Stewart Sampson

Safety Services Nova Scotia

 It can happen!!
 Hazard Communication
 MSDS
 Understanding Hazards
 Chemical Storage
 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
 Chemical Spill Response
 Waste Disposal
 General Safety Rules
 Small tubes of petroleum ether were stored in
an ordinary domestic freezer.
 The tubes were not sealed well and the PE
evaporated to a concentration exceeded the
lower explosive limit, about 1.0%
◦ Flash point of PE is -50 °C
 A spark from an internal component of the
freezer caused the PE to ignite
 $500 000 in damage

 What caused this?

 Anaerobic hood — an oxygen-free
chamber used for working with bacteria
that can't survive in oxygen
 Lab personnel ignored a "warning
system" designed to tell researchers
when too much hydrogen enters the
chamber and becomes flammable
 An explosion resulted when the gas
came into contact with an ignition
source
 Four people injured
 One critically

 What caused this?

 Hazard Communication
◦ Allows workers to know the hazards and identities
of the chemicals they are exposed to while working.
Describes measures they can take to protect
themselves.
 Hazards are communicated by:
◦ Labels
◦ Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
◦ Education and Training
 MSDS – a document prepared by the chemical
manufacturer that describes the:
◦ physical and chemical properties
◦ physical and health hazards
◦ routes of exposure
◦ precautions for safe handling and use
◦ emergency and first-aid procedures
◦ control measures
What are the WHMIS Hazard Classes?
Compressed Gas

Flammable and Combustible Material

Oxidizing Material

Poisonous and Infectious Material

Corrosive Material

Dangerously Reactive Material

 Toxicity
◦ the ability of a chemical to cause harm
◦ Like “Hazard” in general safety terms
 Risk
◦ likelihood a material will cause harm under the
conditions of use
 With proper handling, even highly toxic
chemicals can be used safely
 Less toxic chemicals can be extremely
hazardous if handled improperly
 Inhalation – breathing (e.g., powders, fumes)
 Absorption – skin or mucus membranes
 Ingestion – entry through mouth
 Injection – through skin by foreign body

 Acute Exposure (short term): eye irritation,

nausea, dizziness, skin rash, burns, headache
 Chronic Exposure (long term): long-term
illness
 In 2008, Sangji was working with a bottle of t-butyl
lithium dissolved in pentane
 While using a syringe to withdraw a quantity of the
reagent, it seems she accidentally pulled the plunger
all the way out, introducing air and creating a flash
fire
◦ “Sangji was not familiar enough with the material and
delivery means to be doing the experiment on her own”
 Sangji was wearing nitrile gloves, safety glasses
rather than goggles, and a synthetic sweater with no
lab coat
 When the fire ignited the gloves and the sweater, she
sustained second and third degree burns over 40 per
cent of her body and was immediately hospitalized
 She died 19 days later
 eliminate the hazard;
◦ Not using high shelves
 substitute other materials, processes, or equipment;
◦ Toluene for benzene
 engineering controls;
◦ Fume hoods, engineered sharps
◦ Eye Wash
 Eye wash station; Disposable Eye Wash
 systems that increase awareness of potential hazards;
 administrative controls
◦ training and procedures, instructions, scheduling;
 Personal protective equipment
◦ Gloves, lab coats/uniforms, eye protection, safety shoes,
respirators, face shields
◦ Gloves
 Use proper size
 Use proper glove material
 Professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College
specialized in toxic metal exposure
 A few drops of dimethylmercury was accidentally
spilled onto her hands
◦ Protected only by latex glove
◦ Tests later showed that DMM can rapidly permeate latex
gloves and enter the skin within 15 seconds
 Single exposure to DMM had raised her blood
mercury level to 80 times the toxic threshold
◦ Delayed neurotoxic effects caused her to be hospitalized
after 5 months, and she died 10 months after the
accident
 She was 48
White = OK
Red = Incompatible
 Do not respond beyond your training level!
 Stop, think – Is this a Major spill?
◦ No
 Remove contaminated clothing
 Use proper PPE
 Contain spill
 Notify workers in your area
 Seek MSDS for advice
 Notify supervisor / security
◦ Yes
 Rescue
 Avoid the chemical
 Find the MSDS
 Telephone for help
 Stop, think – Can I extinguish this fire?
◦ Yes
 Extinguish open flames
 Turn off gas / electricity
 Notify workers in your area
 Ventilate work area
 Notify supervisor / security
◦ No
 Evacuate area immediately and pull alarm
 Call emergency number
 Minimize waste in the first place
 Do not pour chemical waste down the drain
 Know your chemical classification
 Use flame resistant container with label
 Don’t leave funnel on top of waste container
 Use proper mercury disposal (broken
thermometers)
 Call for pick up
 Store chemicals in their original containers
 Always wear appropriate safety gear and work
in a controlled environment
 Always dispose of chemicals properly
 Use care in handling contaminated glassware
or needles
 Always dispose of chemicals properly
 Don’t buy chemicals you do not need
 Don’t eat, drink, smoke, chew gum or apply
cosmetics near chemicals
 Don’t mouth pipette
 Don’t use unlabeled containers
 Know chemical properties as well as toxicity
 Any final questions? Thoughts?