Chemical Safety and Right to Know Review

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Chemical Safety and Right to Know Review

• for Georgia Tech
• MSE Students
• Deborah Wolfe-Lopez
• Chemical Safety Coordinator
• Georgia Tech EHS
• 404-385-2964
• Fall 2008

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Lab Safety Requires a Multi-Faceted Approach

• Hygiene
• Proper Attire
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Labeling
• Fume Hoods
• Gas Cylinder Safety
• Electrical Safety

• Sharps Hazards
• Emergency Procedures
• Know what you are working with
• Waste Handling
• Chemical management

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Hygiene means
Thou Shalt Not Have Food or Beverage in the
Laboratory
No eating, drinking, smoking applying cosmetics,
lip balm, fussing with contact lenses or even
popping a stick of gum in the laboratory
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It also means

• Wash your hands - After removing your gloves and
  before you leave the lab-
• No food in laboratory refrigerators
• No lab samples in food refrigerators
• No washing food dishes in laboratory sinks

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Your Safety in the Lab Starts with What you Wear
to Work Today

• Shorts and skirts not recommended
• Nylons also not recommended
• No canvas, open front or back, or open weave
  shoes
• No bare midriffs, no spaghetti straps
• Long hair tied back

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The First and Best Protection Against Unwanted
Chemical Exposures Is

• Hygiene

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After Hygiene We Use

• Engineering Controls
• Fume Hoods
• BSCs
• Blast Protectors
• Substitution of less hazardous materials
• Administrative Controls
• Safe Handling Procedures
• Personnel Rotation

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And, of Course We Also Use

• Personal Protective Equipment
• Safety Glasses or Goggles
• Face Shield
• Lab Coat
• Appropriate Attire
• Gloves

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Proper Lab Attire

• Lab coat that covers the wearer to the knees
  whenever you are handling chemicals
• Gloves appropriate for the chemical AND the
  process

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Gloves- What You Dont Know Can Kill You

• Gloves required when handling chemicals
• The most common PPE mistake seen in laboratories
  at GT is relying on latex gloves to provide
  chemical protection from organics/ solvents
• Best choice for all all purpose use- nitrile
• Resources for gloves include
• Bestglove.com
• Anselpro.com
• Contact GT EHS for help

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Just So That Its Clear

• Safety Glasses must be donned before entering ANY
  wet bench lab (cell culture labs included)

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Q A

• What is the best kind of eye protection?

• Any kind that you will actually wear, as long as
  it meets ANSI Z87.1 and has side shields for
  splash protection

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What About Prescription Glasses?

• Prescription glasses are not adequate protection
• Safety Glasses must be worn over prescription
  glasses
• Or, you can get prescription safety glasses,
  however, you, or your department must pay for
  them.

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Eye and Face Protection

• Contact lenses are allowed in most labs, but only
  with safety glasses
• Safety Glasses are required in all areas where
  soldering or machining occurs.
• Safety glasses PLUS a face shield are required
  around high pressure reactors, high pressure air
  lines, machining operations, and some cryogenic
  procedures.

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Labeling
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There is Only one Rule at Georgia Tech Regarding
Labeling Label Everything

• Immediate use containers
• Only Last 1 shift
• Never leave your control
• Secondary Containers (beakers, flasks)
• Name of the chemical Your name (may be written
  on the container with a marker)

• Extended Use Containers
• Last more than one shift
• Reagent bottles, Squirt bottles, spray bottles
• Label must have name of chemical and hazard
  information (s/a NFPA diamond)

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Fume Hood Facts

• Their function depends on unimpeded air flow
• They should be operated with the sash at 18 and
  closed when not in use
• Work should go 6 inside the hood

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Fume Hood Flow Rates

• Flow for most chemicals should be 100 lfm 20
• For carcinogens or highly toxic chemicals, flow
  should be 120 lfm 10

• Hoods should have a visible indicator that they
  are working. This could be as simple as a kim
  wipe taped to the sash or as sophisticated as

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Using Compressed Gas Cylinders

• Gas Cylinders must be restrained with a chain or
  strap between the waist and shoulder.
• Remove regulators and cap cylinders before
  moving.
• Cap unused cylinders
• Never use grease or Teflon tape on cylinder
  fittings

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Using Compressed Gas Cylinders

• Fittings vary between gas types toxic,
  corrosive, inert, flammable, oxidizing.
• Never force a fitting- you are probably using the
  wrong type.
• Always use non sparking tools around flammable
  and oxidizers
• The cylinder, not the cap should have the label

