مسؤوليات العاملين في المختبر

• Introduction
  • Laboratories are among the most dangerous work environments
  • Two million deaths occur annually due to work-related injuries and illnesses worldwide
  • This data is based on statistics available from the International Labor Organization
  • Economic costs due to compensations, lost work hours, production interruption, and medical expenses is around $1.250 billion
  • Lack of awareness of health and safety standards, or how to comply with them, or negligence leads to increased exposure to occupational injuries and diseases

Responsibilities of workers in laboratories

• Plan and implement each process according to the stipulated practices and procedures
• Use equipment only for its intended purpose
• Know the emergency procedures including the location and use of emergency equipment
• Identify the types of protective equipment available and the appropriate use for each type
• Be alert and anticipate unsafe conditions and procedures, so corrections can be made as soon as possible

The goals that we seek

• Be aware of the chemical hazards in your work field
• Work in the safest environment possible
• Have the ability to deal correctly with risks

Dealing with chemicals inside chemistry laboratories

• Classification of chemicals based on their types and severity
• How to handle chemicals correctly
• Proper storing for chemicals
• Dealing with gas cylinders

Chemicals are divided according to the degree of danger into these categories

• Toxic
• Corrosive
• Carcinogenic
• Flammable
• Oxidizing
• Combustible
• Radioactive Materials
• Explosive Materials

First: Dealing with toxic materials

• Refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
• Read the warnings on each container before use
• Keep the work area well ventilated
• Handle the substance in small quantities
• Disinfect contaminated clothing or dispose of it immediately
• Wash hands after use

Second: Corrosive substances

• They are substances that cause burns and wounds upon contact with the skin or eyes
• May harm the respiratory system when inhaled
• Liquid: Sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid
• Solid:
• Alkalis (sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate)
• Metals and their salts (sodium, antimony, and arsenic)
• Gaseous:
• Sulfur dioxide gas, chlorine and bromine gas, nitrogen oxides
• They are more harmful than liquid or solid corrosive substances, as they cause suffocation and inflammations in the respiratory system, and convulsions that lead to death

Third: Oxidizing Agents

• Substances that are not necessarily combustible by themselves, but, through releasing oxygen, can cause or assist in the combustion of other materials
• Store in very small quantities in the laboratory
• Organic oxidizing agents are among the most dangerous materials, as they are considered the third component of the fire triangle (fuel-heat-oxygen)

Fourth: Carcinogenic materials

• Any substance that causes or promotes cancer in the human body
• Some have a clear relationship to cancer while others cause cancer with prolonged exposure
• Division of materials based on their causation of cancer:
• The substance is carcinogenic if there is sufficient evidence from various studies and experiments all pointing to the same conclusion
• Materials are potentially carcinogenic when some studies indicate that a particular substance is carcinogenic without sufficient experiments and studies to confirm this

Organs affected by carcinogens

• Lungs
• Liver
• Kidney
• Skin
• Prevention:
• Avoid direct exposure (inhalation, touch)
• Adhere to the safety requirements for dealing with them

Fifth: Flammable Materials

• Has a high reactivity where explosions can occur with its reactions that may sometimes be destructive for facilities
• Solvents that evaporate quickly (ether, acetone, alcohols)
• Some types of gases (carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane - propane)
• Some liquid materials (toluene - organic acids)
• Some solid materials (salts of aromatic chemical substances such as benzene chloride)

Prevention of Flammable Chemical Hazards

• Turn off all sources of open flame ignition
• Do not transport flammable materials with explosive, toxic, or oxidizing materials
• Do not store flammable materials with acids
• Do not heat these materials on an open flame, but in a water bath

Sixth: Combustible materials

• These materials ignite at room temperature (fire triangle: fuel, heat, oxygen)
• Examples of highly flammable materials:
• Carbon disulfide
• Alcohol
• Benzene
• Ether
• Do not heat these liquids in an open container near a flame
• Must be heated in a water bath, reduce the amounts of these materials inside the laboratories
• Use in a well-ventilated environment

Method of storing combustible materials

• Store in a dark place away from the sun
• These materials are placed in sand moistened with water and in a thick layer of sodium carbonate
• The flasks are placed upright above this pad, spaced slightly apart, or placed on the lower shelf after lining it with moist sand

Seventh: Explosive materials

• These are materials that cause an explosion when exposed to shock, falling, flame or heating

• Examples of highly flammable substance above are:

• Peroxides of Ethers:

  • Ethers turn into ether peroxides in the presence of air and light and an explosion occurs when these oxides are evaporated, so dry ether must be kept away from air and light so that part of it does not turn into peroxide

• In general, peroxides such as acid peroxides are considered explosive materials, so caution should be exercised when using them

• Perchloric acid:

• This acid, with organic and inorganic compounds easily oxidized, causes an explosion

• This means that this acid must be used in the laboratory with extreme caution

• If this acid falls to the ground, it must be neutralized immediately using sodium carbonate and then washed with water

• Nitro Compounds

• Aromatic: These are unsaturated organic hydrocarbon compounds that share carbon in the benzene ring such as (dinitryl benzene-trinitro phenol-trinitro tuoluin)

• Non-aromatic:

  • Like (nitroglycerin-nitro glycol-nitrocellulose)

• Inorganic salts:

  • Such as Ammonium nitrate, so all nitrogen compounds must be stored away from flame or kept from exposure to sun or electrical sparks

Eighth: Radioactive materials

• Are materials that emit alpha, beta, gamma and neutron rays
• Care must be taken when handling these radioactive materials and the necessary measures must be taken to prevent radiation
• In laboratories, its examples include:
  • lodine
  • Phosphorus
  • Uranium
  • Others

Personal safety equipment

• Wear a coat
• Wear gloves
• Wear protective footwear
• Wear safety glasses
• Wear a breathing apparatus
• Wear a mask

Wrong practices in factories

• No smoking
• Do not use flame
• Do not eat, drinkor smoke
• Do not use the elevator in case of fire
• Unauthorized personnel not allowed
• Do not use water that is not safe for drinking
• Don't use your mobile devices

Emergency equipment

• Eye wash
• Emergency shower
• Drinking water
• Gathering point
• First air kit