SAFETY Cleaning Glassware in Analysis For Vitamin A M a d e Safer Analysts using the Carr-Price antimony trichloride method for vitamin A face the unpleasant task of cleaning the glassware afterward. The usual procedure is first to rinse it in concentrated hydrochloric acid, then wash with water. Because of the damage to clothes, hands, mucous membranes, and equipment, D. E. McRoberts and K. F . Swingle of Montana State College Agricultural Experiment Station decided to look for a more pleasant method of removing the antimony oxychloride from the equipment. The first reagent tested turned out to b e satisfactory. If the chloroform solution of antimony trichloride is drained out completely, the glassware may then be immersed for a few minutes in a 10% solution of sodium potassium tartrate. The thin layer of antimony oxychloride formed in immersion quickly dissolves, and the objects may be rinsed with water. For routine use, McRoberts and Swingle keep a vat of 10% Rochelle salts solution, containing a little compatible detergent. They allow the glassware to soak for several hours, then rinse it with water and distilled water. After drying, they have sparkling clean glassware. They also found that tartaric acid works somewhat faster than the salt, but the latter is completely harmless to hands and clothing, so they prefer to use it.
• National Safety Council statistics show that 574 companies in the chemical section completed the 1953 contest—199 with perfect records. Almost 666 million man-hours were worked, with 2641 injuries recorded. There was an 1 1 % decrease in injuries compared with 1952. Certificates of achievement for greatest percentage reduction in frequency rate were awarded to D u Pont's Martinsville (Va.) plant; Alcoa's refining division in Mobile; Owens-Illinois Glass' Glassboro plant; Stauffer at Niagara Falls; Newark plant of Westvaco Chemical Division, Food Machinery & Chemical; Pennsalt at Portland, Ore.; and Canadian Industries' Montreal Paint & Varnish Works. • Plutonium is less toxic than originally thought to be, according to tests at the Hanford plutonium plant. By feeding dilute solutions of plutonium to 200 rats, Hanford found a new, more accurate value for the extent of absorption of plutonium in the intestinal 1156
tract. Value is one fortieth the 0 . 1 % absorption previously assumed. In other experiments, researchers found that almost no plutonium applied to the skin of rats penetrates unless it is in a solution so strong it destroys the outer skin layer. • "Code for the Storage and Use of Highly Inflammable Liquids'' has b e e n prepared by Association of British Chemical Manufacturers. T h e 16-page booklet starts with definitions of various terms, then discusses storage (fencing of premises, storage sites, leakage, inspection, repair, lightning protection, etc. ), transfer ( by tank wagons a n d pumps), and use (construction and installation of plant and vessels, repairs
involving heat, hazardous residues, e t c . ) . Copies may b e obtained at 50 cents each from ABCM, Cecil Chambers, 86, Strand, London, W . C . 2. • A safety data sheet on vinyl chloride has been published by Manufacturing Chemists' Association. The 16page manual says t h a t the material, widely used in resins, is not a serious industrial hazard if precautions are taken to avoid leaks or spills. Employees should be warned of anesthetic properties of the gas and instructed what to do if anesthetic effects are detected. Copies of chemical safety data sheet SD-56, vinyl chloride, may be obtained from MCA, 1625 Eye St., N.W., Washington 6, D. C , at 25 cents each.
Color reproductions may be obtained from American Management Association, 330 West 42nd St., New York 36. Single copy is 25 cents, with reduced rates for quantities
Sten C a m m a t i b m e n t s of S a f e t y FOR S U P E R V I S O R S JL our job in management places you in a unique position of trust. For not only does the company relu on you, as the direct representative of management, to apply its policies wisely ana fairly; also entrusted to you is the obligation to safeguard the well-being of the workers in your charge. No responsibility transcends this in importance. In this respect your job is akin to the "stewardship" of biblical days: As a supervisor, you are indeed your brother's keeper. On-the-job accidents represent a serious threat to the physical well-being of your men. Their prevention calls for your constant vigilance. Therefore, if you would guide your men safely through their daily work, be yourself guided by these precepts: 1. You are a supervisor and thus, in a sense, have two families. Care for your people at work as you would care for your people at home. Be sure each of your men understands and accepts his personal responsibility for safety. 2. Know the rules of safety that apply to the work you supervise. Never let it be said that one of your men was injured because you were not aware of the precautions required on his job. 3. Anticipate the risks that may arise from changes in equipment or methods. Make use of the expert safety advice that is available· to help you guard against such new hazards. 4. Encourage your men to discuss with you the hazards of their work. No job should proceed where a question of safety remains unanswered. When you are receptive to the ideas of your workers, you tap a source of first-hand knowledge that will help you prevent needless loss and suffering. 5. Instruct your men to work safely, as you would guide and counsel your family at home—with persistence and patience. 6. Follow up your instructions consistently. See to it that workers make use of the safeguards provided them. If necessary, enforce safety rules by disciplinary action. Do not fail the company, which has sanctioned these rules—or your workers, who need them. 7- Set a good example. Demonstrate safety in your own work habits and personal conduct. Do not appear as a hypocrite in the eyes of your men. 8. Investigate and analyze every accident—however slight—that befalls any of your men. Where minor injuries go unheeded, crippling accidents may later strike. 9. Cooperate fully with those in the organization who are actively concerned with employee safety. Their dedicated purposes is to keep your men fully able and on the job and to cut down the heavy personal toll of accidents. 10. Remember: Not only does accident prevention reduce human suffering and loss; from the practical viewpoint, it is no more than good business. Safety, therefore, is one of your prime obligations—to your company, your fellow managers, and your fellow man. By leading your men into "thinking safety" as well as working safely day by day, you zvill win their loyal support and cooperation. More than that, you will gain in personal stature. Good men do good work for a good leader. —CHARLES P. BOYLE
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