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The Long and Short of Ithttp//www.uwm.edu

• Mishandled cylinders may rupture violently,
  release their hazardous contents or become
  dangerous projectiles. If a neck of a pressurized
  cylinder should be accidentally broken off, the
  energy released would be sufficient to propel the
  cylinder to over three-quarters of a mile in
  height. A standard 250 cubic foot cylinder
  pressurized to 2,500 PSIG can become a rocket
  attaining a speed of over 30 miles per hour in a
  fraction of a second after venting from the
  broken cylinder connection

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Electrical SafetyIn a Nutshell

• All equipment should be grounded (third prong on
  the plug
• All equipment should be in good working
  condition- look for frayed wires, open access
  panels, etc.
• If the equipment is located within 6 feet of a
  sink, there must be a GFCI plug. (Check these
  regularly, as they do go bad)
• Permanent equipment (6 months) must have
  permanent wiring-no extension cords

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Sharps

• Needles, razor blades, broken glass, broken
  wafers
• MUST go into an appropriate disposal container-
  not the trash!

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Emergency Situations- Chemical Exposures

• Respiratory exposures- move to fresh air
• Skin exposures, rinse for 15 minutes
• If skin exposures involve a body part that cannot
  be rinsed under a faucet an emergency shower must
  be used

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Emergency Eyewash Procedures

• Shout for help
• Hold your eyelids open with your fingers as you
  rinse your eyes
• Have your helper watch a clock for you to make
  sure that you continue to rinse your eyes for a
  full 15 minutes

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Post Eyewash

• You must seek medical attention immediately
  afterwards
• GT EHS recommends you go to Grady Hospital to
  ensure proper care
• Take a copy of the MSDS with you to the hospital

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Emergency Shower Procedures

• Shout for Help
• Remove clothing on the way to the shower
• Shower for 15 minutes
• If the need for medical attention is in question,
  get a helper to
• Print out 3 MSDSs
• Call GT Police to summon EHS
• Do not re-don contaminated clothing
• If chemical also went into eyes, medical
  attention is REQUIRED

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Accident and Injury Procedures

• Report Accident to you supervisor immediately
• Your departmental supervisor should report your
  injury to DOAS by calling 877-656-7475. (Only a
  supervisor can do this- the injured employee may
  not)
• If you require additional care contact AmeriSys
  Managed Care at 678-781-2848 or 800-900-1582 and
  speak to a Case Manager who will assist you in
  selecting an authorized treating physician.

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If you have to send someone to the hospital,

• Be sure that they have their wallet, ID, and a
  cell phone
• Be sure to send them with a copy of the emergency
  procedures poster (it has the DOAS billing
  address)
• Make sure that you contact their supervisor

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Your safety depends on the availability of
emergency equipment

• Emergency exits- dont let people block them
• Fire extinguishers- need to be highly visible and
  easy to get at
• Showers and eyewashes must be readily accessible

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In an emergency, there is no time to clear things
out of the way

• After an eye splash, you have approximately 10
  seconds to begin rinsing the chemical out of your
  eye before corneal damage occurs.

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Getting Out Alive

• Housekeeping does matter
• How would you feel about having to get out of
  here during a fire?

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The secret to working safely with chemicals is

• Know What you are working with

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General Classifications of Hazardous Chemicals

• Toxic
• Corrosive
• Irritant
• Sensitizer
• Asphyxiant
• Flammable
• Reactive
• Explosive

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Hazard Recognition

• A bad idea is not always obvious to the person
  who has it
• Learn to recognize hazards in your lab

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Flammability and Combustibility

• Flash Point- Temperature at which a liquid gives
  off sufficient vapor to support combustion if
  provided with a source of ignition
• Flammable FP below 100oF
• Highly Flammable FP

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Hazards Arent Always Obvious

• Failure to Ask
• How Reactive Is It?
• Georgia Tech -EST
• Product of an experiment exploded with the
  force of a ¼ stick of dynamite
• Lab Closed for 2 days
• Broken glass thrown 22 feet

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Hazards Arent Always Obvious

• U of VA, flammable material stored in a
  household refrigerator exploded, blew off the
  refrigerator door and melted the interior
  compartment walls

