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Picture this: It's your first day ever working in the lab. Excited, you start working on your experiment. Tragedy strikes when you accidentally knock over an Erlenmeyer flask and get a dangerous chemical on your arm. After a long trip to the ER, you might ask yourself: could I have prevented this? The answer is yes. Today we will be learning…
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Jetzt kostenlos anmeldenPicture this: It's your first day ever working in the lab. Excited, you start working on your experiment. Tragedy strikes when you accidentally knock over an Erlenmeyer flask and get a dangerous chemical on your arm. After a long trip to the ER, you might ask yourself: could I have prevented this? The answer is yes.
Today we will be learning all about lab safety, so you can be properly protected while in the lab (and not have to visit any emergency rooms).
When reading the intro, you may have thought to yourself, "Well, I'm not going to be working with anything that dangerous". While that may be true, keeping yourself safe is a top priority. Accidents in the lab could lead to serious injury or even death!
While not every experiment runs the risk of having a brush with death, it is always a good idea to keep your safety in mind. Knowing the best practices and keeping to them is never a bad thing, and can protect you when things get a bit more dangerous.
As I just mentioned, there are plenty of different hazards that you can run across in that lab, such as:
1. Fire/Explosions
In a lab, you should treat all chemicals and liquids as if they were as dangerous as gasoline. Vapors can travel a long way, and if they reach a flame or spark, they can catch fire. Make sure you have a fire extinguisher on hand and that everyone in the lab knows where it is. This will stop fires from spreading. Personal protective equipment (PPE) like a lab coat that is resistant to flames should also be worn.
2. Burns from heat and chemicals
Both organic and inorganic chemicals can be flammable or hurt your skin and eyes. To avoid spills and splashes, it's important to be careful with chemicals. Also, the right PPE should always be worn, such as lab coats that protect against both fire and chemical splashes (CP).
3. Chemicals Getting Through the Skin
In order to keep the lab safe, chemicals should never come in direct contact with the skin. Even if a chemical is not corrosive, getting it on your skin can cause allergic reactions or other problems.
Remember that some chemical reagents can get through gloves even if they don't look worn. If you've used gloves that have come in contact with such chemicals, get a new pair right away. Don't touch your face or eyes until all chemicals or solvents are gone from your hands. Wear a lab coat as an extra safety measure to keep chemicals from getting to you through the fabric.
4. Breathing in Dangerous Fumes
If you breathe in many common solvents, they are very dangerous, and breathing in certain chemicals can severely irritate the membranes in your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. To lower these risks, you should never let excess solvents evaporate.
When pouring chemicals, lab workers should use a fume hood if possible, while also keeping a safe distance.
5. Cuts and Scrapes
One of the most common types of accidents in the lab is cuts to the skin. In the worst cases, nerves and tendons can be cut. Most of the time, these accidents happen when someone tries to force a cork or rubber stopper into a glass tube, thermometer, or distilling flask. To avoid this accident, you should make a hole that is the right size, grease the cork or stopper, and apply light pressure while rotating the glass part.
When in the lab, you should always wear your personal protection equipment (PPE). These supplies are designed to keep you safe from any harmful chemicals you may be working with
1. Eyes protection:
Chemicals or other things in the lab can easily hurt your eyes, so you should always wear eye protection. Safety glasses or goggles must be worn.
Even if you wear glasses, you must wear safety glasses/goggles. Safety glasses/goggles must meet a higher standard for protection, so they can protect you from hazards that your normal glasses cannot
2. Lab coat:
The lab coat is meant to keep your clothes and skin safe. This is because nearby chemicals could splash. You can also wear an apron on top to protect yourself even more from chemicals that can burn or irritate your skin.
Not all labs may require you to wear a lab coat, so you should always wear clothes that cover the skin. This also means wearing closed-toed shoes, so no flip-flops!
3. Gloves:
When working with chemicals that could hurt you, it's important to wear protective gloves to avoid getting hurt. Make sure the gloves are in good shape and don't have any holes, rips, or tears.
The main purpose of these supplies is to prevent you from coming into direct contact with a harsh chemical. If you do come into contact with something hazardous, you may need to use an eyewash station or safety shower, which we will discuss in the next section.
There are four main pieces of equipment designed to keep you safe in the lab, these are:
Each piece of equipment has its own dedicated area in the lab. Make sure you know where each is located.
Eyewash station
In case of an emergency, laboratory eyewash stations can be used to flush chemicals out of your eyes. To use an eyewash station, rest your eyes on the two spouts, then turn on the water. You should keep your eyes open and on the eyewash station for at least 15 minutes so the harmful chemicals are completely flushed out.
Fire extinguisher
Your lab should also have a fire extinguisher handy in case of a fire. To use a fire extinguisher, you should follow PASS:
P: Pull the pin at the top of the extinguisher
A: Aim the nozzle at the fire while keeping a safe distance
S: Squeeze the handle to release the extinguishing agent
S: Sweep the nozzle from left to right while aiming at the base of the fire. Continue until the fire has been extinguished
Safety shower stations
Lastly, every lab should contain a safety shower
Safety showers are designed to wash away any harmful skin irritants. The length of the shower depends on the nature of the hazard:
Mild irritant: 5 minutes
Moderate to severe irritants: 15-20 minutes
Corrosive materials: 30 minutes
Strong bases: 60 minutes
Safety showers also have a detachable hose, so only certain parts of the body are rinsed.
It is also common to have the eyewash station attached to the safety shower, as shown in the image above.
Fume hoods
Unlike the other pieces of equipment on this list, fume hoods are designed to prevent accidents, not treat them.
When performing experiments, it is best to do them under a fume hood. Fume hoods have a ventilation system that filters the air inside of them, to prevent the user from inhaling any harsh chemicals.
When working with chemicals, you may see a diamond with some numbers and maybe lettering. This diamond is called the NFPA hazard diamond (or NFPA 704), which gives you hazard information about the chemical.
Below is a breakdown of what these codes mean:
It's very important to watch out for these codes since they tell us how hazardous a chemical may be. For example, if a chemical has a 4 reactivity code, you should use the chemical with extreme caution, as it is explosive.
There are many hazards in the lab. For example, some chemicals are severe skin irritants and can cause chemical burns. Following lab safety guidelines can protect your from injury.
Following lab safety protocols not only protects you, but also any else working in the lab.
Safety goggles protect your eyes from chemical irritants.
Safety goggles should be worn at all times and not taken off until leaving the lab.
Safety showers are often located in the back of a lab. For specific locations, you should always ask your teacher or supervisor.
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