Safety in the Chemical Laboratory and Industry: A Practical Guide

By Muhammad Raza Shah

Safety in the Chemical Laboratory and Industry: A Practical Guide provides an authoritative reference on chemical safety procedures and the handling and disposal of chemicals at both the laboratory and industrial level. The book serves as a practical guide for laboratory workers and offers prudent guidelines for the development of regulatory policy for academic and non-academic organizations. The book stresses that all accidental injuries can be minimized if systems and attitudes are in place to prevent them and that to fully materialize a safety culture, even with improved technology, everyone should be mindful of maintaining a safe environment.

This handbook will assist faculty, researchers, staff and students to provide a safe and healthy laboratory environment to teach, learn and conduct research.

• Helps understand the basic principles of chemical safety
• Provides guidance how to create a culture of chemical safety and how to deal with hazardous waste disposal
• Handles minimization of risks related to chemicals

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Release date: Jul 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9780323951821

Muhammad Raza Shah

Muhammad Raza Shah is a full professor at the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, HEJ Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Pakistan. He is also the Head of the Center for Bioequivalence Studies and Clinical Research. He is a recipient of several awards, including the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz Award from the President of Pakistan, the Salam Prize, the Professor Atta ur Rahman Gold Medal, and the Dr M Raziuddin Siddiqi Prize, by the Pakistan Academy of Sciences, for scientists under 40 years of age, in the field of chemistry. Professor Shah has authored six books and edited four books, in addition to contributing over 350 peer-reviewed journal papers. One of his authored books was declared as best book of 2017 by the Government of Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission.

Book preview

Safety in the Chemical Laboratory and Industry

A Practical Guide

Muhammad Raza Shah

International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry University, Karachi, Pakistan

Table of Contents

Cover image

Title page

Copyright

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1. Importance of safety policy of an organization and industry

1.1. Introduction

1.2. Health and safety measures to be adopted at research organization and industries handling chemicals

1.3. Safety policy

1.4. Hierarchical role and responsibilities as per safety policy

Chapter 2. Fundamentals of laboratory safety procedures

2.1. Safety comes first

2.2. Laboratory (academia and industries) safety plan

Chapter 3. Personal protective equipment

3.1. Personal protective equipment

3.2. Hand protection

3.3. Special note: latex gloves

3.4. Double gloving

Chapter 4. Hazard awareness

4.1. Chemical hazards

4.2. Characteristics of hazardous chemicals

4.3. Particularly hazardous substances

4.4. Procurement of hazardous materials

Chapter 5. Chemical management

5.1. Chemical inventory and safety data sheets

5.2. Chemical labelings

5.3. Chemical compatibality and segregation

5.4. Chemical storage

5.5. Chemical storage of particular concern

Chapter 6. Hazardous waste management

6.1. What qualifies as hazardous waste?

6.2. Handling procedures of hazardous waste

6.3. Hazardous waste minimization

6.4. Hazardous waste disposal

Chapter 7. Transportation of chemicals

7.1. Intracampus or intra-industry transportations

7.2. Intercampus transportations

7.3. Shipment of chemicals

Chapter 8. Engineering control

8.1. Facility design

8.2. Ergonomic concerns

8.3. Facility testing and maintenance

8.4. Laboratory (academia and industries) ventilations

8.5. Handling limitations of laboratory (academia and industries) equipment

8.6. Handling limitations of analytical equipment

8.7. Installment and locations of safety equipment

Chapter 9. Administrative controls

9.1. Implementation of signs and labels

9.2. Trainings

9.3. Specialized and specified trainings

9.4. Laboratory (academia and industries) inspections

9.5. Safety audits

9.6. Record keeping

Chapter 10. Lab safety for pregnant and immuno-compromised individuals

10.1. General laboratory safety

10.2. Reproductive hazards

10.3. Lactating mothers

10.4. Lab safety for immuno-compromised individuals

Chapter 11. Emergency and medical surveillance

11.1. Emergencies

11.2. Chemical emergency

11.3. Medical emergencies

11.4. Fire emergency

11.5. Emergency measures at institutional or industry level

Appendix A. General safety guidelines for chemistry laboratories (academia and industries) safety contract form 1: our safety net

