            In the case of a spill, contact the lab supervisor.

   IV.            In the case of a fire, follow the following steps:

·         If an individual is on fire, have them Stop, Drop, and Roll.

·         Inform lab supervisor and then follow further instructions from lab supervisor.

·         Further instructions may be to exit building, use fire extinguisher, or other safety precautions.

      V.            Be sure to know location of all emergency exits.

 

Safety and Emergency Equipment

Safety equipment, including spill control kits, safety shields, fire safety equipment, respirators, safety showers and eyewash units, and emergency equipment should be available in well-marked highly visible locations in all chemical laboratories. Fire-alarm pull stations and telephones with emergency contact numbers must be readily accessible. The laboratory supervisor is responsible for ensuring proper training and providing supplementary equipment as needed.

Spill Control Kits and Cleanup

Spill control kits are used for non-emergency spills; they can be tailored to deal with the potential risk associated with the materials being used in the laboratory. These kits are used to confine and limit the spill if such actions can be taken without risk of injury or contamination.

If a spill is beyond the personnel's ability, they should leave the spill site and call for help.

Specific procedures for cleaning up spills depend on the location of the accident, the amount and physical properties of the spilled material, the degree and type of toxicity, and the training of the personnel involved.

A typical cleanup kit: a movable container with instructions, absorbent pads, a spill absorbent mixture for liquid spills, a polyethylene scoop for dispensing spill absorbent, mixing it with the spill, and picking up the mixture, thick polyethylene bags for disposal of the mixture, and tags and ties for labeling the bags.

Safety Shields

Use safety shields for protection against possible explosions or splash hazards. Shield laboratory equipment on all sides to avoid any line-of-sight exposure of personnel. The front sashes of laboratory chemical hoods provide shielding. Use a portable shield also when manipulations are performed, particularly with chemical hoods that have vertical-rising doors rather than horizontal-sliding sashes.

Use portable shields to protect against hazards of limited severity, such as small splashes, heat, and fires. However, it provides no protection at the sides or back of the equipment, and if it is not sufficiently weighted for forward protection, the shield may topple toward personnel during a blast. A fixed shield that completely surrounds the experimental apparatus can afford protection against minor blast damage. Polymethyl methacrylate, polycarbonate, poly (vinyl chloride), and laminated safety plate glass are all satisfactory transparent shielding materials. Where combustion is possible, the shielding material should be nonflammable or slow burning; if it can withstand the working blast pressure, laminated safety plate glass may be the best material for such circumstances. When cost, transparency, high-tensile strength, resistance to bending loads, impact strength, shatter resistance, and burning rate are considered, poly (methyl methacrylate) offers an excellent overall combination of shielding characteristics.

Polycarbonate is much stronger and self-extinguishing after ignition but is readily attacked by organic solvents.

 

 

Chemical hood

Safety equipment working with noxious gases and draws out hazardous fumes. They have a glass window that can create a small opening to allow for potentially dangerous experiments to be carried out inside of it whilst protecting the user from chemical splashes, dangerous fumes or flames.

 

Fire Safety Equipment

Fire Extinguishers (see fire hazards)

Heat Sensors and Smoke Detectors

Heat sensors and smoke detectors may be part of the building safety equipment. If designed into the fire alarm system, they may automatically sound an alarm and call the fire department, they may trigger an automatic extinguishing system, or they may only serve as a local alarm. Because laboratory operations may generate heat or vapors, the type and location of the detectors must be carefully evaluated to avoid frequent false alarms.

Fire Hoses

Fire hoses are intended for use by trained firefighters against fires too large to be handled by extinguishers and are included as safety equipment in some structures.

Water has a cooling action and is effective against fires involving paper, wood, rags, and trash (Class A fires). Do not use water directly on fires that involve live electrical equipment (Class C fires) or chemicals such as alkali metals, metal hydrides, and metal alkyls that react vigorously with water (Class D fires). Do not use streams of water against fires that involve oils or other water-insoluble flammable liquids (Class B fires). Water will not readily extinguish such fires; instead, it can cause the fire to spread or float to adjacent areas.

Water fogs are used extensively by the petroleum industry because of their fire-controlling and extinguishing properties. A fog can be used safely and effectively against fires that involve oil products, as well as those involving wood, rags, and rubbish.

Due to potential risks between water and chemicals, laboratory personnel should not use fire hoses except in extreme emergencies.

Automatic Fire-Extinguishing Systems

In areas where fire potential and the risk of injury or damage are high, automatic fire-extinguishing systems are often used. These may be of the water sprinkler, foam, carbon dioxide, halon, or dry chemical type.

Respiratory Protective Equipment

The primary method for the protection of laboratory personnel from airborne contaminants is to minimize the amount of such materials entering the laboratory air. Respiratory protection may be needed in carrying out an experimental procedure, in dispensing or handling hazardous chemicals, in responding to a chemical spill or release in cleanup decontamination, or in hazardous waste handling.

 

 Types of Respirators

The choice of the appropriate respirator in a given situation depends on the type of contaminant and its estimated or measured concentration, known exposure limits, and hazardous properties. The degree of protection afforded by the respirator varies with the type. Six main types of respirators are currently available:

1. Chemical cartridge respirators
2. Organic vapor cartridges
3. Dust, fumes, and mist respirators
4. Supplied-air respirators
5. SCBA is the only type of respiratory protective equipment suitable for emergency or rescue work. Untrained personnel should not attempt to use one.

Safety Showers and Eyewash Units

Safety Showers

Use them for immediate first-aid treatment of chemical splashes and for extinguishing clothing fires.

All trained laboratory personnel should know where the safety showers are located in the work area and should learn how to use them. Test safety showers routinely to ensure that the valve is operable and to remove any debris in the system.

Requirements: Drench the subject immediately; be large enough to accommodate more than one person if necessary; have a quick-opening valve requiring manual closing; a downward-pull delta bar is satisfactory if long enough; presence of drains under safety showers to reduce the slip and fall risks and facility damage that is associated with flooding in a laboratory.

Eyewash Units

Eyewash units are required in research or instructional laboratories if substances used their present an eye hazard or if unknown hazards may be encountered. An eyewash unit provides a soft stream or spray of aerated water for an extended period (15 minutes).

 

First aid kit

A typical first aid needed for non-serious accidents: bandages, plasters of varying shapes & sizes, sterile eye pads, wound dressings, disposable gloves, safety pins and antiseptic wipes.

 

REFERENCES

National Research Council (US) Committee on Prudent Practices in the Laboratory. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011.