Laboratory safety has two
goals, one is the prevention of accidents and the other is containment of the
consequences of an accident. While the prevention of accidents is a primary goal,
they can occur; in such cases, containing and limiting the damage becomes very
important. Safety guidelines are
intended to reduce the chance of an accident occurring. However, knowledge of
these guidelines alone will not prevent all accidents. Rules cannot be written to cover all
potentially dangerous situations. Common sense, alertness and a cool head go a
long way to ensure that unexpected situations are detected before they become dangerous situations.
Accidents usually create a feeling of panic, if only
momentarily. Your reflex action in
panic situations was established years ago.
For some people, it is a time when their actions are irrational; some
will freeze; some will react in a reasonable way to try to contain the
accident. If you are aware of the dangers, have taken reasonable precautions
and know what to do in the event of an accident, these situations will be much
less fearful and the feeling of panic much less severe. You will be more likely
to react in a rational way if you are aware of the safety, accident and fire
procedures laid out in this manual.
A. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ‑ AN OVERVIEW
A‑1 Working Alone
A-2 Safety Glasses
A-3 Fume Hoods
A-4 Vacuum Equipment and Safety Shields
A-5 Carrying Chemicals
A-6 Open Flames
A-7 Refrigerator Storage
A-8 Large Scale Reactions
A-9 Heating Open Vessels
A-10 Heating in a Closed System
A-11 Mixing Concentrated Acids, Bases and
Oxidants
A-12 Superheated Liquids
A-13 Pipetting
A-14 Chemical Labels
A-15 Replacing Chemicals
A-16 Clothing Protection
A-17 Loose Clothing
A-18 Gloves
A-19 Waste Chemical Disposal
A-20 Safety Equipment
A-21 Know Hazards
A-22 Thermometer Use
In the laboratory the chemist works with many
potentially dangerous substances. Yet,
with constant alertness, awareness of the potential hazards, and a few common‑sense precautions, laboratory
operations can be carried out with a high degree of safety. Although commitment to safety programs must
begin at the highest levels of administration, most of the responsibility for
the personal safety of the laboratory workers rests on the workers themselves.
A large proportion of reported laboratory
accidents are a result of cuts from broken glassware, knives, etc. Chemical hazards in the laboratory may be
divided into three main categories: contact of chemicals with the body (toxic
and corrosive hazards), fires involving chemicals, and explosions involving
chemicals. Many laboratory accidents
involve a combination of these hazards.
For example, a solvent spill in the presence of a faulty electrical
system which is generating sparks might result in a fire (or explosion) or a
blockage in equipment might result in an explosion throwing chemicals on a
worker. Although gassings and
explosions account for less than 2% of accidents, they result in more than a
third of fatalities. The evidence for
occupationally induced cancer in chemical laboratory workers is weak despite
the wide range of potential mutagens and carcinogens found in
laboratories. Better studies are
required to ascertain if there is an increased risk of certain types of
cancers. Allergic responses to
chemicals is a very common problem; they are responsible for more than half of
the laboratory problems necessitating a change in employment.
Be Alert, Stay Alert
The basic rule of safety
in the laboratory is: be alert
‑‑ stay alert;
the laboratory is no place for the "absent‑minded professor".
Take the trouble to understand what you are doing and to know what the hazards
are; take the appropriate precautions, and use the appropriate protective
equipment. Some of the more important
laboratory rules and precautions are summarized under the following 21 headings.
A-1 Working in the laboratory alone
When carrying
out potentially dangerous reactions outside regular hours, it is strongly recommended
that someone else be nearby to provide assistance in case of need.
A‑2 Wear eye protection whenever there is a
potential hazard.
"Safety
glasses" with impact‑ resistant lenses in approved frames,
protective goggles, a face shield, or some appropriate combination of these must
be worn whenever there is a potential hazard in the laboratory. Safety glasses
are approved only for impact resistance; goggles must be used when there is a
potential splash hazard. Safety glasses
may be obtained either ground to prescription or non‑refracting. Safety glasses and goggles are available
from the Science Stores. Side shields
of transparent plastic may be clipped on to glasses for additional protection. In the event of an explosion the lenses of
ordinary glasses are much more easily shattered and the glass fragments may be
driven into the eyeball; in such a case they can be worse than no glasses at
all.
