Hazards

 

SOURCES OF LABORATORY HAZARDS AND RISKS

According to OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Act, a hazard is the potential for harm (physical or mental) often is associated with a condition or activity that, if left uncontrolled, can result in an injury or illness.

In a laboratory environment, the main hazards discussed below are biological, chemical, physical or radioactive in nature. Other hazards are:

·         Ergonomic hazards are a result of physical factors leading to muscle-skeletal injuries e.g. poor manual handling techniques, poorly designed work stations.

·         Psycho - social hazards affects the mental well-being of employees e.g. sexual harassment in the workplace.

 

Ø  Biological hazards

Source	Potential Effect	Protective Equipment to use
Working with human or animal specimen such as blood, body fluids or pathogen	Exposure to potential infectious material/ pathogens	Safety goggles Face shield Latex or nitrile gloves Lab coats Respirator
Working with live animals	Exposure to allergens, animal bites, infectious materials	Safety goggles Latex or nitrile or vinyl gloves Lab coats Hair cover Shoe cover Surgical masks

 

  N/B: Bio-hazardous materials are infectious agents or other biological materials that present a risk or potential risk to the health of humans, animals or the environment. They include:

·         Organisms and viruses infectious to humans, animals or plants

·         Certain types of recombinant DNA

·         Biologically active agents that may cause disease in other living organisms or cause significant impact to the environment or community. (i.e. toxins, allergens, venoms) e.g. poisonous plants

 

Ø  Chemical hazards

Source	Potential Effect	Protective Equipment to use
Corrosive reagents	Skin or eye damage	Safety glasses Chemical resistant gloves Lab coat Chemical resistant apron
Toxic/hazardous reagents	Skin or eye damage	Safety goggles Chemically resistant gloves Lab coat
Flammable, organic solvents	Skin or eye damage	Safety goggles Chemical resistant gloves Flame resistant lab coat
Working with apparatus with the contents under pressure/vacuum	Skin or eye damage	Safety goggles Face shield Chemical resistant gloves Lab coat Chemical resistant apron
Working with air or water reactive chemicals	Severe skin and eye damage Fire	Work in inert atmosphere Safety goggles Chemically resistant apron Flame resistance lab coat
Explosive chemicals	Severe skin and eye damage Fire Splash Denotation Flying	Safety glasses Face shield Heavy gloves Flame resistant lab coat
Working with chemicals at very high temperatures or very low temperatures	Burn splashes Fire	Safety glasses Lab coat Thermal insulated gloves

 

 

 

Ø  Physical hazards

Source	Potential Effect	Protective Equipment to use
Working with loud equipment, noise, alarms	Potential ear damage and hearing problems	Ear plugs, Ear muffs
Working with hot liquids, equipment, open flames e.g. from Bunsen burner, hot steam e.g.  from autoclave	Burns	Safety glasses, insulated or impermeable gloves, lab coat
Working with frozen, cryogenic liquids, dry ice, very cold equipment	Frost bite or hypothermia Skin, tissue or eye damage	Safety glasses or goggles Impermeable gloves Lab coat
Handling glassware or sharps	Cuts, lacerations	Heavy rubber gloves, lab coat, latex or nitrile or vinyl gloves

 

 

Ø  Radioactive hazards

Source	Potential Effect	Protective Equipment to use
Solid radioactive wastes or materials	Cell damage	Safety glasses, impermeable gloves, lab coat ,light chemical-resistant
Ultraviolet radiation	Skin redness, corneal damage	UV face shield, goggles, lab coats
Infrared emitting equipment	Cornea damage	Shaded goggles, lab coats

 

 

Courtesy of OSHA

US Department of Labor

Bio-hazard

Quick question: Add 10 hazard symbols any hazard discussed in the previous lecture.                                                      

 

MANAGING HAZARDS

Carry out an appropriate risk assessment for the nature of the work and hazards

Introduce the appropriate control measures

Appropriately train all your employees with regards to health and safety.

 

 RISK ASSESSMENT

Risk Assessment determines the severity of a hazard and its potential outcomes; also, take into account other factors including the level of exposure and the numbers of persons exposed and the risk of that hazard being realized.