For greater protection Workplaces handling hazardous materials

Transcription

1 For greater protection Workplaces handling hazardous materials Safety is of the utmost importance when handling hazardous materials. Where questions arise about how to carry out procedures for specialized work, the first step is a risk assessment to identify the specific risks involved. It is also important to be familiar with all current laws and regulations concerning hazardous materials. Based on the Labor Protection Act, the Hazardous Materials Directive and the Technical Regulations for Hazardous Substances are the fundamental references when handling hazardous materials.* All those using hazardous materials are therefore confronted with the question of what safeguards are possible and need to be put in place with regard to the workplace and its environment. One answer is found in the ordinance BGI/GUV-I Working Safely in Laboratories. The guidelines for laboratories can also be very easily applied to other similar workplaces. The same is true of the experience gained in practice and the equipment and safety devices used so that no-one should be accountable for inadequate safeguards. Protective measures Explicit handling of hazardous materials requires protective measures of a technical nature with the highest standards placed on equipment to ensure that any potential hazards are under total control. This includes the protection of personnel and the workplace environment such as safe and secure handling when other materials and equipment are involved. This means that all necessary steps must be taken to avoid dangerous situations or to ensure that, when they occur, they are minor and of short duration. Workplace design Hazardous workplaces are designed for the task in hand and the materials used. Exacting standards are already in place for furnaces, hazardous areas and exhaust systems. By using suitable equipment, reliable and protective solutions can be applied to meet the task in hand where safety is found in the detail. Work benches and surfaces Depending on their location, fittings and work surfaces should be selected for their correct design and materials and are to be resistant to the chemical, physical and thermal environment they are in. Laboratory benches should thus be smooth, non-porous and easy to clean and disinfect. A rim lip ensures that liquids cannot drip onto the floor while a splash guard protects when work surfaces are opposite. The easy-to-clean wide-format laboratory bench tops, sinks in non-porous technical ceramic and a seamless and continuous rim lip are the perfect combination for resistance to chemicals, scratches and temperature. This engineering is ideal for exhaust systems, basins and sinks or other wet chemical workplaces and now offers a new working environment with all built-in safety standards. 1 P age

2 Fig. 1: Workplaces with benches and urethane-acrylic coated separating panels providing high chemical resistance and excellent protection against a wide variety of aggressive media. (Photo: Trespa International) The patented self-supporting phenol resin tops, reinforced with cellulose fiber, are ideal for handling dry materials and also, in combination with the ceramic sinks, for wet materials. The extremely rugged acrylic urethane work tops with their antibacterial properties are also ideal fittings for engineering and medical applications and for clean room facilities. The sealed and easy-to-clean surfaces are antimicrobial so that the tops do not have to be treated. Bacteria, mold and other microorganisms cannot multiply or penetrate into any surface. It can easily be cleaned with aggressive chemicals as the worktops are not only sanitary but also extremely resistant. Unlike conventional laminates, the smooth and dirt-resistant top is impermeable to all clinical and biological materials. Fig. 2: The technical ceramic work tops are resistant to fire and a wide range of chemicals. (Photo: FRIATEC AG, Mannheim) This versatile material is ideally suited for a wide range of interior applications and is also an effective protection for walls and other surfaces where durability and ease of maintenance is required. 2 P age

3 Storage of hazardous materials Hazardous materials must be held or stored in such a way to withstand any potential danger and not endanger lives or the environment. Depending on the category of the material and its location, appropriate options are available: outside storage, in specially-designated storage areas or in safety storage cabinets on site. When using EN-approved on-site safety storage cabinets, materials should be securely stored and not transported over long distances to the workplace. Thus the chemicals can be safely stored on site where needed. Modern safety storage cabinets provide optimum protection for flammable liquids and gas cylinders. In event of a fire, they allow time for personnel to reach safety and to initiate fire-fighting and other emergency measures before the material has time to ignite. Special acid and alkali safety storage cabinets are also available for protection against corrosive materials. Fig. 3: A safety storage cabinet with folding doors to store flammable liquids. In case of fire, hazardous materials in the cabinet remain protected. (Photo: asecos GmbH) Current EU standard (EN 14470) defines the requirements for the design and fire resistance for storing flammable liquids and gases in work areas. The most important features of a safety storage cabinet are the fire protection with automatic doors, ventilation (including fire protection valves) and an integrated collecting tray. A fire resistance of 90 minutes, for example, ensures that the fire-resistant tops and their foam seals protect the interior of the cabinet and insulating it from the heat outside. If the doors of special safety storage cabinets are open, then they will close automatically when the temperature reaches 50 C. The safety storage cabinet is ideal for the storage of acids and alkalis due to its extreme chemical resistance to corrosive chemicals. The interior of the cabinet is lined with panels which are highly chemically resistant. Cabinets of this kind can be used for storing flammable liquids, acids and alkalis together in separate and individually-ventilated chambers. Feed pipes To continuously supply liquid and gaseous materials to laboratory benches and ventilating systems, the feed pipes are securely mounted, tested for leaks and clearly and indelibly marked. Burning gas feed pipes to one or more adjacent outlets must be shut off separately. It is recommended that the main shut-off valves for all media are located in a secure area and, according to the location, is easily accessible and emergency shut-off devices are installed which are clearly marked. For greater distances it may be necessary to have emergency shut-off valves devices at more than one point. 3 P age