A Caution to Those Wearing Contact Lenses
Contact lenses
provide negligible protection, and indeed their use may seriously aggravate
hazards from splashed liquids since they will impede washing the eye free of
caustic liquids that creep or diffuse under them. It is inadvisable to wear
them even under safety glasses, which (it must always be remembered) do not provide
good protection from liquid splashes from the top, sides, or bottom; goggles
should be worn. Soft contact lenses may absorb and retain vapors (resulting in
eye damage due to prolonged contact of the eye with chemicals).
for all
operations involving poisonous or offensive gases, fumes or vapours, as well as
for operations involving highly flammable or potentially explosive materials.
The combination of a fume hood and a safety shield (see below) will provide the
maximum readily available protection against minor laboratory explosions. A continuing complaint during inspections is
the improper use of fume hoods. Fume
hoods must be used properly or they may only give the illusion of
protection. Before using a fume hood, one
should always check that it is functioning.
A simple method of doing this is to tape a small strip of Kleenex or
other tissue to the bottom of the sash; this will give an immediate indication
of air flow. The exhaust rate is not a
single reliable measure of a fume hood's effectiveness; air supply to the room
is also important since drafts across the hood face may cause leakage. The ABB fume hoods are not designed to work
properly if laboratory doors are left open; these are also fire doors and must
be kept closed by law. Although high
air flow may cause difficulties when using finely powdered materials and may
also cause turbulence resulting in leakage from the hood, normally the hood
should be used with the sash as fully closed as possible. Unnecessary materials (reagent bottles,
waste bottles, extraneous equipment, etc.) should not be left in the hood since
they will cause turbulence that may result in leakage from the hood. This leakage usually occurs where the worker
is standing blocking the flow of air into the hood. Equipment should be kept at least 6 inches from the edge of the
hood and placed centrally in the hood.
Chemicals (including flammable waste solvents) should not be stored in a
hood to be used for experimental work because of the added danger in the event
of an explosion or fire.
Guard against
injury from explosion, implosion, flash fires, and splatter of dangerous
liquids by interposing a "safety shield" or other effective barrier
between all personnel and any set-up presenting such hazards. This would include vacuum distillations, gas
scrubbing trains containing significant amounts of corrosive solutions and all
evacuated equipment of any significant size.
Additionally, Dewar flasks, vacuum desiccators and other large vessels
under vacuum should be well taped with electrical tape in order to contain the
glass in the event of implosion.
Only approved
safety carriers with well‑fitting covers can be used to transport any dangerous
liquids or any solvent in amounts equal to or exceeding 500 mL. Plastic pails are not approved carriers.
A-6 Never heat a flammable solvent in an open
vessel over an open flame.
Keep a respectable
distance between open vessels containing flammable solvents and any open flames
or sources of sparks (e.g. stirring hot plates). Chloroform and methylene chloride will form phosgene in a flame. Except under special circumstances, an open
flame should never be used in the laboratory. If necessary, as for
glassblowing, open flames are permitted but should be extinguished as soon as
they are no longer required. Substances
with very low auto-ignition temperatures such as diethyl ether have been ignited
by hot plates and carbon disulfide ignited even by steam pipes.
Beakers or
unstoppered flasks containing chemicals should not be placed in a refrigerator
(even if it is of the "explosion proof" type) or in any other unventilated
enclosure. Food or beverages must
never be stored in a refrigerator used for storage of chemicals.
Never store volatile toxic materials in a
refrigerator or other unventilated enclosure even in a "stoppered"
vessel. The first breath a person takes after opening the refrigerator door
could be his/her last. Volatile
flammable substances must only be stored in approved "explosion
proof" refrigerators.
Reactions that
work safely with small quantities may not be safe when scaled up (i.e. more
than about 100 g).
Always be
careful to avoid pointing the mouth of a vessel being heated toward any person,
including yourself.
Except for
certain operations for which special instruction should be obtained beforehand
(reduced‑pressure distillations, reactions in bombs or sealed tubes,
etc.) never heat reactants of any kind
in a fully closed system; be sure the system is open to the air at some
point to prevent pressure build-up due to boiling or gas evolution.
