ACTIVITY 4 SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY |, OBJECTIVES To realize the importance of identifying measurable chemical hazards and the necessity of taking appropriate precautions to reduce the probability of accident. i. INTRODUCTION The information herein was adapted from the : Chemical Safety Publication of American Chemical Society (ACS) joint Board-Counsel Committee; 2.’ Safety in the Laboratory Ligtas Eskwela Program of Merck, Inc.; and 3, Handouts of various seminars, conferences and congress organized by _ Integrated Chemists of the Philippines (ICP), Philippine Association of Chemistry Teachers (PACT) and the Environmental Management Bureau "Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR) ~ Accident prevention, not the regulations, is the essential component of all laboratory operations. a Doing safety is not the right way to work — it is the only way. MW. YOUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACCIDENT PREVENTION Accident prevention is a collective responsibility that requires the full cooperation of everyone in the laboratory. Your safety is both you and your: fRbortory instructor's first concern, report unsafe acts to him or her. Everyoneis “responsible for accident prevention, especially you, the person actually carrying “out the laboratory procedures. Accidents often result from 1 an indifferent attitude; 2. failure to use common sense; and 3. failure to follow instructions, making a mistake. Become involved; participate in the practice of preventing accident. Follow, the general guidelines and all safety instructions carefully.IV. GUIDE TO CHEMICAL HAZARDS Before undertaking laboratory work, become fa chemicals involved. Read and heed the labels before using the chemicals, Be 4 sure you know that you follow all the safety precautions that protect you ang | others from those hazards. Chemicals can cause harm if they are not handle properly. It can be toxic, flammable, corrosive or reactive. Flammable Substances can create fire under certain conditions. | Examples of these are friction sensitive substances like solvent. 3. Corrosive Substances are acidic or basic and are capable.of corr | metals. By chemical action, it can cause severe damage when in oma with living tissue e.g., HCl, HNO,. i miliar with the hazards of | 1. Toxic Substances are poisonous (acute) and have carcinogenic, teratogenic, or mutagenic effect on human and other organism. » 4, Reactive Substances are unstable under normal conditions and readily undergo violent changes without detonating; reacts violently with water" and create spontaneously explosive mixture like toxic gases, vapors, | and fumes and are capable of detonating e.g., cyanide or sulfur bearing: % 1 substances. 4 Some chemicals are hazardous in only one of these ways, some in more than one. Every chemical, even water, is hazardous in at least one way. From one point of view, water is the most dangerous single chemical known. Considering all il known industrial accidents involving chemical reactions, those involving water as a chemical reactant caused more fatalities than any other single chemical compound, Toxic chemicals could be of virgin materials that are poisonous. In the 16th century, a military surgeon and alchemist known as “Paracelsus” (whose real name was Philippus Aureols Theophrastus Bombast von Hoheneim.) wrote: “What is it that is not poison? All things are poison and nothing is without poison. It is only the dose that makes a thing nota poison.” Hazardous chemicals defined by the U.S Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as any chemicals that present a hazard either under normal use or in a foreseeable emergency. 10 J GENERAL CHEMISTRY 1 LABORATORY Be,TOXIC CHEMICALS CAN ENTER THE BODY BY FOUR ROUTES 1. Inhalation through respiratory tract (lungs) by breathing 2. Ingestion through the digestive tract. This can occur through eating; chewing gums; applying cosmetics or smoking. in the laboratory; using a contaminated beaker, say, as a cup for drinking coffee; or eating lunch without washing your hands after working in the laboratory. 3. “Absorption through body openings such as the ears or eyeball socket, through cuts in the skin, or even through intact skin. 4. Injection of a toxic substance through a cut made in the skin by a sharp, contaminated object. Possibilities include mishandling a sharp-edged piece of a contaminated broken glass beaker or misuse of a sharp object such as a knife or hypodermic needle. ResUOneEE INFORMATION ay Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Additional information about hazardous reagents can be found oh MSDS. