Lab Safety(EVERYONE should read this)

BungHoleBungHole Regular
edited June 2012 in Tech & Games
You don't even need an explanation, it says "safety proceedures" in the forum description.

Although I believe safety procedures are usually specially tailored to the circumstances at hand, there are always basic guidelines you have to/should follow. When posting about any procedure, it would be quite admirable and beneficial to others if you thoroughly discuss the safety precautions and hazards involved with particular substances procedures, or equipment. Here, we will discuss the things you should probably always do no matter what.

Right now I'm not going to write out the thread OP. Yes, I'm a lazy procrastinator, but also because I'm gonna get pissed seeing my name on the first page so much(GODDAMNINTERNETCOMMUNISTREVOLUTION:mad: ). So yeah, I'm a master of the custodial arts. A janitor, if you want to be a dick about it. My job is to clean up messes here, not make them. You guys are responsible for producing the content.

Because of this, who ever can give the best reply regarding general lab safety before, well, however fucking long I decide, becomes the OP of this thread(how I'm going to do that, I don't know yet, but it shall be done).

Till then, I'm going to type out something from a lab manual I have. But that can wait a bit, give you guys a chance to post.

Comments

  • KatzenklavierKatzenklavier Regular
    edited July 2010
    Wear safety goggles.

    goggles.jpg
  • thewandererthewanderer Regular
    edited November 2010
    Work in progress. I'll continue to update with more detail later.

    Safety Equipment

    Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)- Accidents happen. Use PPE to try to minimize the damage resulting from these accidents. With proper PPE you can avoid the burns and blindness that could happen after you decide it's a good idea to pour water into that beaker of nitric acid.*
    *NOTE: It is not a good idea to pour water into that beaker of nitric acid.

    EYES: Splash goggles :cool:
    Also: Do not wear contacts when working with chemicals. Certain chemicals can fuse them to your eyes.
    sg34%20chemical%20splash%20goggles.jpg

    HANDS: Gloves. Use Playtex or Nitrile gloves.
    NITRILE%20GLOVES1.jpg

    FEET: Footwear that covers all areas of the feet. Don't wear sandals in a lab environment.

    CLOTHING: Clothing should cover your arms and legs. A lab coat doesnt hurt either.

    Other Equipment Worth Having

    FIRE EXTINGUISHER: Have an ABC fire extinguisher handy. Class D fire extinguisher for certain metals.
    fire_extinguisher_2.jpg

    MSDS SHEETS: Material Safety Data Sheets. It's always good to know what you're working with. Shows the properties and hazards associated with chemicals.

    Before the Experiment

    Know what you're working with: What are the hazards? What could go wrong? What will you do if something goes wrong?

    Wear the right PPE.

    Be aware of the location and how to use emergency equipment, such as showers, eyewash areas, and fire extinguishers.

    Know the proper way to dispose of chemicals.

    Identify a way to leave the lab and keep the route clear of obstacles.

    Check to make sure lab equipment is functioning properly before use.


    Good Work Habits

    Keep materials properly stored and labeled.

    Organization in general is a good practice in any lab environment. Don't have loose objects all over the place.

    Clean up spills as they happen.

    No food or drink in the lab. It's very easy to get poisoned from dust, fumes or liquids contaminating what you were about to eat.

    Chemical Incompatibilities

    Chemical Incompatibility Chart (copy/pasted from here )
    Mixing these chemicals purposely or as a result of a spill can result in heat, fire, explosion, and/or toxic gases. This is a partial list.



