2. Outlines of Lecture
Safety in the Laboratory(introduction)
Hazards
The Culture of Laboratory Safety
Control Measures
Protecting yourself
General hazards in a laboratory
3. SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY
Introduction:
Laboratory safety involves the development of skills and
responsibility and must be an integral part of every
chemistry curriculum. This means that safety awareness
must be integrated into each laboratory course including
research with increasingly broader scope at more
advanced levels. The creation of a culture of laboratory
safety requires a broad commitment from all levels of
the educational institution.
At the department level, faculty need to assume
responsibility for continuing review of safety issues with
students in teaching and research laboratories,
especially the persons responsible for undergraduate
instruction, often graduate students or instructors.
Faculty must lead by example in a coordinated
departmental safety effort.
4. SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY
Introduction:
At the administrative level, this will involve
implementation of a chemical hygiene plan that is in
agreement with any campus chemical
hygiene/safety efforts and must address the safe
handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals. Eye
wash and showers must be in operating condition,
and fume hoods with proper sashes are essential.
Anyone working or visiting in the lab must be
wearing goggles, and consumption of food or drinks
must not be permitted. A clean, uncluttered
laboratory is more likely to encourage careful work.
5. Development of safety skills may be divided into four
emphasis areas.
• Recognize Hazards
• Assess Risks
• Minimize Risks
• Prepare for Emergencies
The purpose of this discussion is to help the student understand proper
laboratory safety, to increase his awareness of the possible risks or
hazards involved with laboratory work and to realize the laboratory is
generally a safe place to work if safety guidelines are properly followed.
Safe working protects:
You ,Other lab workers ,Cleaners
Visitors ,Your work
6. Recognize Hazards
A hazard is a potential source of danger or harm and can result
from working with chemicals, equipment, and instrumentation.
Introduction to this topic can start with an understanding of the
terms describing chemical hazards, such as “toxic”, “flammable”, or
“corrosive”, and how to obtain information from chemical labels,
Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and other reference sources. Chemical
hazards encountered in early undergraduate laboratories should be
explained in more detail – for example, acids, bases, flammables,
and toxic compounds. At more advanced levels, more details of
chemical and physical hazards should be explained so that students
are able to identify hazards themselves in experiments – for
example, types of toxic compounds, compressed gases, cryogenics,
pressurized systems, peroxides, reactives, unstable compounds,
pyrophorics, explosives, and water-reactives. Other topics might
include toxicology, nanomaterials, biohazards, and radiological
hazards, which become relevant when the chemistry curriculum
becomes broader in scope
7. Assess Risks
Once a hazard(s) is recognized, laboratory safety
necessarily requires an assessment or evaluation of risk
from potential exposure to the hazard. Identifying
potential routes of exposure is followed by judging the
relative risk posed by the hazards of the experiment. The
hazardous physical, chemical, and toxic properties of
solvents, reactants, catalysts, products, and wastes
should be considered as well as circumstances of the
experiment – for example, how much is being used, is the
right equipment available, can the hazard be controlled or
minimized?
Are the reactions exothermic or water- or air-sensitive?
Are there risks associated, for example, with the use of
lasers or equipment utilizing high voltages
(electrophoresis)?
8. Minimize Risks
Based on a risk assessment, experiments should be
designed to minimize potential risks. These steps may
involve carrying out experiments in a fume hood with
a protective shield and wearing protective gloves and
goggles. The handling and storage of wastes is a
critical component. It is often useful to consider case
histories of incidents that have resulted in injury or
damage. What could have been done to prevent or
minimize such incidents? Discussion can be
implemented by giving students a picture of a risky or
hazardous environment and then asking them,
“What is wrong with this picture?”
9. Prepare for Emergencies
Since it is essential to react promptly and
deliberately to emergencies, students should
learn what to do in various emergencies and be
prepared to act accordingly – for example,
fires, injuries, and spills. Safety devices such as
showers, eye washes, fire extinguishers, and
spill kits, must be clearly labeled and their use
and location known to all those working in a
laboratory. Emergency phone numbers,
alarms, and escape routes should be clear to
everyone.
10. The Culture of Laboratory Safety
Faculty and staff must be leaders in safety: teaching safety to students,
continuously promoting safety, demonstrating the importance of safety
through their actions, and accepting responsibility for safety. At some
institutions the graduate students teach the undergraduate labs, in
which case the graduate students TAs must be champions of safety
ethics. The Safety Ethic is, above all, a value, stated as: I value safety,
work safely, prevent any risk-behavior, promote safety, and accept
responsibility for safety. It emphasizes personal responsibility of each
person involved. In order for this culture to thrive, everyone must be
promoting it. It is, of course, necessary to be familiar with
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of
Transportation (DOT), and Department of Energy (DOE) regulations,
but responsibility goes beyond simply complying with federal, state and
local regulations – it is about caring for the safety of fellow students,
faculty, and staff. There are several chemical and laboratory safety
resources that can be very useful in building a strong culture of safety.