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) do not require or prefer any particular format or ordered presentation of topics for an MSDS. It only mandates that the MSDS be in English and that it includes a, CAS registry number; : 'b. Chemical name; cc. Composition of mixture; “d. Physical/chemical properties; e. Fire and explosion hazard data. The information in this section usually includes the following: * Flash point © Autoignition temperature © Flammable limits © Recommended extinguisher media; 4, Health hazards of the chemical; g. Permission Exposure Limit (PEL) and Threshold Limit Value (TLV); h. Control measures; i, Target organ; j. Precautions for spills and cleanup; erase *12 k. First aid; |, The date of preparation or, if revised, the date of the revision; and m, The manufacturer’s name and address. DANGER signifies that the hazards can cause serious injury (¢.g., blindness) or death, WARNING signifies that the hazards can cause less than serious injuries, CAUTION wams users to be careful when using, handling, or, storing the chemical. . Labels . Catalogue . Posters a. Safety Data. Contains Safety Rules, Storage Classification; Symbols a Explanation, S- and R-phtases b. Safety Labelling. Contains work safety explanation in distributing Chemical substances ‘c, Mixed Storage of Chemicals. Contains work safety explanation in chemical substance storage d. Periodic Table 1 LABORATORY.5. Signage. Emergency Equipment usually found in a Chemistry Laboratory ~ Emergency Showers | Eyewash Fountains "GLOBALLY. HARMONIZED SYSTEM (GHS) E y GHS refers to the “Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals” developed by the UN. Its goals are harmonized criteria for the classification for physical, health, and ecological hazards; harmonized communication with regard to hazardous substances labelling, material safety (dats 3t86t8) ffansport labelling of dangerous goods, occupational health and ~ safety, and consumer protection. This was implemented in 2010. 13New Pictograms: The Most Striking Feature of GHS Physical Hazards Cor Health Hazards k Skin Irritant/Acute e| 2) = Environmental Hazard Environment and Aquatic Hazard Don’t store flammable substances near oxidizers Creates Increases, Fire! Fire! The laboratory chemical hood is a ventilated enclosure that, protects you from being exposed to chemical fumes, gases, and aerosols that are generated. within the enclosure. Lee 3 Fume Hood EESTI eee yryen gra, ent monte. Suan proper parting pst ‘servic taps ‘fo ‘Storap eabiot. Fire Theory REMOVE one — you have no fire! er Fire Source fire, ames, static e vy = 15Fires of solid, organic materials (wood, pal Fire: Safety Evacuation procedures |. Goout toa place of safety! . Help the handicapped! . Don’t run or panic Don’t use elevators — WHY? }. Go to ground level into the open air! . Go to your assembly point! 6. Don’t return to the building unless ivg Safe alrea YoPwne Emergency Exits 1, The sign must be visible and clear. 2. Show the way to the closest exit, 3, Should be quipped with emergency lighting. 4. Never lock, 5. Free from bags and other equipment. 6. Directly connected to emergen in stairs, hay 16 EMISTRY. per, etc.) 7 esEmergency Call 1. Know the location of the emergency phone 2. Make an emergency call! 3. Give the Order of Information a. Where did the accident occur? b. What is your name? c: What happened? d. How many injured? 4, Before ending the call, make sure that the other person gets the te and accurate information. the nearest FIRST AID staff! »Sources of Danger Zepe : 1. Physically Dangerous. Laboratory equipment, apparatus, workspaces nd maintenance should be designed to facilitate safe and secure work 1s well as reduce risks and accidents. Emergency plan should be outlined _and implemented. 2.: Biologically Dangerous. Laboratories that house microorganisms or _materials contaminated are usually present in clinical and infectious disease with them. Proper handling should be observed. 3. Chemically Dangerous. No chemical substance is entirely safe, and all will result in some toxic effects if living systems are exposed to a large amount of the substance. Chemicals can be toxic or hazardous. Virtually every laboratory experiment generates some wastes and usually this could be hazardous. E 4. Hazard People. People who are stressed, bored, tired, taking medication .as health problems, poorly supervised, got wrong instruction or has r training. 7