Never add anything TO a concentrated acid,
caustic, or strong oxidant; instead add the acid, caustic, or oxidant
slowly and cautiously to the other ingredients, preferably no faster than it is
consumed by reaction.
Never add solids (boiling chips, charcoal,
etc.) to a hot liquid as this may result in violent boiling if the liquid
happens to be superheated. Such
additions should be performed when the liquid is still at room temperature.
A‑13 Never pipette by mouth.
Fill a
conventional pipette with a rubber bulb or use an automatic pipette.
All chemical containers should be correctly and
clearly labelled. Labels for your
preparations should contain, besides the name or formula of the contents: your
name, the date, and a sample number by which it can be identified in your
notebook. Proper labelling is a
requirement of the WHMIS legislation.
A‑15 Replacing
Chemicals
One should
never pour anything back into
a reagent bottle.
Protect your
self and your clothing by wearing a laboratory apron or a laboratory coat. Lab coats should be washed frequently. Lab coats should not be washed in home laundry
equipment. Lab coats could be washed
manually in the laboratory sink.
Contaminated clothing such as lab coats should not be worn outside the
laboratory.
Dangling
neckties or scarves, unrestrained long hair, and fluffy or floppy clothing
(including over‑large or ragged laboratory coat sleeves) can easily catch
fire, dip into chemicals on the laboratory bench, get ensnarled in apparatus
and moving machinery, etc. Remove or restrain your long necktie/scarf, put up
long hair or at least restrain it with a rubber band. Open‑toed sandals
should never be worn in the laboratory.
Bare feet are strictly forbidden in the laboratory; be sure to warn your
friends who may visit you in the summer.
Shorts and T-shirts are also strongly discouraged; they expose large
areas of the arms and legs to contaminants and to fire.
The first action to be taken in the event of a chemical spill on the skin
is to thoroughly wash the effected part with lots of water. See also Section E-1.
Your hands should be protected with rubber or
plastic gloves when handling toxic materials or caustic liquids, or with canvas
or other appropriate gloves when handling hot or very cold objects. Gloves made of the proper material should be
selected for the chemicals being used; some highly toxic substances will
penetrate rubber or vinyl gloves. A list of many chemicals and the most
resistant materials to be used with them is available at the back of the
Cole-Parmer catalog. One should also be
aware that gloves, even when new, may contain holes. Do not hesitate to discard
gloves (or aprons, lab coats or even shoes) that become contaminated or have
holes in them. Contaminated gloves should be removed before exiting the lab in
order to avoid contamination of door knobs, telephones, Departmental
instruments, etc.
You should know
and observe the approved procedures for disposal of the chemicals and
laboratory refuse associated with your experiment (see Section G‑3). No
chemical waste should go down the sink. Package hazardous chemical wastes in
suitable containers appropriately labelled according to the classifications
shown below:
Waste
Classification:
Group
A
1) Inorganic acids (e.g. hydrochloric and
sulfuric acid)
2)
Elements and inorganic acidic salts that do not liberate gaseous products
when acidified
(eg. solids pH range 7 to 1--sulfate salts, boric acid)
Group B
1) Inorganic alkaline chemicals (eg.
sodium hydroxide)
2) Organic bases (eg. amines)
3) Elements and inorganic alkaline salts
(eg. copper oxide and sodium sulfide)
Group C
1) Solid organic compounds (excluding
organic bases) (eg. sodium acetate, phenol, carboxylic acids)
Group D1
1) Non-halogenated organic liquids
(excluding bases, resins and paints) (eg. alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, esters,
organo-acids)
2) Halogenated organic liquids (eg. carbon
tetrachloride, chloroform)
Group E
1) Inorganic oxidizing agents (eg. permanganates,
nitrates, periodic acid, perchloric acid, chromium trioxide)
Group E4
1) Inorganic cyanides (eg. sodium cyanide,
ferricyanide)
Group F
1) Organic pesticides, herbicides and
rodenticides
2) Inorganic pesticides, herbicides and
rodenticides
Group G
1) Potential shock sensitive materials
(eg. picric acid, 2,4-DNP)
2) Organic oxidizers (eg. benzoyl
peroxide)
3) Moisture sensitive organic compounds
(eg. silanes, acid chlorides)
4) Alkyl and aryl metal complexes (e.g.
