When handling hazardous substances – whether flammable, corrosive, toxic or radioactive – every movement needs to be right to avoid accidents. Not only that, but to ensure safety in the laboratory, several factors need to align perfectly to protect both the people that work there and the environment.
This article explains how the right equipment, clear rules of conduct and information can ensure safe working in the laboratory.
A safe laboratory needs …
… legally compliant equipment: tables, sinks, fume hoods, secure storage areas, supply and waste disposal systems, emergency stations, and so on that are regularly checked and maintained
… strict rules of conduct: wearing personal protection equipment, handling and disposing of chemicals as stipulated, no eating or drinking, keeping the workplace tidy, focussed work, and responding immediately and correctly in the event of an emergency
… clear information for personnel: correctly labelled hazardous materials, easy-to-understand operating instructions, and regular training
When working in the laboratory, even the smallest error can lead to skin irritation, burns, poisoning or other health problems. This is particularly true when it comes to working safely in chemical laboratories, but is also true for any laboratory in which potentially harmful materials are investigated.
The top priority is to protect the people working in such environments. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee of a safe laboratory, and a mishap can occur at any time. What we can do, however, is minimise risk in the workplace as far as possible. But how?
Safe working in the laboratory is achieved through various factors, which we will go into in more depth below:
Various policies set out exactly how companies and institutions must act.
Laboratory safety is strictly regulated to make jobs and traineeships in sectors like Chemistry, Biology, Food Technology, Materials Testing, Science and Research safer. The rules that laboratory operators are required to observe differ from country to country. However, some guidelines and recommendations are the same everywhere, and we have summarised these for you below.
Before work can even start, the first step is careful laboratory planning. A well-considered plan ensures that …
Once the underlying concept is in place, the next task is the laboratory equipment. Investing in high-quality equipment is not just a question of efficiency, but also safety. Good equipment reduces the risk of malfunctions and also improves the precision of experiments.
When handling the widest range of substances every day, laboratory personnel need robust laboratory benches that are:
In addition to other general equipment like service modules, laboratory devices, sinks and consumables, special protective equipment is also required. This may be a bench or laboratory fume hood that creates a barrier between people and the hazardous material and has an extraction system in order to prevent harmful substances entering the air.
Tip:
See our guide on hazardous materials workstations to learn how workstations in the laboratory should be configured to protect against aggressive and harmful substances.
To ensure hazardous materials are safely stored when not in use, cleverly designed laboratory cabinets are needed: robust special cabinets that enable the safe storage of corrosive, flammable or toxic substances. These need to be customised to the chemicals stored in them.
Suitable supply and disposal systems are another key component of any laboratory to prevent risk when it comes to the removal and later disposal of acids, alkalis and other hazardous substances. These should be designed to ensure the shortest possible walking routes to and from the workstation. Level indicators, ventilation units and similar equipment further reduce the risk of accident.
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Last but not least, it must be ensured that help is available quickly and easily in the event of an emergency. This is ensured by easily accessible emergency stations that should include the following equipment as a minimum:
Each laboratory is unique, and additional equipment is therefore almost always needed. Always keep in mind that it's better to have too much than too little when equipping your emergency station. If an accident happens, it could save lives. Nevertheless, it should always be kept clear and tidy, as we will discuss in more detail later on.
Even the most rigorous and technically superior laboratory equipment is worth nothing if it fails in an emergency. Regular checks and maintenance of all equipment, devices and utensils in the laboratory are therefore critical!
Perform stringent checks at regular intervals to ensure that all laboratory equipment is still fully functioning and does not pose any further risk. Doing this will establish a solid foundation for injury-free and accident-free working.
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Although the equipment makes safe laboratory work possible, the most important thing is the responsible conduct of those working there. Below, we set out the most important rules of conduct for laboratory safety:
Appropriate PPE is essential for all laboratory staff – this includes:
Although it is the responsibility of the employer to provide suitable and high-quality protective equipment in perfect condition, even the best PPE counts for nothing if it is not worn. All laboratory staff are personally responsible – nothing is more important than your health.
Maximum care is always called for when handling chemicals. Basic laboratory safety includes reading labels carefully before opening any chemical and never smelling it or touching it without protective equipment.
Every substance also has its own precautionary measures that need to be observed: For example, some highly-reactive substances must never come into contact with oxygen, while corrosive substances must be examined on surfaces made from suitable material.
Effective chemicals management is another key component of safe laboratory working: If hazardous materials are always kept in order and stored in suitable, marked containers, they cannot be mixed up.
Correctly disposing of laboratory waste also prevents environmental damage and risk to health. This requires suitable waste canisters and clear rules governing how to dispose of different materials. Dangerous chemicals must never simply be washed down the sink.
Food has no place in a laboratory, as it can lead to contamination – above all, it must never be stored in the same fridge as chemicals or biological material.
As such, both eating and drinking are strictly prohibited in the laboratory. Before leaving the laboratory, personnel must also wash their hands to prevent any traces of hazardous liquids, microorganisms or similar materials being carried outside.
This is another reason why careful laboratory planning is so important. Carefully placed rest rooms or break areas prevent such dangerous situations occurring in the first place.
A tidy work area prevents the risk of accidents. It is vital to clean all work equipment after use and remove utensils that are no longer needed from the work surface to prevent any spillage of hazardous materials that are no longer being used.
It is equally important to clean the workstation thoroughly with suitable cleaning products after every use to prevent cross-contamination and other hazards.
And even though it might sound obvious, laboratory equipment must always stay in the laboratory because that is the only place safe working is ensured. Experiments at a different place – or even at home – pose a high risk of accidents because the correct equipment isn’t available.
The laboratory is no place to be distracted. Full concentration must be maintained when conducting experiments. This also means taking breaks to prevent inattentiveness through exhaustion.
Again, laboratory planning is vital, and focussed work should be factored in from the start. For example, workstations can be designed flexibly so that they can be freely chosen depending on the task at hand, with attractive break areas just a short distance away.
Laboratory safety can be better ensured if several employees work together as a team. Four eyes see more than two, which means fewer errors. It also means that someone is always on hand who can administer first aid or fetch the fire extinguisher in case of emergency.
From correct labelling of chemicals to operating instructions: clear information is vital. Every laboratory should have detailed and easily accessible instructions, hazardous material information and emergency plans. It’s not just about positioning appropriate information sheets around the laboratory,
but rather ensuring that all laboratory staff have fully internalised the information. This means regular training. By combining theoretical and practical elements you can ensure that the information has not just been understood but will also be correctly applied.
Regular emergency exercises that deal with fires, gas leaks, spilt chemicals and similar scenarios also help to improve response times in the event of an accident. Once people have internalised the locations of fire extinguishers, emergency exits, etc., no time will be lost in an emergency.
Team meetings discussing safety issues also allow ideas and experiences to be exchanged, which further helps continuously improve safe working in the laboratory.
One final point is worthy of mention: to ensure safety in the laboratory in the long-term, a company or an institution must have a strict culture of safety that is promoted at every level. This requires the ongoing commitment of all stakeholders, from laboratory staff to management, to ensure a safe environment for everyone where discoveries can be made and research and analysis conducted free of accidents.
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