Safety in Chemical Use

INTRODUCTION TO THE SAFETY OF CHEMICALS

Most of the chemicals produced and used today are beneficial. However, these chemicals have
potential to damage human health, animals, and environment. Industries must be aware of the
potential for the accidental or intentional misuse of hazardous chemicals. Hence, it is important to
mitigate these hazardous chemicals when handling by creating culture of safety and security
consciousness, accountability, organization, and education in the workplace.

What is chemical safety?

Chemical safety ensures the protection of human health and the environment in the exposure to
hazardous chemicals. It covers all chemicals, natural and manufactured, and the full range of exposure
situations from the natural presence of chemicals in the environment to their extraction or synthesis,
industrial production, transport use and disposal.
Definition of Terms
Chemical - any element, chemical compound, or mixture of elements and/or compounds.
Safety - being secure from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss.
Hazard - An item or condition which poses potential risk to safety or health.
Chemical Safety - being secure from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss when working with
elements, chemical compounds, or mixtures of elements and/or compounds.
Chemical Hazards - elements, chemical compounds, or mixtures of elements and/or compounds which
poses potential risk to safety or health.
PPE – Personal Protective Equipment
Chemical Hazards
Toxic: Poisonous
Carcinogenic: Cancer-causing
Corrosive: Visible Destruction
Irritants: Inflammatory Effects
Sensitizers: Can cause allergic reactions to tissues
Flammable Liquids: Emits vapor that could light up
Combustible Liquids: Can cause explosions
Methods of Entry to the body Communication Safety Information

Maintaining
Inhalation Absorption Properly labeled
safety data
containers
sheets

Ingestion
Hazard vs Risk
Hazard Risk
➢ Potential cause of harm and ➢ Probability or Chance of a hazard
damage to people, property or/and to cause harm and damage to
environment people, property, or/and environment.

➢ May be an object, living being, ➢ Likelihood that an event could occur

natural causes or anything that that can induce harm
poses danger.
➢ Influenced by level of exposure
Hazards in a confined space
1. Lack of Oxygen
2. Fire and explosion from flammable vapors, excess oxygens etc.,
3. Poisonous gas, fumes or vapour.
4. Ingress of liquids or freeflowing solids
5. Residues which give off gas, fume or vapour.
6. Dust
7. Hot conditions
GLOBALLY HARMONIZED SYSTEM OF CLASSIFICATION AND LABELING OF CHEMICALS (GHS)
What is the scope of GHS?
GHS covers all hazardous chemicals, including:
(a) harmonized criteria for classifying substances and mixtures according to their health,
environmental and physical hazards; and
(b) harmonized hazard communication elements, including requirements for labeling and safety
data sheets.
Label – an appropriate group of written, printed or graphic information elements concerning a
hazardous product, selected as relevant to the target sector(s), that is affixed to, printed on, or
attached to the immediate container of a hazardous product, or to the outside packaging of a
hazardous product.
Safety data sheet - a clear description of the data used to identify and classify the hazards, which
includes information that is national or regional in nature, for example “EC number” and “occupational
exposure limits”.
GHS Symbols used for hazard communication (description and meaning):
GHS Symbols used for hazard communication (description and meaning):
Procedure
General

A hazard assessment should be undertaken to determine the most appropriate control to

minimize exposure to a hazard. Controls superior to the use of PPE are methods involving
elimination, substitution, engineering or administration. If these methods are not feasible or do
not provide sufficient protection, then PPE’s may be chosen control. All PPE selected should be:
appropriate to the hazard, clean and fir the user.
NOTE: PPE is only effective if you wear and use it correctly!
Potential hazards within the school laboratories may include:
1. Splashes from liquid chemicals particularly acids or caustic liquids
2. Chemical gases or vapors
3. Harmful dusts (silica)
4. Impact/ penetration/ puncture particularly from broken glass, scalpels and syringe needle
5. Cryogens
6. Irritants and lachrymators
7. Light and laser radiation
8. Biological materials
9. Heat and cold
10. Noise
Eye and Face Protection
a. Safety Glasses – A wide range of safety glasses are available including scratch resistant, ultra-light weight,
anti-fog and wrap around. It is important to get a safety glasses which are comfortable, do not visually
impair the user but also provide optimum protection. Glasses should be washed periodically with soap and
water.
NOTE: Contact lenses and prescription glasses DO NOT provide adequate eye protection.
b. Safety Goggles – If there is risk from chemical splashes then safety goggles are recommended. Goggles
are tight fitting, complete covering the eyes and area immediately surrounding the eyes. They can provide
protection from impact, dust and splashes. Some goggles will fit over prescription glasses.
c. Laser Safety Goggles – Laser radiation can be extremely dangerous to the unprotected eye. Direct,
reflected or stray beams can cause permanent eye damage. Laser retinal burns can be painless, so it is
essential that appropriate eye protection is worn.
d. Face Shields – Face shields have transparent sheets of plastic which cover the face and protect against
potential splashes or sprays of hazardous liquids and dust. The head piece is adjustable and should fit
snugly. On most models of face shields, replacement visors can be purchased.
Foot Protection
If work involves exposure to hot substances, corrosive or poisonous materials PPE must cover exposed
body parts, including legs and feet. Shoes should completely cover the foot, enclosing the whole top of the
foot. Thongs, sandals and “doll shoes” are not permitted in the lab. Leather is the most widely used upper
material because of its versatility, durability and resistance to chemicals. It is desirable to have dedicated
lab shoes to prevent contamination in home environment. This is particularly important if biohazards
material is handled.
 Hand Protection Common gloves for the laboratory:

