The maintenance of chemicals in the laboratory
The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board announced that between 2001 and 2018, there were 262 chemical accidents that injured 490 people and killed 10 laboratory personnel. is This is despite the fact that all these incidents were easily preventable and if safety tips were followed, such incidents would not have occurred. For example, consider the following incidents:
1- The explosion of an oxidizing solvent
All laboratory personnel should know that nitric acid reacts strongly with organic materials and produces a large amount of gas and heat during an exothermic reaction. So you should put it in a sealed container. Also keep in mind that the gases from the nitric acid may put pressure on the container that will cause the container to break.
2- Waste containers impregnated with chemicals
When pouring chemical waste from the laboratory into waste containers, be sure to check that the container you are using is completely clean and free of any chemicals. Otherwise, it may lead to dangerous reactions. For example, we have mentioned one of these incidents below:
These two incidents show common common mistakes in the storage of incompatible chemicals in laboratories, which can cause dangerous and irreparable accidents.
Maintaining adequate distance, partitioning, use of cabinets and containment equipment [1] are all acceptable measures for proper segregation of materials. In fact, there is no specific rule for storing chemicals, but when storing liquid and solid materials, you should consider both the volume of chemicals and the space you have to store them.
< br>Safety experts recommend separate cabinets or dividers for storing incompatible materials. Containment equipment is also acceptable and works well if space is limited. Just make sure that the equipment is large enough to hold the entire stored volume (even the volume of the largest container in it). We have brought the chemical:
✅ The storage area of chemicals should be completely covered and safe. It should be suitable. There should be a safety shower and an eye washing station close to them. Define limits for eating, drinking and smoking in these places. Make fire (such as fire extinguishers) available.
✅ Provide suitable equipment for fire suppression (such as fire extinguishers). Corridors and forklift passageways in warehouses should be clearly marked. Incompatible materials should be placed in separate places. Flammable materials should be stored in places that are completely away from heat. br> ✅ The height of containers containing chemical substances stacked on top of each other should not exceed three meters.
✅ The number of gallons stacked on top of each other should not exceed three gallons, and preferably separate them with pallets.< /p>
By observing the safety tips related to the storage of different chemicals, you can prevent such accidents in laboratories. In the following, we will examine some important issues related to the methods of storing chemicals.
Determine incompatible chemicals and teach them how they are separated from each other
Storage of incompatible chemicals and their proper separation from each other is an important issue. You should know which chemicals react violently when mixed or in contact with each other. The mixing of incompatible substances or their contact with each other is usually due to the leakage of the containers in which the substances are stored, and this causes dangerous chemical reactions occur between them. Chemicals that produce a lot of heat and pressure when mixed with each other are considered incompatible materials and may react violently together or even in some cases mixing these materials will cause an explosion. These materials should be kept in separate containers and in different places.
Maintenance
Chemical manufacturers usually provide a safety sheet with their product. The surest way to check material incompatibility is to refer to the safety data sheet ([2]SDS) for each chemical. SDS is a sheet in which chemicals are classified into different categories, and in the reagents section, incompatible materials are listed. Matching the materials with this list can seem like a tedious task, especially if there is a large variety of chemicals in the laboratory.