Safety Bulletin
A chemical laboratory is potentially a dangerous place, and safety precautions
should be the concern of everyone who works in one. The following notes are
provided to assist you in avoiding unnecessary accidents, and to indicate the
action to take should an accident occur. Study this material carefully.
B.S.B. - 1st floor, beside STORE WICKET (Room 125)
- 2nd floor, near ELEVATOR
A.B.B. - 1st floor, outside double doors of CHEMISTRY WING
There is an emergency shower in each laboratory. These are for use when corrosive liquids have spilled over large areas of clothes and skin, and when clothing is afire. Become familiar with the location of these showers.
B.S.B. -- Fire blankets are located in Rooms 117, 201, 214, and
1st floor corridor, beside STORE RM 125 and
2nd floor corridor beside bulletin board at T junction of Chemistry wing.
A.B.B. -- located in the East-West corridor on each floor of the Chemistry wing.
If clothing is on fire, the first thing to do is get the victim to the floor (to reduce damage to hands, face, eyes and respiratory system). The victim should be rolled over and over to smother the flames, using the fire blanket or a lab coat.
Know the location of the fire extinguishers in your laboratory and read the directions for their operation. They are very effective for fires involving organic liquids and electrical wiring. Small fires in test tubes, beakers, etc., can usually be smothered by covering with a heat resistant mat.
Chemical burns do not often become serious if the affected part is washed promptly and thoroughly with water. Water -- lots of it -- is the first treatment for all accidents in which corrosive chemicals have been spilled or splashed on external skin surfaces.
Learn the location of the eye-wash in your lab. In the event that a chemical has been splashed into the eyes, immediate action must be taken to prevent damage to the sensitive tissues in the eyes. The person (with assistance if it is available) should wash the eyes with water for at least 10 minutes. Roll the eyeballs to ensure thorough washing. Seek medical attention immediately.
These must be worn at all times in the laboratory. CONTACT LENSES are not permitted in the Chem 3D03 laboratory, for the following reasons. Chemicals splashed into the eyes can be very difficult to wash out with contact lenses present and may cause bonding of the lens to the eye. Also, solvent vapours are absorbed by soft contact lenses and will cause irritation.
Sandals are not to be worn in the lab; all loose or long hair must be tied back. Clothing or unnecessary books must not be left around the lab.
The use of face shields is recommended when high vacuum distillations are being done in glass equipment and when there is a high possibility that a violent reaction can occur. These shields can be obtained from the Technician.
The sand, in pails in each of the laboratories, is for smothering small fires. It is particularly useful for sodium or potassium fires.
First Aid drawers are in each laboratory. Become familiar with their location and contents. In the event of an injury report to a TA who will take the necessary action. Do not neglect even small cuts or burns. These can become very serious if they are not treated promptly and properly. The first treatment for burns is ice or cold water.
Spill kits are provided in each lab room for use in the event of a chemical spill. Know their location and how to use them .
(a) Fire-polish the ends of all glass tubing and glass rods.
(b) Before inserting a thermometer or glass tube into a stopper or rubber
tube:
2. ALL BOTTLES CONTAINING CHEMICALS should be plainly labelled. Materials found in unlabelled bottles should be returned to the Technician.
3. FLAMMABLE VOLATILE LIQUIDS such as alcohol, ether, benzene, etc., must never be distilled or evaporated over an open flame. Furthermore, there must not be an open flame in the neighbourhood of such operations. A column of flammable vapour can be wafted towards a lighted burner ten feet or more away and become ignited to strike back to the flask or bottle containing the flammable liquid and set it afire. Be careful always to keep all bottles and flasks, containing flammable and volatile liquids, well stoppered, and never open them near a flame. Care should also be exercised in preventing these flasks or bottles from becoming heated by steam pipes or other sources of heat, since the internal pressure may become sufficient to blow out the stopper.
Careful attention should be given to such sources of ignition as sparking brushes from electric motors and exposed heating elements.
4. WASTE CHEMICALS or BROKEN GLASS placed in regular garbage bins can cause injury to the persons required to dispose of that garbage. For this reason all laboratory waste must be put in the appropriate container:
(a) CLEAN WASTE (bin near each large sink). Items such as paper towels, J-cloths, corks, rubber stoppers, plastic vials and filter papers can be put in the regular garbage AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN CLEANED OF ALL CHEMICALS .
(b) GLASS (plastic pails labelled for glass disposal). All waste glass (with the exception of thermometers containing mercury, unknown sample vials and melting point capillaries and slides) must be placed in glass disposal bins. THE GLASS MUST BE CLEAN.
(c) BROKEN THERMOMETERS (fume cupboards). Labelled containers are provided in the fume cupboards for broken thermometers which contain mercury.
(d) SAMPLE VIALS (fume cupboards). Dispose of any chemical remaining in the vial (use the proper waste container) and place the empty vial in the labelled container located in the waste fume hood.
(e) MELTING POINT WASTE (fume cupboards). Labelled containers are provided in the fume cupboards for used melting point capillaries and cover slides.
(f) CHEMICAL WASTE (fume cupboards). Labelled bottles are provided in the
fume cupboards for the disposal of all chemical waste. The bottles are labelled
for the following categories of chemical:
5. EATING, DRINKING AND SMOKING are not allowed in the laboratory.
6. Horseplay, stunt experiments, or experiments not assigned are strictly forbidden in all laboratories. The Department has the right to banish an offender from the laboratories.
7. CLEANING SOLUTIONS of the sulfuric-dichromate type should be treated with respect. Any splattering will destroy clothing and quickly produce painful skin burns. Under no circumstances should nitric acid be used to clean vessels that contain organic material, because an explosion or a fire may ensue.
8. WATER OR CHEMICALS spilled on the floor must be mopped or cleaned up
promptly. Spill Kits are provided in each laboratory for the neutralization of
spilled chemicals. Never leave apparatus containing corrosive materials around
where someone might be burned. When diluting an acid, pour the acid into water.
NEVER POUR WATER INTO AN ACID.
9. GOOD TECHNIQUE in assembling apparatus and in proceeding methodically greatly reduces the possibility of accidents. An important aspect of good technique is cleanliness. If the student who used your work station before you put away the clamps, hot plates, heating mantles, etc., you would find it much easier to perform your experiment and there would be less chance of an accident occurring. Keep this in mind as you clean up your area before leaving the lab.
10. MOST CHEMICAL REAGENTS ARE POTENTIAL HAZARDS. Every chemical is injurious if a sufficient quantity enters the body. Proper methods of handling, adequate precautions, and a knowledge of protective measures and first aid should be learned NOW. Otherwise, the penalty may be impaired health and a shortened life. Material Safety Data Sheets are provided in the lab rooms. Refer to these books if you have questions about the toxicity or characteristics of a chemical.
11. NO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT is permitted to work in any laboratory unless a teaching assistant is present.
12. ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS before leaving the laboratory.
13. Obtain the Laboratory Safety Acknowledgement Form from your T.A., complete and sign it before you leave on the first lab day.
Fire extinguisher nearest to my locker:
Emergency shower nearest to my locker:
Fire blanket nearest to my locker:
Eyewash fountain nearest to my locker:
First aid kit:
Chemical spill kits:
Panic button:
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