mfety in the chemkal loboratory
edited by
MALCOLM M. RENFREW University 01 ldaho MOSCOW, Idaho 83843
Chemical Safety and Emergency Response in Small Robelt C. Pfaff University of Nebraska at Omaha. Omaha, NE 68182
Much has been written regarding safet. and emergency response in the industria and R & D settings (1-3). To be sure, t h safety hazards of schools with large researcl programs closely resemble those of corpa rate research facilities and, in f a d , sue1 schools often have more complex safet. needs due to the variety in their projects However. there is a serious deficienev in th, kind and amount of infurmation focused 01 the safety requirements of secondar: s c h ~ a l and r of colleges and unis,ersitier will undergraduate instruction as their primar: mission (4).
The Need for a Safety Program
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The maioritv of information onhlished i roncerned w ~ t harpectsof safety in perform ing sperific laboratury operations and wrtl
handling specific chemicals (5). Certainly, the single most effective tool for maintaining laboratory safety is a structured safety program. Such a program addresses not only the specific procedural steps t o be followed but also presents a strong philosophical statement on the institution's and the department's efforts in the area of safety (68). .A conrisely stated sairty policy alfercs all levels ot personnel. I t should serve as guidance for the nontechnical staff, gking general policies and specific instructions to storeroom workers and t o the purchasing and receiving offices. Such a policy should begin the process of training students (and, perhap;, our colleagues) & the maintenance of laboratow ssfetv. I t should also eive maintenance, security. fire, and police personnel specific informatim on what harards might he encountered wrthin the facilities and on what hazard management efforts are underway. such as types of materials and methods of storage. Further, a safety policy s h r d d address the ororedurer be fdlowed in the event of an emereencv. Indeed. man" of the .. topwi cwered in a romprchensive safety pulicy are suhject to federal, *taw, ur lucal regulatiuns ur to cundltions uf coverage by insurance carriers. Therefore, the safety policy must also incorporate those obligations. With the vast number of chemicals and techniques now in our curricula, "common knowledge," even the informed knowledge of faculty members, is no longer sufficient. A successful safety program must aecomplish, or a t least assist in accomplishing, several goals. Many are given below but i t must be stressed that the goals should be tailored to individual institutions. The safety program must:
Chemistry at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He received a BA in chemistrv and p~ychol~gy fromAugllStane Co sge. Rock 15 and. Illmols. and a MS and PhO 10chem Istry hom me Unlverslty of Oklanoma He assumed his current position aner holding a po~tdoctoral fellowship at Ames Laboratory (USDOE),Iowa State University. HB is the chairperson of the Department of Chemistrv Safatv Comminee and is a mernoer of the Ha2araa.o Materm s ConWO Cammlnees of the Unlversily of NeOraska at Omana and of the Unlversiw of Nebraska system. His current research interests include mechanisms of transition metal complex substitution reactions.
make a strong statement on the impor k n e e of safety,
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Robert C. FiaU is Assistant Professorof
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outline identified hazards, serve as a guide to nontechnical staff, give specific instructions to the technical staff, aid in the training of students, provide detailed information for emergency personnel, describe emergency procedures, incorporate federal, state, and Local regulations, discuss responsibilities for maintaining safetv.. and satisfy the insurance carrier.
The main purpose of a camprehensive safety program is to ensure that relevent information reaches the oeoole . . who need it. whether faculty.staii,or studenta. Since the t'aculty arc assigned the task of werseeing academic act:vities, it would seem apprrlpri. ate for faculty members t o develop the program. However, in order for a safety program to be successful, the cooperation of all personnel is required and their active participation must be encouraged. Depending on the size of the department, a single person or a committee should administer the safety program. At the University of Nebraska a t Omaha (UNO), for instance, we are fortunate enough t o have a full-time campus safety officer who administers a general safety program covering not only academic activities but also maintenance and ohvsical olant ooerations and who is , reapmsible for maintaining regulatory romplrancc. Indecd,aschool will aluays have an
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administrator who is responsible for regulatory compliance and so, whether in a college or a secondary school, specific safety programs must be developed under that person's advisement. In addition, the Department of Chemistry has a safety committee that administers a safety program specifically tailored to our activities.
