Safety precautions regarding handling of medical laboratory chemicals.

1. Chemical Safety
All chemicals should be regarded as dangerous
Safety is Everyone's responsibility
Dr.CSBR.Prasad, MD.,
Sri Devaraj Urs Medical College,
Kolar-563101, Karnataka, INDIA.

2. Objectives
At the end of the presentations the attendee shall be able to
• Understand the importance of MSDS
• Interpret the chemical labels
• Enumerate the Physical Hazards
• Enumerate the Health Hazards
• Understand and implement methods of self Protection while dealing
with chemicals

3. Hazards in the laboratory fall into three
general categories
• Equipment
• Gases
• Chemicals

4. Majority of problems, incidents and violations in
the laboratory are the result of haste
Awareness of the following will avert the major problems:
• Past happenings in laboratories
• Basic chemical knowledge
• The properties of individual chemicals and
• Common sense
Primary responsibility for safety rests with the individual

5. Majority of problems, incidents and violations in
the laboratory are the result of haste
• Haste, however, makes waste, as the old saying goes
• Working under such conditions, you can waste your samples, waste
time and money, get crummy results, break things, and endanger
yourself and others by being careless
• If you do not have time to do things correctly and safely, with
adequate time for thought, please stay away from the laboratory

6. MSDS (OSHA and ANSI)
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) provide pertinent information to
employees about hazardous materials and chemicals in the workplace
MSDSs are important sources of chemical information in areas such as:
• Manufacturer information
• Chemical synonyms
• Physical and/or Chemical Health Hazards
• Spill Response
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
MSDSs be readily available in the work areas where potentially hazardous
chemicals are used
Note: MSDS is analogous to the manual of an instrument/equipment
Isopropyl alcohol Other names
2-Propanol
Isopropanol
Rubbing alcohol
sec-Propyl alcohol
s-Propanol
iPrOH
Dimethyl carbinol
IPA

7. MSDS example

8. MSDS example

9. Laboratory Chemicals
• Irritants - Slight inflammation or other discomfort to the body
• Sensitizers - Severe skin and/or respiratory responses
• Corrosives - Burns
• Toxins - Effect Liver (Hepatotoxin), Kidney (Nephrotoxin), , and
Nervous system (Neurotoxin)
• Mutagens – Damages Genetic material in cells
• Carcinogens - Cancer-causing agents
• Teratogens – Cause Birth Defect

10. Segregate chemicals
• Flammable
• Corrosive
• Toxic
• Carcinogen
• Compressed Gases
• Poisons

12. General Safety Awareness
• Work in isolation shall be avoided in a laboratory - second person
should be within call
• Segregate chemicals by compatibility groups for storage
• Note storage conditions and adhere to them
Ex: Hydrogen Peroxide decomposes slowly by release of gas – so store
in dark containers
• Label all storage areas, appropriately, and keep all chemicals in
properly labelled containers

24. Health Hazard

25. Globally Harmonized
System of Classification and
Labeling of Chemicals (GHS)

26. Health hazard
• Toxicity is the relative degree to which a chemical is harmful
• It is critical that all employees who may work with hazardous
chemicals understand the basic principles of toxicology and learn to
recognize the major classes of potentially harmful chemicals

31. General precautions
• Label all storage areas appropriately
• Keep all chemicals in properly labelled containers
• Date all chemical bottles when received and when opened
• Note expiry dates on chemicals
• Note storage conditions and adhere to them
• Familiarize yourself with the appropriate protective
measures when exposed chemicals

32. Labelling

33. General precautions
• Post warning signs for unusual hazards such as flammable materials
no naked flames or other special problems
• Pour more concentrated solutions into less concentrated solutions to
avoid violent reactions (i.e. add acid to water, not water to acid)
• Avoid distracting other worker
• Position and secure apparatus used for chemical reactions in order to
permit manipulation without moving the apparatus until the entire
reaction is complete

34. General precautions

35. General precautions
• All unsafe conditions and unsafe acts by fellow workers, which are
likely to cause an accident, should be reported
• Safety carriers should be used for transporting glass or plastic
containers with a capacity of two litres or greater
• Incompatible chemicals should never be transported together. They
should be transported in separate carriers

36. Personal Safety
• Always use extracted wet benches for chemical work
• Always wear safety glasses or goggles at all times in the lab
• Always wear laboratory coat/apron in the laboratory
• Appropriate gloves should be worn as needed
• Appropriate shoes should be worn in the laboratory
• Wear breathing mask as and when appropriate

38. Hand Protection
• Always wear protective gloves in the laboratory specially when
handling chemicals
• Before use, check to make sure the gloves are in good condition and
free from holes, punctures, and tears

39. Foot Protection
• Foot protection is designed to prevent injury from corrosive
chemicals, heavy objects, electrical shock, as well as giving traction on
wet floors
• Please wear sturdy shoes that cover the foot completely. These will
provide the best protection.
• Avoid shoes that expose feet in any way

40. Personal Hygiene
• Wash hands before leaving the laboratory
• Never mouth suck anything in a pipette in the laboratory
• No food or drink is allowed in laboratories or areas where
chemicals are used or stored
• No food should be stored in a laboratory refrigerator
• Never eat or drink from the laboratory glassware
• Keep exposed skin covered in the laboratory

41. No food or drink is allowed in laboratories
Never eat or drink from the laboratory glassware

43. Fire Prevention
• Aware yourself of ignition sources in the laboratory and service areas (open flames,
heat, electrical equipment)
• Purchase chemicals in quantities that will be used in not distant future
• Always store flammable liquids in appropriate cabinets
• Do not store incompatible reagents together (e.g., acids with organic solvents)
• Do not store ethers or similar chemicals for extended periods of time as explosive
peroxides could form
• Make sure that all electrical cords are in good condition and all electrical outlets are
earthed
• Remain out of the area of a fire or incident if you are not in a position to help
• Familiarize yourself with siting and condition of fire extinguishers. Broken seals mean fire
extinguisher has been used and need be recharged
• Do not use fire extinguishers unless you are trained and feel confident to do so

44. Other general measures
• Keep the laboratory floor dry at all times
• Attend to spills immediately and notify other lab workers of
potential slipping hazards
• Only authorized personnel should do maintenance work on
laboratory equipment
• Sink traps should be flushed with water on a regular basis to
prevent the release of chemical odors in the laboratory

45. PROTECTION
• Product Substitution with less or non hazardous materials
• Engineering Controls such as chemical fume hoods or enclosures
• Safe Work Practices such as proper chemical storage
• Personal Protective Equipment such as respirators, aprons, and eye
protection
• Training and Communication in safe work practices
• Environmental Monitoring around chemical handling operations
• Personal Monitoring for employees that work with chemicals
Chemical Safety is a Shared Responsibility

46. Use safety hood when dealing with chemical
fumes

47. Poor Storage

48. The hot oil in, say, pakoras, facilitates the seeping of chemicals from ink and paper
into the food. The newspaper ink contains many hazardous chemicals which can
trigger serious health problems.

49. E N D