Appendix B. Risk assessment form template

Appendix C. SOPs required elements checklist

Appendix D. Glove selection charts

Appendix E. Chemical inventory form

Appendix F. Safety data sheet

Appendix G. Occupational safety and health checklist for self-inspection

Appendix H. Accident/incident report form

Appendix I. Chemical waste disposal

Appendix J. Useful links

Glossary

Index

Copyright

Elsevier

Radarweg 29, PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands

The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, United Kingdom

50 Hampshire Street, 5th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States

Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions.

This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).

Notices

Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary.

Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.

To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors, assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.

ISBN: 978-0-323-95181-4

For information on all Elsevier publications visit our website at https://www.elsevier.com/books-and-journals

Publisher: Candice G. Janco

Acquisitions Editor: Anita Koch

Editorial Project Manager: Kyle Gravel

Production Project Manager: Kumar Anbazhagan

Cover Designer: Matthew Limbert

Typeset by TNQ Technologies

Foreword

The purpose of this book is to provide guidance on various aspects associated with the management of chemicals in academia and industry. Main emphasis in the book is given on the safe handling, storage, use, waste, and emergency management of chemicals in the laboratory environment. Chemicals in any form can be safely handled, stored, and disposed if their hazardous physical and chemical properties are fully understood and the necessary precautions, including the use of proper precautionary measures and personal protective equipment, are observed. Despite the ready availability of printed materials and access to electronic databases such as search engines, it is exceedingly difficult for researchers handling chemicals in academia and industry to routinely and quickly glean informed inputs for selecting the right reagents for a desired synthetic transformation in terms of hazards involved and the environmental footprint associated with it. The content in this book is meant to meet the needs of those who work, study, and teach in industries and academia. This book covers diverse topics associated with chemicals which includes purchasing, safe use, storage, management, transportation, and disposal. Special emphasis in the book is given that proper arrangements should be in place in every laboratory of academia and industry handling chemicals to minimize the risk of adverse health effects and protect the safety of staff, visitors, volunteers, students, contractors, and members of the public, due to exposure to hazardous substances and dangerous goods. This book should be used in conjunction with other documentation and procedures enforced by academia and industry for the management of chemicals (including specific area safety management plans, area- and task-specific risk assessments, and standard operating procedures).

The extent of knowledge and trends in chemical process and management of chemicals mentioned in this book makes it an essential resource for scientists working at the frontiers of research both in industry and in academia. The author of the book remained safety incharge of International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) and develop safety culture from the scratch. The ICCBS is one of the finest academic research institutions in the fields of chemical and biological sciences in the developing world. Over the years, the center has acquired excellent infrastructure for training and research. The chemical and biological laboratories of ICCBS are engaged in a variety of research projects in broad areas of drug discovery and development, new material development, and understanding the molecular basis of prevalent diseases. This interdisciplinary setting poses a variety of chemical, biological, and physical hazards, like eruption of fire, explosion, poison, asphyxiation, infections and injuries from sharp glass or metal. Currently, the center has state-of-the-art safety infrastructure, trained staff, and safety conscious community. However, journey toward this was not smooth and went through a lot of ups and downs. Therefore, it may be of interest for readers to reflect on how it has changed over the years ICCBS. First fire extinguisher was purchased nearly 3 decades ago. However, for many years, there was no real emphasis on chemical safety and security in ICCBS. This began to change and evolve after 2005, following the recommendation of an independent review panel of experts, which was invited by the center for reviewing the whole infrastructure, including the academic aspects of the center. They commented that no sensible person would work in the laboratories of ICCBS, having seen the miserable safety conditions. This statement of external reviewers was an eye opener and real changes begin to happen; however, it was not an easy ride. Establishment of safety culture at the ICCBS has been a major step forward, which includes introduction of sophisticated equipment, best practices, caring atmosphere, and ability to think positively.

