Tips and tricks on how to Prevent laboratory fire accidents
Fire accidents
in laboratories can cause immeasurable damage in terms of serious injuries to
laboratory workers, damage to expensive instruments and laboratory
facilities,
financial losses and loss of man days. Fire hazards in the laboratory outlines the types of flammable
laboratory materials and classification of fires based on the nature of such
materials.
This article provides some useful tips that can prevent occurrence of such
accidents.
Useful
Tips
Refer
to Material Safety Data Sheets
First and
foremost every laboratory worker needs to be familiar with the nature and
hazards of materials before handling such items. This can be achieved through
spreading awareness on materialsafety data sheets which should be made a mandatory requirement
before any analysis work is taken up.
Avoid
naked flames
The days of
Bunsen burners are going down history as more and more laboratories are
resorting to hot plates and heating mantles to meet the heating requirements.
Naked flames can result in unexpected explosions in contact with flammable
vapours.
Storage
of flammable liquids
Store only
required minimum quantities of flammable solvents and liquids inside
laboratories. Excess quantities should be stored in separate well ventilated
rooms with no exposure to direct sunlight and preferably in specially designed
storage cabinets. Do not stock any other materials along with flammable
materials
Make
use of fume hoods
Fume hoods are
generally used when carrying out acid digestions. Fume hoods should also be
used with exhaust fans on when working with flammable liquids capable of
releasing ignitable vapours. After use ensure that the bottles are left
securely capped
Clean
flammable liquid spills on priority
Flammable
liquid containers should be carried in solvent trays. Do not hold Winchesters
from the neck. It is important to clean any accidental spill on priority to
avoid formation of explosive vapours.
Electrical
short circuits
Electrical
short circuits often result in sparks which can lead to spontaneous explosions
in contact with flammable vapours. You can prevent such incidents trough
routine checks
- Inspect all wires and connections. Loose
connections can result in short-circuits
- Keep your laboratory premises free of rodents as
they have a habit of damaging cables which can result in short circuits
- Do not overload power points with multiple
devices as this can lead to exceeding of the sanctioned loads
- Follow prescribed maintenance schedules of all
electrical equipments. This will prevent accidents and prolong their
useful life span
- Ensure that all laboratory instruments have
proper earthing
- Do not carry out welding or soldering operations
in the vicinity of flammable solvents
- Remember to transfer flammable liquids between
containers after inter bonding them with conducting wires and grounding to
prevent development of static electricity
It has been
rightly said that ‘Prevention is better than Cure’. Do not wait for fire
accidents to happen. Adopt the safety guidelines and minimise chances of fire
accidents from taking place.
*lab-training*
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