11. Curricular Approaches
Laboratory safety education and training is an ongoing
process and therefore must be integrated into every laboratory
course. In research laboratories, the responsibility for
necessary instruction will lie with the research director.
Because of time and resource constraints, presentation and
discussion may be limited in lab lectures prior to the start of a
laboratory or pre-lab assignments.
Three possible approaches are suggested:
1. A seminar course devoted entirely to laboratory safety;
2. Laboratory safety as part of a seminar devoted to chemistry as
a profession; and,
3. Online materials where students would be required to do
reading and then pass exams, the grades being recorded.
12. It is very important to emphasize that safety is about
learning how to carry out laboratory work safely and
not only about rules and regulations, so students are
required to think about responsibility for safety in the
conduct of their work. Working safely is a basic
responsibility of every employee and every student.
Reduce unnecessary risks, insure that regulations are
followed by others, and always bring safety concerns
to the attention of a supervisor or a departmental
safety committee. A departmental safety committee
should be established if it does not exist.
13. Control Measures (in order of preference)
1. Use a less risky
substance
2. Use a safer form of that
substance (eg solution
instead of powder)
14. 3. Totally enclose the
process (eg a glove-
box)
4. Partially enclose the
process (eg with a
fume cupboard)
5. Ensure good general
ventilation
Control Measures (in order of preference)
15. 6. Safe systems of work
7. Reduce exposure
times, increase
distance, reduce
volumes
8. Personal protective
equipment (as a last resort
for primary protection)
Control Measures (in order of preference)
16. Protecting yourself
Wear the clothing and
protective wear identified
in your risk assessment
Laboratory coats must be
kept fastened
Don’t wear sandals or open
shoes
Long hair must be tied
back
17. Protecting yourself - gloves
There are many different types of
protective glove
Use the correct ones for the job
you will be doing
Remember that you need to select
chemical protection gloves
according to the materials and/or
substances with which you will be
working
Remove your gloves before using
instruments, telephone, and
leaving the laboratory
18. Laboratory hygiene
Never eat, drink or smoke
in a laboratory
Never apply cosmetics
Never touch your face,
mouth or eyes
Never suck pens or chew
pencils
Always wash your hands
before you leave and
especially before eating
19. What are the general hazards in a
laboratory?
Fire
Breakage of glassware
Sharps
Spillages
Pressure equipment & gas
cylinders
Extremes of heat & cold
Chemical hazards
Biological hazards
Radiation
And many more!
20. Avoiding Fires
Flammable substances
Use minimum quantity
Store in special storage
cabinet
Use temperature-
controlled heating sources
(eg water-bath rather than hot-
plate or Bunsen burner)
21. Minimise fire damage
Make sure corridor fire
doors and laboratory
doors are kept shut at
all times
22. Fire Safety
Make sure that you know
what to do:
If you have a fire
If you hear a fire alarm
If you are a member of staff
you must attend fire
training annually. Post
graduates should also
seriously consider doing
so.
23. Glassware
Use correct techniques for the
insertion of tubing onto glassware
Never use glassware under pressure
or vacuum unless it is designed for
the job and suitably shielded
Dispose of chipped or broken
glassware – it is a risk to you and
others
Always dispose of broken glass in a
glass bin or sharps bin and not in a
general waste bin
24. Spillages
Clear up spillage promptly
You will already have
determined how to do this as
part of your risk assessment
Dispose of any hazardous
material as toxic waste
Messy workers are usually poor
workers!!
