Many of the chemicals we use in the lab are potentially dangerous, especially under high
heat, pressure, or when they’re mixed with other chemicals.
There are 2 main tools that we use to identify chemical hazards:
safety data sheets and chemical labels.
Every chemical in the lab is required to have a technical document called a safety data
sheet or S-D-S, usually provided by the manufacturer.
These were formally known as material safety data sheets or M-S-D-S.
The safety data sheet is a one-stop-shop to find out about a chemical’s properties,
hazards, and safety precautions.
Know the location of the safety data sheets in your lab and review them before working
with a chemical for the first time.
G-H-S is an acronym for the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.
This new system provides an international standard format for safety data sheets.
All SDS must now be organized into 16 sections.
Section 1 - Identification.
Here you’ll find the chemical’s name, description, and the manufacturer’s contact
information.
2.
Hazard Identification.
This section lists signal words, warnings, and safety symbols.
3.
Composition...a list of ingredients.
4.
First-Aid Measures
What’s the required treatment for a person who’s been exposed?
5.
Fire fighting measures
6.
Accidental Release Measures
These are instructions for containment and cleanup of spills or leaks.
7.
Handling and Storage requirements
8.
Exposure controls and personal protection.
This describes OSHA’s exposure limits and recommendations for PPE.
9.
Physical and chemical properties...such as appearance, odor, pH, flash point, solubility,
and evaporation rate.
10.
Stability and Reactivity...how to avoid hazardous reactions.
11.
Toxicological information...find out about the likely routes of exposure, symptoms, as
well as short and long-term effects.
Sections 12 - 16 aren't mandatory, but you should at least be familiar with them...Ecological,
Disposal, Transport, and Regulatory considerations.
Section 16 is for any other pertinent information.
This is where you’ll find the date that the SDS was prepared along with the last known
revision.
Safety Data Sheets provide a lot of information about how to use chemicals safely in the lab.
But there’s also another way to learn about a chemical...and that’s by reading its label.
The new GHS format requires each chemical in the lab to be labeled with...the product
name...a signal Word, such as “Danger” or “Caution”...
Physical, Health and Environmental Hazard Statements...
Precautionary Statements...Pictograms...
First Aid instructions...and the supplier’s contact information.
Pictograms consist of a symbol on a white background, framed in a red border.
Each pictogram represents a specific hazard.
Health
Flammability
Toxicity
Compressed gasses
Skin and eye protection
Unstable explosives
Oxidizers.
An oxidizer is a chemical that initiates combustion through the release of oxygen
Environmental hazards
and Acute toxicity.
Now you know how to identify potential chemical hazards by looking at both safety data sheets
and chemical labels.
In our next lesson we’ll examine some important techniques for handling chemicals safely.