Program Components The key to the success of the safety program within our department is that it is tsilored to our particular situation. A eomprehensive safety program addresses the hazards associated with all deoartmental activities and materials in use and, there. fore, may well begin as a series of brain. storming rearions. Topics chosen for inclusion in the program certainly will involve the general hazards of strong acids and bases, the flammability oisolvents, and personal conduct in the laboratory. The list should he expanded as deemed appropriate. For examole..a t UNO we have also chosen to include materials handling, storage, anddisposal. criteria for the use of inxtrumentation, criteria for student admittance to the facilities after hours, the impact of lahoratory coursework on persons with pre-existing health conditions such as pregnancy or epilepsy, and evacuation procedures, among others. In any event, the topics must evolve into a written document. This document then serves as the department's philasaphieal statement on safety and health issues, describes the measures being taken to ensure safety and health, and describes the procedures to be used to lessen the consequences in the event of an emergency. The document, therefore, also serves as a "howto" manual which helps ensure that proce-
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dures are consistent and predictable. As with any major policy statement, the safety document will probably need to be suhmitted to the administration, st the college, university, school, or district level, for review. I t is one thing to identify hazards and to describe how they should he handled and quite another thing to communicate that information to those who need it. Therefore. adequate labeling of all hazardous areas and materials is essential. Laheling of areas includes r w m placards describing principal and exceptional hazards, marking the locations of emergency equipment, and detailing escape routes. Materials Labeling generally poses a bigger challenge; it is often awkward to affix descriptive labels to containers. However, labeling of original containers is practical. Inasmuch as many, if not most, of our chemicals are classified as hazardous, UNO will soon initiate a system of labelling chemical containers with a form, such as that in Appendix A, which is to be attached to the container uoon receiot and remain attached until final &soosal. ' The instructors in the labor&mes represent the prmclpal means of teaching safety to students. Therefore, safety training for instructors is prudent. Although the prepared safety doeument addresses basic safety concerns and written laboratory materials, both commercial and internal, discuss the hazards of particular activities, it is often appropriate to hold workshops to review classea of hazards and the use of safety equipment. The instructors are then in an enhanced position for passing this knowledge on to their students. Of course, students must receive the relevent safety information. This can be apnroached in a number of wavs. To familiarize them with the eeneral n&cies. a safetv pollcy mformatton sheet. such as the one glven by Corkern and Munchausen (61,ran he used. At UNO, we distribute two copies of our policy sheet and require our students to read it and to sign and return one copy; they keep the second copy for reference. This system ensures that students read the rules and gives us a written record of it. I t also gives some leverage with the students in n
Appendix A Hazardous Materials Log Shed Log Sheet Comrol identification Number: Bill of Lading Or Purchase Order Number: Name of Receiver: Date of Receipt: Quantity: Container Size: F m of Shipment (i.e.. Federal Express. UPS, etc.): Condiiion of Shipment or Sample: Disbib~tlanof Material: Amwnt: Bullding: Room Number: Name of Principal Investigator: ----------------Date: Signature of Recipiem: Exact Stwage Locatian: Material SafetyData Sheet Available: Yes No Approved Safely Plan Available: Yes NO Disposal: Amount: Date: Pmgram: Disposal Data: Health and Safety Impact:
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Appendix B Laboratory Class Safety Checkllst insvuctor: Rwm Number: Inspector: Course Number: Date: 1. IS me Instructor wearing approved eye protection? 2. Number of students wearinghot wearing approved eye protection: 3. Are all students and me instructor properly attired? (If no, describe) 4. IS there evidence of eating, drinking, a smoking in the laboratmy? (If yes, describe) 5. Are lhe shldents using safe procedures for basic operations such as plpening, using burners, etc.7 (rno, describe) 6. Are the students aware of the hazards involved win?the materials mey are using? 7. Are the students familiar whh the location and use of the safety equipment in the laboratory? 8. Are hwda being used as appropriate? 9. Are the alsles kept clear of obstructions? (e.g., books, packs, open drawers. etc.) 10. Are experimental apparatus setups set as far back on the bench as practical? 11. Are hazardous materials on hand limited to the amounts needed fw immediate use? (If no, describe) 12. Are all compressed gas cylinders properly marked and sacwed? 13. Arethere any deficiencies not noted above? (if yes, describe)
