Laboratory Safety Equipment CHAPTER 3 Laboratory Safety Equipment

A critical aspect of working safely with hazardous materials is the proper selection and use of different safety equipments such as Personal Protective Equipments (PPE), fire safety equipments and fume hoods. All safety equipments should be carefully selected to ensure that it is appropriate for the hazards present and that the users will be able to perform their.

Personal Protective Equipments PPE PPE is designed to protect students and any person doing laboratory work from serious injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical, or other workplace hazards.

Eye and Face Protection The major types of accidents that cause blindness inside a laboratory include: - Objects striking the eye; Contact with chemicals and other hazardous materials Viewing radiant energy sources such as lasers. Safety Glasses Safety glasses look very much like normal glasses buy have lenses that are impact resistant and frames that are far stronger than regular glasses. Safety glasses do not provide adequate protection from significant chemical splashes.

Eye and Face Protection Chemical Splash Goggles Chemical Splash Goggles should be worn when there is potential for splash from a hazardous material. Face Shields Face shields are in order when working with large volumes of hazardous materials, either for protection from splash to the face or flying particles. Face shields must be used in conjunction with safety glasses or goggles 5

Body Protection In the lab, you need to protect your body by wearing appropriate protective clothing that resists physical and chemical hazards. plastic or rubber aprons Lab coats

Hand Protection Hands must be protected from coming into contact with caustic or toxic chemicals, biological substances, electrical sources, or extremely cold or hot objects can irritate or burn your hands. When handling chemicals, it is recommended that the correct gloves be used to protect the worker from accidental spills or contamination. If the gloves become contaminated they should be removed and discarded as soon as possible. There is no glove currently available that will protect a worker against all chemicals 7

Hand protection start with good hygiene includes hand washing When working with chemicals with high acute toxicity, working with corrosives in high concentrations, handling chemicals for extended periods of time or immersing all or part of a hand into a chemical, the appropriate glove material should be selected, based on chemical compatibility.

Hand Protection 9

For handling hot objects, gloves made of heat-resistant materials (leather or Nomex) should be available and kept near the vicinity of ovens or muffle furnaces. A hot object should never be picked up with rubber or plastic gloves. Special insulated gloves should be worn when handling very cold objects such as liquid N2 or CO2. Do not use asbestos containing gloves

Foot Protection Closed-toed shoes should be worn at all times in buildings where chemicals are stored or used. Perforated shoes, sandals or cloth sneakers should not be worn in laboratories or where mechanical work is conducted. Such shoes offer no barrier between the laboratory worker and chemicals or broken glass. Chemical resistant overshoes or boots may be used to avoid possible exposure to corrosive chemical or large quantities of solvents or water that might penetrate normal footwear (e.g., during spill cleanup). Leather shoes tend to absorb chemicals and may have to be discarded if contaminated with a hazardous material. 11

Respiratory Protection Workers should use respirators for protection from contaminants in the air only if other hazard control methods are not practical or possible under the circumstances. Respiratory hazards can include airborne contaminants such as dusts, mists, fumes, and gases, or oxygen-deficient atmospheres. Well designed and maintained engineering controls are the preferred methods of controlling worker exposure to hazardous contaminants in the air. These control methods include: mechanical ventilation isolation of the process or work equipment proper control and use of process equipment process modifications including substitution of less hazardous materials where possible. 12

Hearing Protection The most common noisy equipment in the laboratories is ultrasonicators, but most laboratory equipment and operations do not produce noise levels that require the use of hearing protection. Hearing protectors reduce the noise exposure level and the risk of hearing loss. Using hearing protection, such as earplugs, earmuffs or hearing bands, can improve communication or provide comfort to you in a noisy environment. 13

Head Protection Generally, in regular laboratories, there is no need for head protection, but if you are doing any work and you are at the risk of head injury, wear an appropriate head protection. 14

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Eyewash Stations and Safety Showers Eyewashes and safety showers are used to protect an employee from injury in case of contact with hazardous chemicals, chemical compounds or fire. The four basic ways these safety systems are used include: 15

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Fire Safety and Fire Extinguishers Fire is the most common serious hazard that you could faces in a typical chemistry laboratory. While proper procedure and training can minimize the chances of an accidental fire, you must still be prepared to deal with a fire emergency. If your clothing is on fire (and the floor is not), use the SDR technique (STOP, DROP and ROLL) on the ground to extinguish the flames. If you are within a few feet of a safety shower or fire blanket, you can use these instead, but do not try to make it "just down the hall" if you are on fire. If one of your coworkers catches fire and runs down the hallway in panic, tackle them and extinguish their clothing. 16

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations The Fire Triangle Oxygen, heat, and fuel are frequently referred to as the "fire triangle“. Add in the fourth element, the chemical reaction, and you actually have a fire "tetrahedron." The important thing to remember is: take any of these four things away, and you will not have a fire or the fire will be extinguished. Essentially, fire extinguishers put out fire by taking away one or more elements of the fire triangle/tetrahedron. Fire safety, at its most basic, is based upon the principle of keeping fuel sources and ignition sources separate. 17

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Classification of Fuels Class A Wood, paper, cloth, trash, plastics Solid combustible materials that are not metals. Class B Flammable liquids: gasoline, oil, grease, acetone Any non-metal in a liquid state, on fire. Class C Electrical: energized electrical equipment As long as it's "plugged in," it would be considered a class C fire. D Class D Metals: potassium, sodium, aluminum, magnesium 18