    Acetic Acid
    Chromic Acid, nitric acid, hydroxyl-containing compounds, ethylene glycol, perchloric acid, peroxides, and permanganates.
    Acetone Bromine, chlorine, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and hydrogen peroxide.
    Acetylene Bromine, chlorine, copper, mercury, fluorine, iodine, and silver.
    Alkaline and Alkaline Earth Metals such as calcium, lithium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, powdered aluminum Carbon dioxide, carbon tetrachloride and other chlorinated hydrocarbons, water, Bromine, chlorine, fluorine, and iodine. Do not use CO2, water or dry chemical extinguishers. Use Class D extinguisher (e.g., Met-L-X) or dry sand.
    Aluminum and its Alloys (especially powders) Acid or alkaline solutions, ammonium persulfate and water, chlorates, chlorinated compounds, nitrates, and organic compounds in nitrate/nitrate salt baths.
    Ammonia (anhydrous) Bromine, chlorine, calcium hypochlorite, hydrofluoric acid, iodine, mercury, and silver.
    Ammonium Nitrate Acids, metal powders, flammable liquids, chlorates, nitrates, sulfur and finely divided organics or other combustibles.
    Aniline Hydrogen peroxide or nitric acid.
    Bromine Acetone, acetylene, ammonia, benzene, butadiene, butane and other petroleum gases, hydrogen, finely divided metals, sodium carbide, turpentine.
    Calcium Oxide Water
    Carbon (activated) Calcium hypochlorite, all oxidizing agents.
    Caustic soda Acids (organic and inorganic).
    Chlorates or Perchlorates Acids, aluminum, ammonium salts, cyanides, phosphorous, metal powders, oxidizable organics or other combustibles, sugar, sulfides, and sulfur.
    Chlorine Acetone, acetylene, ammonia, benzene, butadiene, butane and other petroleum gases, hydrogen, finely divided metals, sodium carbide, turpentine.
    Chlorine Dioxide Ammonia, methane, phosphine, hydrogen sulfide.
    Chromic Acid Acetic acid, naphthalene, camphor, alcohol, glycerine, turpentine and other flammable liquids.
    Copper Acetylene, hydrogen peroxide.
    Cumene Hydroperoxide Acids
    Cyanides Acids
    Flammable Liquids Ammonium nitrate, chromic acid, hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, sodium peroxide, bromine, chlorine, fluorine, iodine.
    Fluorine Isolate from everything.
    Hydrazine Hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, and other oxiding agents.
    Hydrocarbons Bromine, chlorine, chromic acid, fluorine, hydrogen peroxide, and sodium peroxide.
    Hydrocyanic Acid Nitric acid, alkali.
    Hydrofluoric Acid Ammonia, aqueous or anhydrous.
    Hydrogen Peroxide (anhydrous) Chromium, copper, iron, most metals or their salts, aniline, any flammable liquids, combustible materials, nitromethane, and all other organic material.
    Hydrogen Sulfide Fuming nitric acid, oxidizing gases.
    Iodine Acetylene, ammonia (aqueous or anhydrous), hydrogen.
    Mercury Acetylene, alkali metals, ammonia, fulminic acid, nitric acid with ethanol, hydrogen, oxalic acid.
    Nitrates Combustible materials, esters, phosphorous, sodium acetate, stannous chloride, water, zinc powder.
    Nitric acid (concentrated) Acetic acid, acetone, alcohol, aniline, chromic acid, flammable gases and liquids, hydrocyanic acid, hydrogen sulfide and nitratable substances.
    Nitrites Potassium or sodium cyanide.
    Nitroparaffins Inorganic bases, amines.
    Oxalic acid Silver, mercury, and their salts.
    Oxygen (liquid or enriched air) Flammable gases, liquids, or solids such as acetone, acetylene, grease, hydrogen, oils, phosphorous.
    Perchloric Acid Acetic anhydride, alcohols, bismuth and its alloys, paper, wood, grease, oils or any organic materials and reducing agents.
    Peroxides (organic) Acid (inorganic or organic). Also avoid friction and store cold.
    Phosphorus (white) Air, oxygen.
    Phosphorus pentoxide Alcohols, strong bases, water.
    Potassium Air (moisture and/or oxygen) or water, carbon tetrachloride, carbon dioxide.
    Potassium Chlorate Sulfuric and other acids.
    Potassium Perchlorate Acids.
    Potassium Permanganate Benzaldehyde, ethylene glycol, glycerol, sulfuric acid.
    Silver and silver salts Acetylene, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, fulminic acid, ammonium compounds.
    Sodium See Alkali Metals
    Sodium Chlorate Acids, ammonium salts, oxidizable materials and sulfur.
    Sodium Nitrite Ammonia compounds, ammonium nitrate, or other ammonium salts.
    Sodium Peroxide Any oxidizable substances, such as ethanol, methanol, glacial acetic acid, acetic anhydride, benzaldehyde, carbon disulfide, glycerol, ethylene glycol, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, furfural, etc.
    Sulfides Acids.
    Sulfur Any oxidizing materials.