Hazard to hand may include: Skin absorption

of harmful substances; chemical or thermal
burns; bruises, abrasions, cuts, punctures;
and fracture and amputations.
When selecting gloves consider:
1. Type of chemicals handled
2. Nature of contact (total immersion, splash, etc.)
3. Duration of contact
4. Area requiring protection (hand only, forearm, arm)
5. Grip requirements (dry, wet, oily)
6. Thermal protection
7. Size and comfort.
8. Abrasion / puncture resistance requirements
Clothing
Long sleeved, fully buttoned up lab coats or wrap around gowns, which are easy to remove, must be used
in all laboratories where lab work involves hazardous material. Lab coats help prevent contamination of
regular clothes from splashes and toxic material.
Skirts and shorts expose part of the leg and this must be taken into account, when assessing the level of
PPE needed for any particular procedure. To reduce the risk of contamination lab coats should be removed
on leaving the laboratory and preferably hung on a hook, one lab coat per hook. Lab coats should be
washed regularly, using the laundry service and not taken home to be wash with normal clothes. A lab coat
which is grossly contaminated with hazardous material must be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Respiratory Protection
a. Disposable Mask – Dust masks can be used for non-toxic particulate matter such as silica dust.
They should be worn when preparing a chromatography column. Most masks are disposable or
have disposable filters, so should not be reused.
b. Half Face Respirators - Half face respirators can be used to protect against a variety of
particulates, gases and vapors depending upon the cartridges chosen. Cartridges contain filters.
These filters rely on sorbent material to “soak up” the gas and vapor molecules. Cartridges
should be dated when put into use and replaced regularly, depending on load and use. Face
pieces can be washed with soap and water, and ideally should not be shared between use.
Hearing Protection
Exposure to excessive noise depends upon a number of factors:
1. Loudness of the noise, measured in decibels (dB)
2. Duration of exposure to the noise
3. Movement between work areas with different noise levels
4. If noise is generated from one or multiple sources

Generally, the louder the noise, the shorter the exposure time before hearing protection is required. If
engineering and safe work methods do not lower employee exposure to workplace noise to acceptable
levels, lab workers must wear appropriate hearing protection. Hearing protectors must reduce noise
exposure to within the acceptable limits. Noise is excessive where it exceeds the exposure standard of
85dB(A), over an average of an 8 hour period or where a peak noise level of 140dB (C) occurs.
 Some types of hearing protection include:
➢ Single-use earplugs are generally made of foam or silicone rubber plugs. Roll the plug slowly and
smoothly into a cylinder. Immediately insert plug into ear canal and hold it in place until it has begun to
expand. Aim to get three-quarters of the length of the plug into the canal.

➢ Pre-formed or molded earplugs must be individually fitted by a professional and can be disposable or
reusable. Reusable plugs should be cleaned after each use.

➢ Earmuffs require a perfect seal around the ear. Glasses, facial hair, long hair or facial movements such as
chewing may reduce the protective value of earmuffs. Always read instructions from manufacturers before
using hearing protection.
Example of Laboratory tasks, Hazard and Recommended PPE
 Summary:
- Chemical safety aims to protect human, animal and - Proper label and use of Safety Data Sheet (SDS) are
environmental health from the intrinsic harm caused by examples of administrative controls to communicate safer
hazardous chemicals. handling/use and proper emergency response of hazardous
chemical.
- Risk is a function of the consequence from hazardous chemicals
and the likelihood of exposure. - GHS is standardized system for the classification of
chemicals, labels, and safety data sheets.
- Risk can be mitigated through elimination/substitution
- Hazardous chemical is classified according to hazard class
> engineering control and category that has appropriate signal word and hazard
statement.
> administrative control
- SDS provides a clear description of the data used to identify
> procedure the hazards in human, animal and environment. It has the
> personal protective equipment. information for proper storage, transport, disposal, and
emergency response.