Safety in Laboratories

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Safety in Laboratories

• Department of Chemical Engineering
• University of Sydney

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Safety is compulsory

• NSW Occupational Health and Safety Act 1983
• Occupational Health and Safety (Hazardous
  Substances) Regulation 1996
• Penalty for breach
• 550 000 for a corporation
• 55 000 for an individual

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Locations

• Corridors and stairs
• (Emergency) Exits
• (Emergency) Telephones
• Fire extinguishers
• Fire alarms
• Evacuation assembly point

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Telephone numbers (935-)

• Security (emergency) 1 3333
• Security (non-emergency) 1 3488
• Fire, police, ambulance 0 000
• Chemical Engineering administration office
  1 2455

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In an emergency

• Keep calm
• Tell someone about it the Floor Wardens, fellow
  Workers, your Supervisor, others in the area
• Call the Security Emergency Centre (1 3333)
  and/or Police/Fire Brigade/Ambulance (0 000)
• Be ready to describe where you are and what is
  wrong (fire, medical or criminal)
• Leave the building if the type of emergency
  warrants it, or if directed by Wardens/Security
• Go to your assembly point

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Forms

• Occupational injury, illness or incident report
• Request for disposal of hazardous waste
• Laboratory work permit
• Permit to operate unattended equipment

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Laboratory hazards

1. Biological, e.g. pathogenic micro-organisms,
   biological tissues, animals
2. Chemical, e.g. corrosives, flammables, toxics
3. Physical, e.g. noise, radiation
4. Electrical/mechanical, e.g. high voltage
   apparatus, machinery with moving parts
5. Psychological, e.g. emotional stress

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Industrial hazards

• extremes of temperature
• extremes of pressure
• noise
• machinery
• dangerous materials
• slips, trips and falls
• over exertion
• fire and explosion
• electricity
• hostile environments
• systems of work

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Laboratory organization

• Tidy workplaces
• Moving parts
• Electrical safety
• Physical containment
• Protective equipment
• Separate storage areas for different classes of
  dangerous goods

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Dangerous goods classes

1. Explosives
2. Compressed gases
3. Flammable liquids
4. Flammable solids and reactive substances
5. Oxidizing agents
6. Toxic and infectious substances
7. Radioactive substances
8. Corrosive substances

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Safe handling of chemicals

• Order through
• your supervisor
• Safety Officer
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
• Labeling

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MSDS

• Identification codes
• Health hazards
• Precautions
• Protective equipment
• Emergency
• First aid
• Safe handling
• Physical and chemical properties

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Chem Alert II

• MSDS may be downloaded from the University Risk
  Management Office website Chem Alert II
• http//www.usyd.edu.au/su/ohs/haz-subs/chemalert.
  html

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Labeling
Staining solution Methanol 5 v/v Acetic
acid 7 v/v Water 88 v/v Your
Name Date/Month/Year
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Waste disposal

• Wastes should be segregated
• Non-hazardous waste
• Hazardous waste
• Hazardous waste should be segregated
• Store in an approved dangerous goods container
  available
• Label the container

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Mercury spillage

• Contain the area of the spill
• Pick-up droplets using pasteur pipette,
  eye-dropper, suction bottle, or strips of
  adhesive tape, avoiding skin contact
• Sprinkle sulphur powder or proprietry products
  like Mercurisorb, HgX on contaminated area, using
  at least twice as much powder as volume of spill
• Leave for 24 hours
• Use sodium thiosulphate (photographic fixer)
  solution to further decontaminate area once
  mercury has been collected
• Place mercury and other agents in a container and
  deliver to safety officer

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Smoking prohibited

• Smoking is completely banned in University
  occupied buildings and University owned vehicles

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Department of Chemical Engineering safety policies

• This may be accessed from the Department of
  Chemical Engineering homepage
• http//www.chem.eng.usyd.edu.au/ourdept_index.htm
  

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University of Sydney safety policies

• Guidelines on laboratory safety
• http//www.usyd.edu.au/su/ohs/labsafety.html
• Guidelines for working with hazardous substances
• http//www.usyd.edu.au/su/ohs/haz-subs/hazsubs1.h
  tml
• Clinical and related wastes Guidelines for
  management
• http//www.usyd.edu.au/su/ohs/clnwaste.html
• Guidelines for hazardous waste disposal
• http//www.usyd.edu.au/su/ohs/hazwaste.html
• Decontamination and disposal of biological wastes
• http//www.usyd.edu.au/su/ohs/course-notes/biosaf
  ety/decontamination.html

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Occupational Health and Safety

• University of Sydney Occupational Health and
  Safety Policy
• http//www.usyd.edu.au/su/ohs/policy/policy.html
• The Risk Management Office maintains a manual
• http//www.usyd.edu.au/su/ohs/ohsindex.html

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Australian Standard 2243 Safety in laboratories

• AS 2243. 1 - 1997 General
• AS 2243. 2 - 1997 Chemical aspects
• AS 2243. 3 - 1995 Microbiology
• AS 2243. 4 - 1998 Ionizing radiations
• AS 2243. 5 - 1993 Non-ionizing radiations
• AS 2243. 6 - 1990 Mechanical aspects
• AS 2243. 7 - 1991 Electrical aspects
• AS 2243. 8 - 1992 Fume cupboards
• AS 2243. 9 - 1991 Recirculating fume cabinets
• AS 2243.10 - 1993 Storage of chemicals

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Security

• Front door and back gate remain closed at all
  times
• Never leave the building alone after hours
• Ask identification of strangers
• Never leave valuables unattended
• Security bus available after hours

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Security bus route