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SPILL PREPARATION

• ASSUME SOMETHING WILL GO WRONG AND PREPARE TO
  DEAL WITH IT

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MINOR SPILLS

• SPILLS YOU CAN HANDLE
• NOTIFY POSSIBLY AFFECTED PERSONNEL
• CLEAN IT UP
• BAG WASTE FOR PROPER DISPOSAL
• REPLENISH SUPPLIES
• EXAMINE WHAT WENT WRONG

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MAJOR SPILLS SPILLS YOU CANT HANDLE

• MEDICAL ATTENTION REQUIRED
• VIOLENT ON-GOING REACTION OR FIRE
• HIGHLY DANGEROUS OR UNKNOWN MATERIAL
• ANY SITUATION WHERE YOU QUESTION YOUR OWN SAFETY
  S/A YOU WORRY THAT YOU SHOULD HAVE A RESPIRATOR
  TO REMAIN AND CLEAN UP

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WHAT TO DO

• NOTIFY PERSONNEL IN AREA
• CLOSE FUME HOOD/SHUT OFF EQUIPMENT
• POST WARNING SIGN
• PULL FIRE ALARM IF NECESSARY

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WHAT TO DO (2)

• Call 911 or GT Police at 404-894-2500
• KNOW THE STREET ADDRESS OF EVERYWHERE YOU WORK ON
  CAMPUS
• Love 771 Ferst Drive
• MaRC 775 Ferst Drive
• MRDC 801 Ferst Drive
• MiRC 791 Atlantic Drive
• If possible, remain on or close to phone.
• REMAIN IN AREA UNTIL RELEASED

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Waste- The Basic Rules

• Waste containers must be compatible with the
  waste (no acid in metal cans)
• Waste containers must be in secondary containment
  s/a drum pallet or plastic bin
• Waste containers must be labeled w/ at least the
  name of the chemical(s) and approximate
  percentages from the time you start adding the
  waste
• Unless you are physically standing in front of
  the container adding waste, the container must be
  capped.

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What Qualifies as Waste?

• Anything you dont want anymore
• Anything that has been abandoned in place
• Old/dusty bottles, obviously not used in a while
• Multiple open bottles of the same chemical
• Anything that you cant justify having a use for
  (left overs, over bought, bought for a project
  long since completed)

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This is a problem

• This will result in an Notice of Violation and is
  fine-able unless you can justify it to the
  inspector s/a
• If these all belong to different groups in your
  lab- label them as such!

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Things which are obviously old and unused will
result in an NOV
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Waste Organic Solvents-

• Bottle it! Use Chematix or call 4-6224 for a
  waste pick up
• Discard bottle by allowing the residue to
  evaporate off in the hood then deface and discard
  into glass trash lid off (previous inspectors
  have mis-interpreted lidded containers as
  attempts to discard chemicals in the trash)
• Glass trash boxes must be taken to the dumpster
  by you

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Whats wrong with this picture?
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Waste Acids Bases

• Bottle it!
• Bottle must be triple rinsed
• Rinsate may go down the drain
• Deface the bottle
• Discard (uncapped) into glass trash

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Waste Highly Hazardous (P-list)

• Bottle it!
• Empty stock container is hazardous- treat as
  hazardous waste and call for pick up
• Check www.safety.gatech.edu for the highly
  hazardous list to see what qualifies

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Chemical management

• GT uses Chematix, a web based computer program,
  for tracking all chemicals, including gases
• All chemicals must be entered into Chematix when
  they are received and labeled with a bar code
  label
• As they are used up, the user removes them from
  the inventory
• Twice a year, per the RTK law, inventories are
  reconciled, using a bar code scanner

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INFORMATION SOURCES

• GEORGIA TECH LAB SAFETY MANUAL
• PRUDENT PRACTICES FOR HANDLING CHEMICALS IN
  LABORATORIES
• MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS
• SPECIFIC LAB PROCEDURES

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Georgia Tech Environmental Health and Safety

• Department Front Office.....4-4636
• Spills/Waste- Ed Pozniak......4-6224
• Bio-Hazard- Lee Zacarias.....4-6119
• Physical Safety- Aleece Fox....5-0263
• (Electrical Safety, Ergonomics,
  Lock-out-tag-out)
• Fire Marshal-Mike Hodgson..4-2990
• Radiation Safety- Nazia Zakir
  ....4-3621
• Chem-Hazard- D. Wolfe-Lopez...5-2964
• (Also Noise, Laser Other Non-ionizing
  Radiation, Asbestos)
• http//www.safety.gatech.edu/

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