Safety Guidelines for Laboratory Use as per ISO 17025 Accreditation Standard

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iso17025consultant

Basic Safety Guidelines

Safety is an important aspect of any work places. Work becomes smooth and easy after implementation of safety in each activity. The basic Safety Guidelines for the laboratory are described as below;

1. Always wear apron in the laboratory,
2. Use personal protective equipments such as

• Hand gloves
• Masks
• Safety goggles etc.

What to learn about Safety in Laboratories?

Every laboratory worker should observe the following rules:

Know the potential hazards and appropriate safety precautions before beginning work. Ask and be able to answer the following questions:

1. What are the hazards?
2. What are the worst things that could happen?
3. What do I need to do to be prepared?
4. What work practices, facilities or personal protective equipment are needed to minimize the risk?
5. Know the location and how to use emergency equipment, including safety showers and eyewash stations.
6. Never block safety equipment or doors and keep aisles clear and free from tripping hazards.
7. Familiarize yourself with the emergency response procedures, facility alarms and building evacuation routes.
8. Know the types of personal protective equipment available and how to use them for each procedure.
9. Be alert to unsafe conditions and actions and bring them to the attention of your supervisor or lab manager immediately so that corrections can be made as soon as possible.
10. Prevent pollution by following waste disposal procedure. Chemical reactions may require traps or scrubbing devices to prevent the release of toxic substances to the laboratory or to the environment.
11. Position and clamp reaction apparatus thoughtfully in order to permit manipulation without the need to move the apparatus until the entire reaction is completed. Combine reagents in the appropriate order and avoid adding solids to hot liquids.

Personal Behavior

1. Professional standards of personal behavior are required in any laboratory:
2. Avoid distracting or startling other workers
3. Do not allow practical jokes or horseplay
4. Use laboratory equipment only for its designated purpose
5. Do not allow visitors, including children and pets, in laboratories where hazardous substances are stored or are in use or hazardous activities are in progress.
6. Do not prepare, store (even temporarily), or consume food or beverages in any chemical laboratory
7. Do not smoke in any chemical laboratory. Additionally, be aware that tobacco products in opened packages can absorb chemical vapors.
8. Do not apply cosmetics when in the laboratory
9. Never wear or bring lab coats or jackets into areas where food is consumed.
10. Confine long hair and loose clothing in the laboratory. Wear shoes at all times. Open-toed shoes or sandals are not appropriate.
11. Under no circumstances should mouth suction be used to pipette chemicals or to start a siphon. Use a pipette bulb or a mechanical pipetting device to provide a vacuum.
12. Wash well before leaving the laboratory. Do not use solvents for washing skin.
13. Keep work areas clean and free from obstruction. Clean up spills immediately.
14. Do not block access to exits, emergency equipment, controls, electrical panels etc.

Handling Precautions

1. The main objective in working safely with flammable liquids is to avoid accumulation of vapors and to control sources of ignition.
2. Besides the more obvious ignition sources, such as open flames from Bunsen burners, matches and cigarette smoking, less obvious sources, such as electrical equipment, static electricity and gas-fired heating devices should be considered.
3. Some electrical equipment, including switches, stirrers, motors, and relays can produce sparks that can ignite vapors. Although some newer equipment has spark-free induction motors, the on-off switches and speed controls may be able to produce a spark when they are adjusted because they have exposed contacts. One solution is to remove any switches located on the device and insert a switch on the cord near the plug end.
4. Pouring flammable liquids can generate static electricity. The development of static electricity is related to the humidity levels in the area. Cold, dry atmospheres are more likely to facilitate static electricity. Bonding or using ground straps for metallic or non-metallic containers can prevent static generation.
5. Control all ignition sources in areas where flammable liquids are used. Smoking, open flames and spark producing equipment should not be used.
6. Whenever possible use plastic or metal containers or safety cans.
7. When working with open containers, use a laboratory fume hood to control the accumulation of flammable vapor.
8. Use bottle carriers for transporting glass containers.
9. Use equipment with spark-free, intrinsically safe induction motors or air motors to avoid producing sparks. These motors must meet National Electric Safety Code (US DOC, 1993) Class 1, Division 2, Group C-D explosion resistance specifications. Many stirrers, Variacs, outlet strips, ovens, heat tape, hot plates and heat guns do not conform to these code requirements.
10. Avoid using equipment with series-wound motors, since they are likely to produce sparks.
11. Do not heat flammable liquids with an open flame. Steam baths, salt and sand baths, oil and wax baths, heating mantles and hot air or nitrogen baths are preferable.
12. Minimize the production of vapors and the associated risk of ignition by flashback. Vapors from flammable liquids are denser than air and tend to sink to the floor level where they can spread over a large area.
13. Electrically bond metal containers when transferring flammable liquids from one to another. Bonding can be direct, as a wire attached to both containers, or indirect, as through a common ground system.
14. When grounding non-metallic containers, contact must be made directly to the liquid, rather than to the container.
15. In the rare circumstance that static cannot be avoided, proceed slowly to give the charge time to disperse or conduct the procedure in an inert atmosphere.

Author Bio:

My name is Michel Adrian, I have written many articles regarding ISO 17025 Certification, ISO 17025 procedures. Additionally creates content with safety guidelines for laboratory uses as ISO 17025 accreditation.

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