4 Control devices and fittings To avoid confusion, points of use and shut-off valves must to be clearly marked according to DIN EN Color coding of taps and valves for use in laboratories. When handling dangerous substances, only those valves provide the safety required which are made of a material compatible with such substances and are designed to be in constant use. Rugged connections and high-quality couplings, along with specially-designed and selected gas valve seals, ensure an extreme integrity for tightness. Thick walls far above the standard required give additional stability and an electrostatic coating process ensures that the surfaces are highly chemically resistant. Fig. 4: To open the flammable gas valves, the handle must first be pressed and then turned to the left. The two red pins slide out and are then clearly visible thus plainly showing the OPEN/CLOSED position of the valve. (Photo: Broen Armaturen GmbH, Gernsheim) A wide number of versions and designs are available so that the valves and fittings can be easily and safely operated in the most difficult location. At the point of use for burning gases, the only valves permitted are those secured against accidental opening. Valves for ventilation systems may only be operated externally. Fume cupboards and ventilation systems Laboratories must be fitted with sufficient ventilation equipment to be effective at all times. The air supply must be warmed if necessary and conveyed draft-free to its point of use. The air flow should not be lower than 25 m 3 /h pro m 2 of working surface High demands are placed on the ventilation for exhaust systems. They must therefore be designed so that, when in operation, no gas, vapor or dust build-up to dangerous concentrations in the interior of the ventilation system which can flow into the laboratory. In addition, no dangerous and explosive atmosphere is to build up in the interior of the ventilation system and personnel are to be protected from the splashing of dangerous chemicals and glass splinters. The minimum requirements to be observed are defined in the standard EN Maximum safety is ensured by using effective scrubbers installed locally. They can also minimize negative environmental impact and prevent corrosion from aggressive exhaust gases to the exhaust and ventilation systems. A high degree of separation is achieved by using an efficient filter system, low pressure loss, an exhaust air scrubber and changing the washing liquid. The scrubbing slurry from the exhaust air scrubber must, just like laboratory wastewater, be processed according to local laws before being put into the public wastewater system. This can be done by a decentralized processing plant directly at source, e.g. installed under a fume cupboard. This direct connection increases safety and protection against aggressive media. 4 P age

5 Emergency shower systems Areas of the body in contact with hazardous substances must be immediately and thoroughly rinsed as this is an important part of effective first aid. In laboratories, water must be applied to areas of the body affected within 5 seconds. Eye washes that can immediately rinse both eyes with sufficient water should be immediately accessible at any workplace. For quick and effective first aid, it is especially important that the emergency showers should, if possible, exceed both all local requirements and appropriate standards (EN Part 1,2 and ANSI). A special shower head thus guarantees an optimum cascade and spread of water in event of an accident. It is also possible to remove damaged clothing and to hold the affected area of the body in the water spray. The design of simple and effective eye washes ensures quick pain relief to the eyes. With the spray of water directed upwards between 10 and 30 cm above the angled rinse head, the injured person can use both hands to keep the eyes open when rinsing. Summary Wherever hazardous materials are involved, any procedure must be carried out quickly and efficiently. This is only made possible by having equipment designed for the task in hand. It not only provides the highest degree of safety but also complies with and even exceeds all required standards and regulations. * A detailed overview of the legislation and how to handle hazardous materials is given in a 70 page brochure produced by asecos. Authors: Excellence4Lab.: This is a cooperation between the companies asecos GmbH, Gründau; BROEN A/S, Assens, Denmark; FRIATEC AG, Mannheim; TRESPA International, WEERT in the Netherlands; v.i.s.d.p. Dipl.-Ing. Thomas Gasdorf Contact address: Excellence4Lab c/o BROEN Armaturen GmbH Industriestraße 8 D Gernsheim Germany Tel.: +49/(0)6258/93190 Fax: +49/(0)6258/ info@broen.de Internet: 5 P age