How to avoid accidents in laboratories

First, be in the right place while you are in the lab. Always wear a lab coat, masks, gloves, suitable glasses, and closed shoes. The lab coat must be knee length. The essence here is to prevent the chemicals in use from affecting the clothing. The lab coat can also be used as a dust coat. It acts as a barrier against dust, chemicals and harmful substances.

Laboratories dealing with harmful chemicals and samples, such as hospital labs and manufacturing factories, require a lot of attention. Gloves are crucial in these labs because they help handle samples that can be harmful to the skin. For example, bacterial samples are often infectious. In such cases, the use of gloves is extremely essential. Handling corrosive chemicals like sodium hydroxide also requires gloves.

Gas masks are essential when handling fumigants or volatile gases. Inhaling these gases is potentially harmful to the body. Some chemicals give off fumes that can destroy internal organs. For example, sulfur (IV) oxide gas is an irritant to the respiratory system. Wearing a mask can reduce the effect of this gas on the respiratory system. In the hospital setting, masks are extremely crucial for laboratory technicians as well as physicians. This is because the masks block the entry of pathogens into the nostrils or mouth of the attendants. In this way, the masks prevent the appearance of diseases.

Closed and flat shoes are essential as they facilitate walking. They also reduce accidents especially, in cases of spills of chemical products or broken devices such as glasses. Therefore, it is essential to protect your feet with closed shoes. The eyes are equally essential. Wear protective eyewear, i.e. goggles is best. These fumes can irritate or cause harmful damage to the eyes.

Second, never eat while in the lab. This is detrimental to health. Eating here can be a source of infection. This is more dangerous in a hospital laboratory than in an ordinary laboratory. These labs have potentially harmful microbes. Common sense dictates that microbes are ubiquitous. In chemical manufacturing laboratories, some chemicals produce fumes that can be absorbed by food. That means that when you are eating food in the labs, you are also eating the chemicals. These chemicals can cause serious damage to your digestive system.

Third, the operation of laboratory equipment requires qualified and experienced technicians or technologists. Always ask a qualified person for help. By operating such equipment, one can destroy them. Consider the cost of such equipment! Accidents can also happen. The malfunction of an autoclave, for example, can cause serious damage to the building and users.

A fire extinguisher is a necessary tool in the laboratory. Each laboratory must have at least one. This will help put out the fires that may occur in the laboratory facilities. Fire extinguishers should be placed at strategic points, such as the path to the door. This makes them visible to everyone, so that, at the time of the fire, they are easily accessible. All laboratory users must be trained to use it.

Label all chemicals and samples. This is to avoid confusion and contamination of the samples. Lots of people use labs. Therefore, labeling everything is a security measure. This ensures correct results in each practice performed. The mixture of some chemicals can be explosive. Knowing them helps prevent this. An explosive chemical causes serious damage to equipment buildings and users.

Various chemicals emit fumes. This could be potentially harmful to humans. How do we avoid this? A smoke bend is the solution. This is to contain the effect of the fumes. The smoke chambers have chimneys that emit gases to the outside. In this way, the fumes will not be in contact with the laboratory users, thus reducing accidents.

In case of spillage, the laboratory should be dried. Be it the benches or the ground. Working in a laboratory with spills can result in accidents. Some people can slip and fall to the ground. This is dangerous for the human body. Working on a wet bench can contaminate other appliances, thus altering the results. Some chemicals are flammable and even spilled can catch fire. Fire in a laboratory is even worse.

For those responsible for the laboratories, they must make sure that all the equipment is working well. This is to avoid common accidents and to make life easier for laboratory users. A manual should always be provided for all procedures. A lab manual makes work easier and at the same time makes work products accurate. This manual should contain common laboratory rules on the first page.

Securing all laboratory equipment is a good idea. This can cover the loss in the event of an accident. The insurance company must have a good reputation and provide good coverage for laboratory equipment. It is also recommended that laboratory users make sure. This may justify compensation in the event of an accident.