An important first step in protecting worker health and safety is recognizing workplace hazards. Most hazards encountered fall into three main categories: chemical, biological, or physical. Cleaning agents and disinfectants, drugs, anesthetic gases, solvents, paints, and compressed gases are examples of chemical hazards. Potential exposures to chemical hazards can occur both during use and with poor storage.
Biological hazards include potential exposures to allergens, infectious zoonotics animal diseases transmissible to humans , and experimental agents such as viral vectors.
Allergens, ubiquitous in animal research facilities, are one of the most important health hazards, yet they are frequently overlooked. The final category contains the physical hazards associated with research facilities. The most obvious are slips and falls from working in wet locations and the ergonomic hazards of lifting, pushing, pulling, and repetitive tasks.
Other physical hazards often unnoticed are electrical, mechanical, acoustic, or thermal in nature. Ignoring these can have potentially serious consequences. The use of chemicals in research laboratories is inevitable, and the potential for harm or injury could be significant if they are misused or mishandled. OSHA has developed two important standards to help mitigate these potential problems. Although these chemicals are found in the lab, their use does not meet the criteria for laboratory use.
This goes hand in hand with experimental design and planning. Both standards require providing material safety data sheets and employee training. Biological hazards encompass microbes, recombinant organisms, and viral vectors.
They also include biological agents introduced into experimental animals. Health and safety issues such as containment, the ability for replication, and potential biological effect are all important. They can put your workers at risk, cause fires or How would your business cope with an uncontrolled chemical spill that included flammable liquids?
Would your team know About Contact Cart Login sales storemasta. Products By Class Class 1 Class 2. Chemical Safety, chemicals in laboratory. Chemical burns Many chemicals used in the lab are classed as corrosive substances , which have the potential to break down or degrade common objects such as equipment, instruments and containers. This standard sets out the requirements for the safe and compliant storage of class 8 corrosive substances.
Safety signage — Signage is required to notify staff of the dangerous chemicals being stored and the hazards associated with them. Safety signage needs to be displayed at the entrance to the laboratory as well as on the chemical storage cabinets used to store the hazardous chemicals. Safety data sheets — Safety data sheets SDS should be kept close to the area that the chemicals are being stored in.
This allows the staff in the lab to consult them if they require any technical information about the hazardous chemicals onsite. When storing SDS's, you should use a weather proof document storage box to keep them protected. Personal protective equipment — in the event of a chemical spill, corrosive - resistant personal protective equipment PPE , such as gloves and eyewear, is required so staff stay protected during the spill cleanup. Heat Burns Bunsen burners and other heating devices are commonly used in the lab to speed up chemical processes and reactions.
Bunsen Burner 3. Emergency Eyewash Facility 4. Cuts From Glassware Many laboratories rely on glassware for holding and mixing dangerous chemicals. Inhaling Dangerous Gases Many dangerous chemicals emit hazardous vapours and gases that are hazardous to human health.
Chlorine Gas Are you working with chlorine in the laboratory? Class 8 Corrosive Substance Heath effects of chlorine gas inhalation can include symptoms such as : Irritation to mucous membranes in the nose, throat and respiratory tract Headache Vomiting Coughing Burning Difficulty breathing This is just one example of a dangerous good that can have serious health effects if used or stored incorrectly. Behaviour Flammable liquids, such as methylated spirits, should never be used if there is a lit Bunsen burner or other ignition source anywhere in the laboratory.
Do not pipette by mouth. Always use a suction bulb. Human blood should never be used in experiments. Many authorities prohibit the use of all human tissues. Students should follow the teacher's instructions and not mix chemicals inappropriately or misuse equipment.
No person should eat or store food in the laboratory. No person should run, or behave in any way that might result in injury to someone. Students and staff should ensure that equipment is kept away from edge of benches, especially items such as Bunsen burners and tripods.
Students and staff should wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before leaving the laboratory. I will put on a video instead. In reality, as long as teachers and students are confident with handling the apparatus and they have considered the risks involved ie done a risk assessment , then most practical activities can be carried out safely in the lab.
The Gatsby Good Practical Science project provides a framework for delivering good practical science in schools. In other words schools should not shy away from practical chemistry. There is plenty of guidance and support about this benchmark , including risk assessment and modelling health and safety, available. There is plenty of guidance and support about this benchmark, including risk assessment and modelling health and safety, available.
Teaching students about health, safety and risk is an important part of the chemistry curriculum. A good starting place is to ask students to think about and discuss the hazards and risks t in everyday life.
Then move on to more specific safety issues met in science. Learning to carry out a risk-benefit analysis will help students to make balanced decisions about wider questions in society such as the use of food additives , parabens in cosmetics or nanoparticles. When students start secondary school, many begin their secondary science learning with a series of lessons on health, safety and lab rules. The recent article Health, safety and apparatus outlines what 11—14 year old students need to know and provides some lesson ideas for teaching this topic.
It is also about being able to evaluate risks and make informed choices in wider society. Heating is a key part of practical chemistry as many chemical reactions depend on heating to overcome the activation energy required to get the reaction started. There are several ways of heating chemicals including the use of Bunsen burners, water baths and electric heaters.
Table 1 lists some questions to ask and things to think about when planning an experiment that involves heating. What are the risks associated with each method of heating: Bunsen burners, water baths, electric heaters? Avoid using a Bunsen burner near flammable substances, eg ethanol as this reduces the risk of them catching fire.
On first appearance preparing copper sulfate crystals in the lab is a straightforward practical activity that most secondary students will do at some point in their school careers.
However, a high number of accidents and incidents are reported with this experiment — and they are usually down to heating. The practical problems encountered with this experiment are clearly shown in the video Demonstrating chemistry: Top of the flops This involves using a water bath in the first stage, replacing the evaporation basin with a conical flask and adding a couple of anti-bumping crystals.
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