the event of serious or chronic disregard of the rules. In order t o answer arty questions regarding lahoratory operations and special safety hazards of experiments, instructors begin each period with a lecture or discussion. Here, the special hazards are described t o students. Instructors also encourage discussion of the experiments and safety issues. Another important aspect of agood safety program is periodic inspection of classes and facilities, which is conducted hy memhers of the safety committee. Class inspections focus on policy compliance by students and by instructors. The form used a t UNO is eiven in Appendix H. The resulm of theae unan. nounced inspectimsore rahulared and submitted ro the department chairperson and, for instructors whose classes consistently showed excellent or poor compliance, may he included in personnel records. Of greater interest, however, is that these inspections show strengths and deficiencies that can be informallv discussed with the instructors in order to aid them in improving their rnfety enforcement. Each laboratory n n m rr alru inspected, using the form given in Appendix C. The emphasis here is in identifying hazardous situations so they can be rectified. The discussion ahove deals almost entirely with maintaining safety. However, emereencv resoonse can not be ignored. As oart the safety trainmg of faculty, staff, and ~tudents,the prmedurcs to he fdlcrwed in the event of an accident must he covered. The written safety document contains all general procedures, suchas the location and use of emergency equipment, who should he called in an emergency, how to trigger the
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Appendix C Laboratory Room Safely Checklist Inspector:
Room Number: Primary Use: Date: 1. Dws the safety shower function properly? 2. DDes lhe eyewash fountain functlon properly? 3. DOthe hoods exhibit adequate airflow(60-80 fpm)? 4. Do plumbing flxhms leak causlng any hazardous conditions? (e.g., poor fwting. etc.) 5. Is dl sie~bicalequipment properly installed and grounded? 6. Are all moving parts an machinery properly shielded? 7. Are all chemicals present staed in a satisfactory manner? (e.g.. location, quantity, labelling, compatibility, etc.) 8. Are biologically hazardous materials properly labelled and stored? 9. Are thereany deficienciesnot noted above? (If yes, describe)
alarm system, and relevent telephone numhers. In addition. the discussion a t the beginning of the laboratory permd is also used lu cvver emergency response as part of the description of the experiment'nsperrf~chaz. ards. Labeling aimed a t emergency response is also important. If an accident occurs during class, the expertise of the faculty and staff will eenerallv be available t o evaluate the situation. However, accidents often occur in vacant rooms, for example, as the result of a refrigerator or other electrical equipment failing. Accidents can also occur due to oversight, such as leaving a Bunsen burner on or failing to cap a c a n of diethyl ether. In these
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types of cases, accidents will often be discovered by security or custodial personnel or by other untrained persons. Emergency labeling must necessarily be for the benefit of those who inadvertently discover accidents. Such labeling can include information which should be passed t o emergency personnel, such as what types of hazardous materials are present and whether a high voltape hazard exists. The names of faculty and staff members who can be called to provide mare detailed information should also be
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Number I I
November 1985
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Appendlx E Injury Accidenl Report i n j u r d s Name
Date RepoRed
S t u d e n t a a c i l y I S t a f f
Date of Accident
M
listed. An example of the labels used a t UNO is given in Appendix D. National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) code labels can be pasted for rooms giving estimates of the fire, health, and reactivity hazards of the materials, as well as special instructions, such as whether water should be avoided, primarily for use hy fire fighters.