25. Gas cylinders
Never use without formal training
Minimise the number in a laboratory
Store externally whenever possible
Cylinders are heavy and can do serious
damage to you if they fall
Ensure that they are chained when in use
Move only with a cylinder trolley
Use regulators & control equipment
suitable for the gas concerned
Consider the consequences if your cylinder
leaks
26. Cryogenics
Liquid gasses are extremely
cold and can cause burns
Liquid gases evaporate and
many can cause asphyxiation
If you need to take cryogens in
a lift, there are special
procedures to follow – speak to
your supervisor or a senior
member of technical staff
You must have special training
to use them
27. Electrical Equipment
Always do a visual check
on electrical equipment
before use, looking for
obvious wear or defects
All portable electrical
equipment must have a
current “PAT test” sticker
NEVER use defective
equipment
28. General Tidiness
Keep your workplace tidy
Clear up waste, deal with
washing up and put things
away as you finish with
them
Make sure everything is
safe before you leave things
unattended
A tidy laboratory avoids
accidents to everyone
X
29. Laboratory Equipment
Never use any
laboratory equipment
unless you are trained
& have been
authorised to do so
As well as injuring
yourself you may cause
very costly damage
30. First Aid
All laboratory workers should
undergo simple first aid
training
For ALL chemical splashes, wash
with plenty of water for 10
minutes
Control bleeding with direct
pressure, avoiding any foreign
bodies such as glass
Report all accidents to your
supervisor or departmental
safety officer
31. Protecting your health
If you have an allergy
to lab materials or
suffer from a medical
condition which may
affect you in the
laboratory (eg diabetes
or epilepsy), ensure
that your supervisor
knows
32. Waste Materials
Part of your risk assessment
will be to determine how to
dispose of waste lab materials
safely
Solvents and oils must be
segregated into the correct waste
bottle or drum
Your department will help you
determine what to do with
chemical or biological materials
Do not put materials down the
drain or in with normal waste
unless authorised to do so
33. Working outside normal hours and at
weekends
You will need to attend
training courses and have
permission from your
Head of Department
before working outside
normal hours
Most experimental work is
not permitted
Your supervisor will
explain the requirements
in more detail
34. When in doubt – ASK!!!
Do not carry out a new
or unfamiliar
procedure until you
have been fully trained
& understand the
precautions necessary
for safe working
DO NOT GUESS!!!!
35. Hazardous Chemical Substances (HCS)
According to the Regulations for Hazardous
Chemical Substances (1995), HCS means any toxic,
harmful, corrosive, irritant or asphyxiant
substance or a mixture of such substances for
which:
a) an occupational exposure limit is prescribed
b) an occupational exposure limit is not prescribed,
but which creates a hazard to health.
36. • Working with chemicals and/or in a chemical
industry poses many risks,
including causing the following
• diseases/injuries:
• Chemical burns
• Asthma
• Allergies
• Irritant contact dermatitis
• Allergic contact dermatitis
Health and Safety Risks in Chemical Industries
37. Health and Safety Risks in Chemical Industries
• Skin infections
• Skin injuries
• Skin cancers
• Other cancers
• Asphyxiation
• Reproductive problems
• Death.
38. Risk assessment of chemicals
• A risk assessment is simply a careful examination
of what, at work, could cause harm to workers.
Accidents and ill health can ruin lives and affect
business if output is lost; machinery is damaged,
insurance costs increase.
All risks in the workplace must be identified and
assessed for control measures to be put in place.
39. Risk assessment of chemicals
Follow the five steps of hazard identification, risk
assessment:
• Identify the hazards
• Decide who might be harmed and how
• Evaluate the risks and decide on precaution
• Record your findings and implement them
• Review your assessment and update if necessary.
40. Risk assessment of chemicals
Note:
A hazard is anything that may cause harm, such as
chemicals, electricity, working from ladders, an
open drawer
The risk is the chance, high or low, that somebody
could be harmed by these and other hazards,
together with an indication of how serious the harm
could be.
41. Occupational Exposure Limit
Workers exposed to chemicals at work may NOT be
exposed to levels of chemicals exceeding the
occupational exposure limit (OEL).
“OEL” or “occupational exposure limit” means a limit
value set by the Minister for a stress factor in the
workplace as revised from time to time by notice in
the Government Gazette.
42. Contact dermatitis caused by chemicals
Contact dermatitis is inflammation of the skin caused by contact
with a wide range of materials, most commonly contact dermatitis in
the workplace is caused by chemicals.
The most commonly affected area on the body is the hands.
Avoiding contact with chemicals will prevent contact dermatitis.
Avoid contact through the following methods:
Substitute a hazardous material with a safer alternative
Automate the process
Enclose the process
Handle materials mechanically
Don’t handle materials directly with hands
Observe a safe work distance.
If contact cannot be avoided, the skin will need protection.
43. Labeling of hazardous chemical substances
• Labels on chemicals can help identify
more hazardous chemicals, tell about
the dangers to health and inform on
safeguarding methods.
• All chemical containers should be
properly identified and classified and
smaller decanting containers should be
clearly labeled with regards to the
contents of the container.
• Information that should be available on
all chemicals used in the workplace:
• Product identification
• Company identification
• Composition/information on
ingredients
• Hazards identification
• First-aid measures
• Fire-fighting measures
• Accidental release measures
• Handling and storage
• Exposure control/personal
protection
• Physical and chemical
properties
• Stability and reactivity
• Toxicological information
• Ecological information
• Disposal considerations
• Transport information
• Regulatory information and
• Any other relevant information.