Do not report an accident and near misses

The employees of the center were unaware of the value of actionable information. We therefore decided to place a lot of emphasis on reporting of incidents. The peoples working in the center were educated in reporting of incidents followed by corrective measures in a timely manner, in order to prevent injuries to people and mass destruction of the infrastructure. The first step was to make a concerted effort to educate all students, employees, and faculty what an incident and near miss means. A number of employees were trained by the Fire Protection Association and Civil Defense Authorities of Karachi. Following skepticism was observed:

1. Most of the workers believed that reporting a near miss or small incident would be seen as admitting a crime or lacking competency or lacking of knowledge.

2. If they report, then they will get into trouble with fellow workers or wanted to avoid getting colleague involve in an incident in trouble.

3. They do not like to admit to being part of an accident or close call.

4. It is too much work to report an incident or near miss, forms to fill out, and questions to answer.

5. Fear of disciplinary action due to blame culture.

6. It is useless to report an incident or near miss with the perception that the management would not take any notice.

7. Acceptance of risk as a fate: Incidents, accidents, and near misses are a part of the job and cannot be prevented.

8. The incident is minor one and is not important to report.

9. Working alone in labs in nights or holidays and avoiding incident reporting in the absence of any witness.

To address the aforementioned attitude and mind set, we started educating our employees, faculty, and students via training and lectures. Emphasis was laid down on the fact that reporting of accident or near miss will be used to improve the system and save others from accidents. Assurances were given to all employees that the reporting program would not be used to initiate disciplinary actions against those who reports.

Sticking to the old saying "prevention is better than cure" is a universal truth with which few would disagree. With the help of reported accidents or near misses, the circumstances were carefully studied and lessons were learned. Based on these corrective measures were adopted, so that the mistakes are not repeated in future. This approach yielded excellent results and the number of accidents declined considerably.

Women in a Muslim Culture and Specific Safety Issues: Women are more vulnerable to chemicals and require additional safety measures to protect their reproductive health. It is well known that women should refrain from handling certain chemicals which are known to be known reproductive toxins. Special efforts were made to ensure that female workers are provided with the appropriate guidelines, training, and equipment needed for their safety and security. In Muslim culture, a large number of women wear hijab (head cover), often made of readily inflammable polyester. Efforts were made to make them realize to wear hijab of most appropriate fabrics.

Refraining in Providing Physical Assistance to Female in Case of Emergency: Cultural and religious tradition barriers were keeping men away from giving women physical assistance in case of emergencies. Special lectures were arranged for creating awareness to correct such misconceptions.

A three-point chemical safety strategy was adopted to establish the chemical safety infrastructure and change the attitude of all stakeholders toward chemical safety in the center. This strategy helped us to develop an educated risk-benefit analysis in the course of progress in chemical safety of the center.

(1) Hazard Awareness and Assessment

(2) Engineering and Administrative Controls

(3) Personal Protective Equipment and Emergency Planning

Throughout the development of this book, the author engaged in discussions with students, academic researchers, teachers, lab attendants, housekeeping staff, engineering staff, managers, and top administration for academia and industries handling chemicals. The goal of these discussions was to establish what the various constituencies considered to be prudent practices for academic laboratories and industry.

All the chapters are written with considerable rigor and duly factor-in the context of each example and the choice of personnel protective equipment employed in a particular laboratory or industrial operations. The author strongly believes that success of chemistry education and research heavily depends on the safe and secure management of chemicals. However, fostering a culture of safety and security is a major challenge, and the author has first-hand experience of those challenges. Local social, religious, and cultural barriers or other factors may keep a laboratory manager, laboratory personnel, student, workers of industries or others from using the best safety and security practices away. Initially, this book was designed for the academic laboratories but after witnessing so many accidents in last few years in Pakistan which claimed hundreds of precious lives. The author visited these industries often on the request of local government and often hazardous properties or potentialities are not fully understood and precautions taken in the industries. Flaws in the design and lack of engineering control, unavailability of personnel protective equipment, and the nonavailability of emergency exits were the main causes of the accidents, which claimed several hundred lives in last few years. So, the author decided to address the issues of chemical industries in this book too and propose solution.