a
i
e
L
Course
e
m S
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e c
t
d i
g o
n
instructor
Time ~ of Accident Date of First Treatment Time of First Treatment
injured's Description of Accident (Specify Any Chemicals Involved)
Appendlx D Room Contents and Stall Contact Label ExamDles
Referred To:
Back t o W o r k I C i a s s S t u d e n t H e a i t h h y s i c i a - o s p i t a i u o m e -
Signature of injured Signature of instructor
Room Number: Primary Use:
AH 423 Research
Notes on Recurrence Prevention:
in Case of Emergency, Contact: 1st: Steve Thomas 2nd: Jean Stevenson 3rd: A n Michaels Soeciai Hazards: Solvents n Excess of One L m r Compressed Gases (Nrrogen and Hydrogen) Reactive Metals and Metal Hydrides
len on me laball to prevent their lrivdous use by studmts. Campus Secuihl has me numbers in msir reoordp.. N O ~ B phone : numbers are
Appendix F Noninjury Accident Report Originator's Name
Date Reported
S t u d e n t a c u l l y l S t a f f
Date of Accident
M a i - F e m a i c d g -
Course
Time of Accident S
e
c
t
i
o
n
In~tructor Origihator's Description of Accident (Specify Any Chemicals involved-
Should an accident occur, it must be properly reported. Accident reporting procedures may vary; a t UNO, the campus safety officer requires that a University accident report be filed with him. In addition, the deparimental snfei). committee also requires accident report forms he filed. Ap~ e n d i xK shows our departmental form for injury accidents; ~ p p e n d i xF shows our form for noninjury accidents. The purpose for detailed reporting is threefold. First, should any injury require further medical treatment, a writtenaccount of the accident and the first aid administered may be useful. Second, Lbe record will help the department address the issue of preventing similar accidents. Third, an accurate, written record may be indispensible in questions of liability. It should be noted that, no matter how exhaustive the preparation and implementation of a safety program, its success depends upon the support of all faculty and staff. Once the tangible elements, such as the written document and labels, are in place, the continued enforcement of policies and the creative efforts of all personnel are reauired. Indeed. we teachers have an obligation and the responsibility for keeping our departments safe. ~
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Journal of Chemical Education
inrvuctor's Description of Accident
Course of Action and Description of Damage
Signature of Originator Signature of instructor Notes on Recurrence Prevention:
Literature Cited (11 Far an example of a represen~ltivelist. we "Safety muipment far Science and Industry: Lab Safety Supply Company, Janosville, WI, 1985, pp. 183-196. (21 "Prudent Practicestor HandlingChemical. i n Lahoratories.'. ~ a t i u n s lAcademy Prcre, Washington. DC, 1981. 131 "Prudent Pcacticea for Diaposal of Chemiesk from Lshoratorie3: National Academy press, Weahington, DC. 1983. (4) One good example i 8 "Safety in Academic ChemVtry Laboratories.).third Edition, American Chemical so^ cioty. 1979, ifourth edition i n preaal. (51Anercpilentcampiistionofinformatiancsnhefoundin Steere. N.V.(Editor), ,"Safety in Chemical Labralo:YC Val. I. Divisionof Chemied Education, American
ChemieaiSociefy, Easton,PA. 1961:Steere. N.V.(Editor),'%fety in theChemicalLabratory: Vol.2, Division of Chamicsl Education. American Chemical Sociaty.Eeston. PA, 1971:Steere. N.V. (Editor1:'Ssfety in the Chamieal Lahorstory."Yol. 3. Diviaion of Chemical Education. America" Chemical society. Easton, PA. 1971: and Renfrew. M.M. (Editor), "Safety in the c1,omicsi Laboratory.'. voi. I . Division of Chemical Educstion, American Chemical Society, Easfon. PA. 1981. (6) Corkern, W.H.. and Munehaulen. L.L., J. CHEM. EDUC.. 60. A296 (19831. (19841. 171 Bayer. R.. J. CHEM.EDUC.,SI.A~~~ (81Reere. K.M., "Health and Safety Guidelines for Chemistry Teachers." American Chemical Society. Washington. DC, 1979.
