Post on 23-Dec-2015
Annual Refresher
Laboratory Users Must….
Read & follow guidelines in the Chemical Hygiene Plan, Hazardous Communication Manual, the MSDS, and Chemical Labels.
That undergraduates cannot work alone on weekends or after-hours
Never pipette by mouth
Wash hand & arms before leaving lab
Tie back long hair
USPSNL has an Occupational Medical Surveillance program to monitor your health over long term. It is a confidential and voluntary program
Chemical Common Sense
Maintain labels on incoming containers
Date the chemical bottles as they come in
Do not remove or deface labels
Replace torn or defaced labels
Label secondary containers immediately, even if it contains just water
Chemical Storage
Store chemicals in compatible groups. Keep acids away from bases, and oxidizers away from solvents.
Separate groups in barriers
Store corrosives below eye level
In laboratory, store only what you will use during the immediate future, limit quantities to 4 liters and under
Chemical Storage
Use secondary containment (plastic trays or bins)
Separate incompatible chemicals
keep oxidizers away from flammables
keep acids away from bases
keep acids away from cyanide salts
The biggest incompatibilities to keep in mind are:
Storage of Corrosive
Storage concerns: Store strong mineral acids separately
from other materials Use secondary containment if a
corrosive storage cabinet isn’t available
Store nitric acid separately Store perchloric acid separately Store organic acids (combustible)
with other organic/flammable liquids
Keep sodium bicarbonate on hand for spills
Oxidizers
Provide a source of oxygen and will initiate or promote combustion
Gases: fluorine, chlorine, ozone, nitrous oxide, oxygen Liquids: hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, perchloric acid, bromine Solids: nitrites, nitrates, perchlorates, peroxides, chromates,
dichromates, picrates, permanganates, hypochlorites, bromates, iodates, chlorites, chlorates
Oxidizers must be stored separately from other materials
Fire started in a trash can with sodium metal (water reactive) and wet paper towels.
Heat from burning plastic trash transferred into metal storage cabinet under sink. Bottle on right exploded, sheared off tops of other bottles of flammable liquids. Water pipes broke under sink, causing flooding.
Chemical Waste Handling & Disposal
Waste is considered hazardous if it has the characteristics of being: Ignitable, Reactive, Corrosive, and Toxic.
Containers must be clearly labeled “Hazardous Waste” with one of the above characteristic listings on the Cornell EH&S label, stored in a compatible shatterproof container and set in a secondary containment.
Full containers are taken to G-26, never down the drain
Broken glassware must not be placed with regular trash, but in specifically designed boxes to contain broken glass, used razor blades, scalpels, needles, and syringes. See Kathie Moh if need additional boxes.
Chemical Ordering
Before ordering new chemicals you should consult the central chemical inventory maintained by Kathie Moh to see if somebody else have what you need.
Cost disposal of unwanted chemicals as hazardous waste continues to mount each year
Personal Protective Equipment
Routes of Exposure
Inhalation
Absorption through skin
Ingestion, hence the banning of food and drinks in labs
Injection from glass shards, syringes, used razors, etc
Personal Protective Equipment, cont.
All lab users and visitors must wear ANSI approved eye protection when potential of eye injury exist.
Closed toe shoes of non-woven material with non-slip soles
Lab coats with front clasp
Gloves Check chemical-glove compatibility Inspect gloves before use Remove glove and wash hands before
leaving lab
Personal Protective Equipment, cont.
Lab coats and gloves must be removed before leaving the laboratory so not to transfer contaminants to another person or laboratory.
What a spill sees:
Hygiene practices General Rules for Working With Chemicals
Do not wear gloves when answering the phone, adjusting the radio dial, or using a computer used by others
Hazardous chemicals may be carried through the hall with a rubber or plastic bucket
Do not generate dusts when weighing out powdered chemicals
Recap chemical containers promptly when weighing or pouring is completed
Clean up the area around the balance when finished weighing chemicals
Do not contaminate the exterior of chemical containers
Place chemical containers back in storage when finished with a chemical
Know Where are the Emergency Stations
Eyewash station
Emergency Shower
Fire Blanket
Spill Control Kit
First Aid Kit
Fire Extinguisher/ Fire Alarm.
AED Units
Refrigerators & Freezers
Only “explosion proof/ safe” refrigerators and freezers may be used to store flammables
“No Flammable Allowed” on refrigerators/freezers that are not “explosion proof/ safe”
Refrigerator/freezers labeled for “CHEMICAL USE ONLY” or “FOOD USE ONLY” and used accordingly
Interior sound and free of chemicals spills or contamination
Electricity Safety
Electrical apparatus equipped with ground plugs or properly grounded
Two prong appliances not within a 5 foot radius or directly located above flammable or sinks
Extension cords in good conditions (no splices)
Extension cords for temporary use only, not overloaded or longer than 6 feet
Gas Cylinders
Installed and leak tested by trained personnel
Secured in upright position, with cylinder clamp/chain fastened for solid support
Flammable materials stored a minimum of 20 feet from cylinders containing oxidizers
Regulators, proper connections, and tubing in good conditions
Flammable gas tubing secured and labeled
Flame arrester on flammable gas supply.
Gas Cylinders must be properly secured
Good Not Good - chains too low, it could fall onto somebody and break bones and/or valve off
Chemical Fume Hoods
Do not use fume hood for storage, unless specifically for Satellite Accumulation Area
Maintain sash height as or below posted level
Do not stack objects against the baffle or else air velocity will be interrupted
Ideally all doors should be closed to maintain the negative pressure of the laboratory
Waste Minimization
Consider process modification to include product substitution, scale reduction, or bench top process.
Incorporate neutralization, precipitation and drying, or chemical destruction into your procedural protocol
You’re Done! (after you take the quiz) See you next year….
•Or go to the next annual refresher…