Familiarize Yourself with Laboratory Safety Devices and Symbols
General Guidelines for Laboratory Safety
you were provided tips on safe practices for carrying out different
laboratory operations and processes. It is equally important to
familiarize with safety symbols that you are likely to come across on
laboratory walls, solvent and reagent bottles,containers and instruments
in the laboratory.
It is not enough to know their meanings
but more important is to exercise required precautions when you are
using any device or chemical bearing such signs.
Safety Devices
Lab Coat : Lab coat is
a knee length overcoat that should be worn while working in the lab to
protect your clothes and skin from damage of corrosive chemicals and
acids.
Face Mask : A
facemask provides filtering of poisonous fumes or poisonous powders when
performing sample preparation and digestions. These also serve to
filter out harmful bacteria in microbiological laboratories and also
permit easy breathing comfort.
Safety Gloves : Always
wear disposable plastic gloves when working with harmful or corrosive
chemicals In microbiology laboratories gloves protect you from harmful
bacteria.
Safety Goggles : Safety goggles offer protection to eyes and surrounding areas when working with corrosive and acidic chemicals.
Safety Shower : A
safety shower provides quick drenching with fresh water when there has
been an accidental spill of acids, bases, corrosive chemicals or
materials that are toxic through absorption by skin.
Eye Wash : Laboratory
eye wash station provides emergency eye flushing with water streams when
corrosive or caustic chemicals enter eyeballs or touch eyelids.
Fire Extinguisher :
A fire extinguisher is a hand held device used to control and
extinguish small fires. Fire extinguishers contain extinguishing agents
such as water, carbon dioxide, dry chemical or halon and are classified
according to the class of firesClass A : fires due to combustible materials such as wood, paper, plastic material, etc
Class B : fires involving highly flammable liquids and gases
Class C : electrical fires
Class D : fires involving highly combustible metals like sodium, aluminium, magnesium,etc
Bottle Buckets : Hazardous
solvents can be conveniently carried in bottle buckets to prevent
accidental spillage or damage to material or other persons.
Safety Symbols
Flammable : Flammable substances are liquids, solids and gases which catch fire easily.
No Flame : when using flammable materials make sure there are no naked flames, sparks or other hot surfaces in the surrounding area.
Hot Surface : Avoid
contact with surfaces bearing this symbol. Always use tongs to lift hot
glassware and use heatproof mittens to remove dried glassware from hot
air ovens.
Poisonous : Poisonous
substances can cause extreme harm or even death due to oral ingestion or
absorption through skin. All containers of such substances should bear
the poisonous material symbol to alert potential users.. Do not let any
poisonous chemical to come in contact with your skin and do not inhale
its vapours.
Corrosive : Corrosive
substances attack surfaces or cause severe burns on contact with skin
and eyes. Ingestion of corrosive substances can cause damage to
respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. Handle such materials with
great care and do not inhale their vapours.
Explosive : An
explosive material has stored potential energy which is capable of being
released suddenly. Energy release is accompanied by production of
light, heat, sound and pressure waves. The explosion can get triggered
by spark, reaction with another material or pressure. Explosive
materials require very careful handling.
Radioactive : Radioactive
materials contain radio isotopes which decay continuously and in the
process emit harmful rays such as alpha, beta and gamma particles.
Exposure to such radiations can cause cancers of various types depending
on exposure periods. Always ensure protection through use of protective
shielding and wearing of radioactivity monitoring badges.
High voltage : Do not
touch any surface bearing this sign especially if your hands are wet.
After use unplug and coil up cords as these can trip unsuspecting
persons.
Biohazard : Bio hazards
are hazards associated with exposure to infection causing biological
materials such as microorganisms, bacteria, viruses and toxins.
Protective clothing must be worn when working with such biologically
hazardous materials.
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