Chemical Hygiene Plan and Safety Manual - LP3005.6

Section V: General Environmental Safety

2.2.1.6 Do not disable any electrical safety feature

2.2.1.7 Before turning equipment on, check that all power cords are in good condition

2.2.1.8 Do not use extension cords as a substitute for permanent wiring

2.2.1.9 In the event that an employee gets electrocuted, do not touch them. Instead turn off the power by pulling the plug or tripping the circuit breaker. Or use a non-conductive material to pull the employee away from the object. Then call 911 immediately.

2.3 Equipment:

2.3.1 All the equipment in the laboratory will be handled and equipped with proper safety precautions. These safety features must not be tampered with or disabled. However, certain pieces of equipment still are considered hazardous, so certain precautions are required to be taken against them

2 3 2 Autoclaves:

2 3 2 1 Autoclaves can cause burns from handling hot items being taken out or from the autoclave itself while it’s running

2 3 2 2 Personnel are to wear the proper PPE when using an autoclave such as oven mitts for hot items being removed or steel mesh gloves for sharps

2 3 2 3 Personnel are to exercise caution when opening autoclaves due to pressure buildup and steam ventilation

2 3 3 Centrifuge:

2 3 3 1 Due to the high speed of centrifuges, they have the potential for causing injury

2 3 3 2 The most common source of injury from a centrifuge is user error In order to prevent this, ensure the centrifuge is balanced.

2.3.3.2.1 If there are an uneven number of samples, blanks are to be made using a comparable material.

2.3.3.2.2 Ensure all samples and blanks are placed in the same test tube type.

2.3.3.3 When working with hazardous material, employees are to wait for ten minutes after it has completed its cycle before removing samples.

2.4 Gas:

2.4.1 Compressed gases can be toxic, flammable, oxidizing, corrosive or inert. Leakage of any of these types of gases can be hazardous.

2 4 2 Inert gases can displace the air quickly which results in an oxygen deficient air

2 4 3 Toxic gases can create a poisonous atmosphere

2 4 4 Flammable or reductive gases can result in fires or exploding cylinders

2 4 5 The pressure of the gas in the cylinder is also considered a hazard If the valve is broken off, the gas cylinder can become a projectile and cause damage