Grignard reagents, triethyl aluminum)
5) Moisture sensitive flammable inorganic
materials (eg. sodium)
6) Moisture sensitive corrosive inorganic
compounds (eg. titanium tetrachloride)
Note: The above must be shippable under the
Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act
Group I
1)
Pressurized, compressed or liquified gases in lecture
bottles or other cylinders (eg. hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide)
Group P
1) Paints, varnishes and thinners
Group R
1) Resins and non-reactive activators (eg.
isocyanates, polymers)
2)
Glues and adhesives
Exceptions: (the following materials are not disposed of
with the normal chemical waste)
1) Radioactive materials of any type
2) PCB's of any type
3) Bio-hazardous materials
Beyond these general classifications,
one should be aware of potential specific chemical incompatibilities. One of these, which is avoided by
segregating halogenated solvents, is the potential reaction between acetone and
chloroform. These will react to produce
"chloretone" in an exothermic reaction catalysed by bases. In a tightly closed bottle, a violent
explosion can take place.
Label Waste Bottles Clearly
Labels for
waste bottles may be obtained from Science Stores and must be placed on waste
containers when they are first set out
for use. Unlabelled waste will not
be accepted. Any unusual wastes should
be labelled with a description so that the waste can be sorted later according
to its chemical compatibilities with other substances. It is important that such information be
provided. Unknown chemicals will not be
accepted for waste disposal; wastes must be accurately identified.
Waste Removal
Waste should not be allowed to accumulate in the labs. Please follow this link to download the new procedures for disposing of hazardous waste and the on-line submission form:
http://www.workingatmcmaster.ca/eohss/labs/hazardous-waste/
A-20 Safety Equipment
Know the location of exits, fire extinguishers,
fire blankets, sand pails, safety showers and eyewash fountains. Supervisors are legally
responsible for ensuring that their students/employees are trained in the
proper use of safety devices.
Familiarize yourself with the purposes of these devices and with the
procedures for their use.
Fire Blankets
Fire blankets
are to be found in ABB just outside the chemistry wing on the most floors
(outside ABB 474, 367, 266A, B113) and half way down the wing on the first
floor (outside ABB 115). If clothing is
on fire, get the victim to the floor, roll them over and over, and smother the
flames with the fire blanket or a lab coat.
Chemicals In The Eyes
In case of eye
contact with chemicals, immediately
bathe the eyes in cool running water: subject the eyes to a copious (but
not forceful) flow of water from the eyewash fountain located by the exit door;
hold the eyelids thoroughly open to bathe the eyeballs and undersides of
eyelids.
Summon medical help immediately (call 88). If alkali is involved, follow the washing by
water with application of a 3% solution of boric acid. Time is of the essence;
caustic alkali can destroy the cornea in as little as five minutes. CAUTION: Boric acid should be used
externally for the eyes only.
Boric acid is very toxic if taken internally, thus never take boric
acid by mouth as an antidote for a base or for any other reason.
Eye wash fountains
should be flushed for several minutes each week to minimize the build-up
of microorganisms.
Before
beginning any procedure with which you have not had adequate previous experience and/or don't have a thorough
knowledge of the hazards, you should find out what the hazards and appropriate
precautions are by reading the literature and/or conferring with someone having
such knowledge and experience. Supervisors are legally responsible
for ensuring that their students/employees are properly trained to handle
hazardous materials and procedures.
(See list of references, Section K).
When inserting
a glass thermometer into a rubber adapter or stopper, use lubrication and
protect the hands in case of breakage by using wadded up paper towels or other
protection. Grasp the thermometer near
the insertion point and try to apply force directly down the axis of the
thermometer.
This list of twenty‑one safety guidelines and precautions has
been chosen somewhat arbitrarily and is by no means complete. However, it represents in our view a
selection that contains the most important precautions. This list should be reread periodically
until observance of these precautions has become second nature. These same
precautions and some additional ones will be treated in specific contexts in
the following sections which should be read in advance of performing the
corresponding laboratory operations and should be reviewed from time to time.