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Types of Fire Extinguishers 1- Air-Pressurized Water Extinguishers APWs are large, silver extinguishers which are filled about two-thirds of the way with ordinary tap water, then pressurized with normal air. In essence, an APW is just a giant squirt gun. They are designed for Class A (wood, paper, cloth) fires only. Never use water to extinguish flammable liquid fires, and you may, in fact, spread the fire if you try to use water on it. Never use water to extinguish an electrical fire, as water is a good conductor . 20

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Types of Fire Extinguishers 2- Carbon Dioxide Extinguishers Carbon Dioxide extinguishers are filled with non-flammable carbon dioxide gas under extreme pressure. CO2s are designed for Class B and C (flammable liquid and electrical) fires only Carbon dioxide extinguishes work by displacing oxygen, or taking away the oxygen element of the fire triangle. The carbon dioxide is also very cold as it comes out of the extinguisher, so it cools the fuel as well. 21

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Types of Fire Extinguishers 3- Dry Chemical Extinguishers Dry Chemical Extinguishers come in a variety of types "DC", short for "dry chemical", "ABC" indicating that they are designed to extinguish class A,B,and C fires, "BC" indicating that they are designed to extinguish class B and C fires. Usually, "ABC" fire extinguishers are filled with a fine yellow powder. The greatest portion of this powder is composed of monoammonium phosphate. Nitrogen is used to pressurize the extinguishers. 22

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Rules for Fighting Fires When a fire is discovered: 1- SOUND THE ALARM.   If there is no alarm in the building, warn the other occupants by knocking on doors and shouting as you leave. 2- LEAVE THE BUILDING. 3- CALL THE SAFETY AND FIRE DEPARTMENT Total and immediate evacuation is safest. Only use a fire extinguisher if the fire is very small and you know how to do it safely. If you can't put out the fire, leave immediately. Make sure the fire department is called -- even if you think the fire is out. 24

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations How to use a fire Extinguisher NEVER FIGHT A FIRE IF: 1- If you don't know what is burning, you don't know what type of extinguisher to use. 2- The fire is spreading rapidly beyond the spot where it started. 3- Your instincts tell you not to. 4- Always position yourself with an exit or means of escape at your back before you attempt to use an extinguisher to put out a fire. 25

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Rules for Fighting Fires Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Sweep. 26

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Common mistakes when putting off fires with fire extinguishers: 1- Standing against the air current, which decrease the fire extinguisher efficiency and expose you to heat and smoke. 2- Fail to direct the fire extinguishing material to the base of the fire. 3- Start using the fire extinguisher at a distance which is far away from the fire. 4- Not being sure that the fire is finished completely, which make a chance for the fire to start again. 28

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Fire Blanket A fire blanket is designed to smother a fire by cutting off its oxygen supply. With no oxygen to feed it, the flames will die. Fire blankets were once used to smother fire on humans, but not so much any more. A fire blanket is now more appropriate for smothering equipment fires, such as computers. A fire extinguisher would completely trash a computer if used. A fire blanket might salvage some computer parts. 29

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations Fume Hood The laboratory fume hood is a type of local exhaust ventilation system (engineering control). A typical fume hood is a cabinet with a moveable front sash (window) made out of safety glass. There are special fume hoods for perchloric acid and radioisotopes as well as biological samples.

Fume Hood Fume hood accessories Some types of laboratory service can be installed in the fume hood such as Nitrogen gas, hot and cold water, sink, electricity, lighting, vacuum and distilled water. The air flow alarm is the important feature of the fume hoods. It measures the velocity of air coming into a fume hood, checking that fume hoods have adequate containment and ventilation.

Fume Hood Why do we use a fume-hood? A Chemical fume hood is one of the most reliable engineering controls in the laboratory if we used properly. They protect workers by: • Containing vapors, dusts, gases, and fumes generated within the hood, and removing them as air flows into the hood and then out via the laboratory exhaust system. • Contributing to laboratory ventilation as air flows through the hood. • Shielding the worker with a clear sliding window, called a sash, that contains aerosols and prevents injury from splashes, fires, or minor explosions that may occur inside the hood.

DO NOT place your face or head inside the hood DO NOT place your face or head inside the hood. Keep hands out as much as possible.   • DO NOT use a fume hood as a storage area, they should contain only working volumes of chemicals. • DO NOT use fume hoods to vent or dispose of hazardous materials through air dilution. • DO NOT overcrowd or clutter the fume hood.

• Always keep work at least 15cm in from the opening of the fume hood.   • Use the sash as a safety shield when boiling materials or conducting an experiment with reactive chemicals. Always keep sash as low as possible. • When the fume hood is not in use, ensure that all materials are in sealed containers. • Connect all electrical devices outside of the hood to avoid sparks which may ignite a flammable or explosive chemical For long term experiments fill out the overnight/ unattended experiment form and post on sash of fume-hood.

Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations. summary Personal Protective Equipments. Laboratory Safety Emergency Stations. Fume hood.

Interesting link to watch PPE http://www.lessonpaths.com/learn/i/personal-protective-equipment/personal-protective-equipment The fire at lab http://www.lessonpaths.com/mobile/i/the-fair-in-laboratory/fire-in-laboratory