    Sulfuric Acid Chlorates, perchlorates, permanganates, compounds with light metals such as sodium, lithium, and potassium.
    Water Acetyl chloride, alkaline and alkaline earth metals, their hydrides and oxides, barium peroxide, carbides, chromic acid, phosphorous oxychloride, phosphorous pentachloride, phosphorous pentoxide, sulfuric acid, sulfur trioxide.
  • cry0cry0 Regular
    edited June 2012
    I have a story for everybody to kinda put lab safety into perspective. You know the story about Carol, this almost went the same way (If you don't know the story of Carol, google Carol Safety Goggles and come back when you get it). I run a small bath products manufacturing company now, and one product is lye soap. No, I'm not Tyler Durden, so don't ask about fight club. Well, I wore safety goggles MOST of the time, but sometimes I just wanted to get the batch done and move on. I pour the Lye into the Water (That is another safety tip... Lye into water NEVER water into lye.) but decided to use already warm water to make the lye mix faster (You know, warm solutions carry more solutes). It boiled over and popped me square in the eye. You know that feeling as a kid when you wash your hair and get soap in your eye and it's about the worst burn you have ever felt? Well it was nothing like that. It was more like plunging a red hot fire poker through your eye and holding it there while listening to Justin Beiber's Baby on repeat. Luckily, I did one smart thing, and had a bottle of vinegar in arms reach. Picked it up and poured straight into my eye. What words can I express how relieving that was... it was like taking that red hot poker back out of my eye and filling the hole with salt. Yeah, it was about that refreshing. Then, as any good chemist knows, the lye and the vinegar will react to form.... salt. Yes, so on top of the excruciating experience, you are forced to salt your own wound. And this wasn't even a tricky chemical process, just mixing lye, water, and oil to make fucking soap. It took me a month to be able to open that eye. So before you take shortcuts with safety in chemistry, do yourself a favor and bludgeon the back of your head with a ball peen hammer. Trust me, it's a lot less painful.
  • DfgDfg Admin
    edited June 2012
    cry0 wrote: »
    I have a story for everybody to kinda put lab safety into perspective. You know the story about Carol, this almost went the same way (If you don't know the story of Carol, google Carol Safety Goggles and come back when you get it). I run a small bath products manufacturing company now, and one product is lye soap. No, I'm not Tyler Durden, so don't ask about fight club. Well, I wore safety goggles MOST of the time, but sometimes I just wanted to get the batch done and move on. I pour the Lye into the Water (That is another safety tip... Lye into water NEVER water into lye.) but decided to use already warm water to make the lye mix faster (You know, warm solutions carry more solutes). It boiled over and popped me square in the eye. You know that feeling as a kid when you wash your hair and get soap in your eye and it's about the worst burn you have ever felt? Well it was nothing like that. It was more like plunging a red hot fire poker through your eye and holding it there while listening to Justin Beiber's Baby on repeat. Luckily, I did one smart thing, and had a bottle of vinegar in arms reach. Picked it up and poured straight into my eye. What words can I express how relieving that was... it was like taking that red hot poker back out of my eye and filling the hole with salt. Yeah, it was about that refreshing. Then, as any good chemist knows, the lye and the vinegar will react to form.... salt. Yes, so on top of the excruciating experience, you are forced to salt your own wound. And this wasn't even a tricky chemical process, just mixing lye, water, and oil to make fucking soap. It took me a month to be able to open that eye. So before you take shortcuts with safety in chemistry, do yourself a favor and bludgeon the back of your head with a ball peen hammer. Trust me, it's a lot less painful.

    I guess I should get some goggles before working with battery acid then. Oh and you're free to advertise your company here. I would love to help you promote it.
  • RemadERemadE Global Moderator
    edited June 2012
    Awesome thread. I had Tordek lecture me on the phone as I burnt a hole in my Dad's custom kitchen floor with MgO for a thermite test. Had no safety gear on either as I was in a manic episode with no thought for anyone's safety...

    Edit: Just bought some goggles with a free respirator. I have an S-10 gas mask but I love it too much to put it through torture.
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