Prof. Dr. M. Raza Shah

Preface

Chemicals are managed in virtually all work activities, thus presenting certain chemical hazards in every work place all over the world. Several thousands of chemicals are used in substantial quantities in industries, and many new chemicals are also introduced by the academia in the pool of chemicals each year. It is therefore vitally important to establish a systematic approach in the safe management of chemicals at work place. An effective minimization of chemical risks at the workplace requires systematic flow of information from the manufacturers or importers to the end users of chemicals on potential hazards and on the safety precautions to be taken. This flow of information should be implemented in routine work by employers, researchers, students, and executives to ensure that the required measures are taken to protect workers, public, and the environment. Chemicals in any form can be safely prepared, stored, transported, and used if their physical and chemical hazardous properties are known, and the necessary precautions, including the use of proper personal protective equipment, are practiced.

This book is intended for students, researchers, teachers, and executives in academia and workers, supervisors, and top management of industries handling chemicals. This book provides basic information about hazards that researchers, workers, or teacher may encounter in the laboratory and safety precautions to prevent laboratory accidents and minimize exposure to hazardous chemicals. This book can serve as an excellent reference book for people who handle chemicals or who are decision-makers or who guide and educate others in handling chemicals.

This book bears eleven independent sections which cover different areas of managing chemical hazards. The section 1 deals with basic introduction of health and safety measures to be adopted at research organization and industries handling chemicals and also includes guidance about drafting a safety policy for the organization. The section 2 describes fundamentals of lab safety procedures, and a range of topic are covered like lab safety plan, risk assessment, risk management, physical control, engineering control, administrative control, use of PPE, and waste management. The section 3 of the book elaborates the use, selection, and care of personal protective equipment. Various topics are extensively discussed in this section like responsibility of top management in connection of PPEs, selection criteria for PPEs, protective apparel, dress code, laboratory coat, aprons, eye/face protection, choice of safety eye wear, safety glasses, splash goggles, face shields, free standing barrier shields, specialized eye protection, hearing protection, plugs, muffs, respiratory protection, dust mask, respirators, disposable respirators, particulate respirators, organic vapor respirators, air purifying respirators, air supplying respirators, selection use and care of respirators, protection through hood, hands protection, hand washing, appropriate selection of gloves, types of gloves, double gloving, and foot protection. Section 4 is mainly outlined about hazard awareness, chemical hazards, characteristics of hazardous chemicals, reactive chemicals, toxic gas generators, oxidizers, chemicals that may polymerize, water reactive chemicals, potentially explosive chemicals, nitrated, compounds, organic peroxide forming chemicals, combustible liquids, flammable liquids, corrosive, chemicals, toxic chemicals, ototoxins, sensitizers, allergens, nanoparticles, cryogenic liquids, compressed gas hazards, carcinogens, reproductive toxins, teratogens, mutagens, chemicals with high acute toxicity, chemical toxicity and terms of exposure, routes of entry, symptoms of chemical exposure, procurement of hazardous chemicals. Discussion in section 5 of this book mainly revolves around chemical management, chemical inventory, chemical labeling, manufacturer's label, hand written label, common labeling systems, hazardous materials identification system, National Fire Protection Association, chemical compatibility and segregation, chemical storage, chemical storage locations, storage cabinets, cold rooms, flammable storage refrigerators/freezers, shelves for chemical storage in labs, cage enclosures for compressed gas cylinders, chemical storage of particular concern, and storage guidelines. Transportation of chemicals and gases is another important topic which is covered in section 7 of this book.