Faculty/School: Faculty of Pharmacy Initial Issue Date: Nov 2008 Next Review Date: Oct 2017 SWP Reference Number: Version: 5 Version Issue Date: Oct 2016 SWP Title: Prepared by: Working with flammable chemicals Description: Procedure to use, store and spill response for flammable chemicals Dr Sarah Cui, Dr Alpesh Patel and Padmaja Dhanvate Responsible supervisor/s: Research Supervisors and Laboraoty Managers List the Hazards and risk controls as per risk assessment Associated assessment reference: risk Hazards Risk controls Consult SDS for potential hazards of a specific chemical Exposure to chemicals It is essential that you know the risks of the chemicals you are working with *before* you begin hands-on work. Check with your supervisor if you are unsure about anything, especially if you are not sure the risks of the chemical can be adequately controlled. Suitable PPE and adequate training Fire and explosion Segregate incompatible chemicals and keep ignition sources away from flammable chemicals. Store flammables away from the work bench. Keep as small quantity as possible of hazardous chemicals in work area. Spill/Leak Turn off/remove sources of ignition, cover spill with absorbent, ventilate room, avoid static discharge, no synthetic materials in clothing, notify emergency services Evacuation of laboratory and adjacent areas as necessary, room ventilation via fume cupboard, appropriate respirators List resources required including personal protective clothing, chemicals and equipment needed Flammable storage cabinets. Approved flammable storage cabinets may be necessary depending on the quantity of stock flammable chemicals which needed to be on-hand, and the amount of flammable chemical waste generated. Protective gloves. Heavier Nitrile gloves are required for cleaning up spills and are always required whenever the hands or fingers must be immersed in the solvent. The Nitrile gloves provided by the PSFC provide adequate protection against alcohols, but are degraded by acetone. Any gloves which are dirty or which have been penetrated by solvent should be discarded. Glasses. Safety glasses are necessary for most solvent operations. Employees who do not wear glasses or who wear contact lenses must be provided with splash-proof chemical goggles or face shields when handling flammable solvents. Contact lens wearers shall always wear splash-proof goggles when handling solvents. Face shields. Face shields may be necessary when there exists the potential for splashes or explosions from use of large quantities of solvents. Spill materials. Paper towels or adsorbent materials such as spill control pillows, and chemical resistant gloves (Nitrile are provided). Where quantities of flammable solvents can produce an explosive mixture with air in the laboratory, special absorbent materials such as activated carbon (available through Lab Safety Supply) must be considered to eliminate the explosion hazards.
List step by step instructions or order for undertaking the task Use: 1. Obtain and read SDS for each flammable chemical to be handled. 2. Wear PPE, especially eye protection, lab coat and gloves. 3. Know the location of the nearest appropriate spill kit, fire extinguisher, fire blanket and emergency exits before beginning work. All workers should be trained in fire control measures before working with flammables. 4. Large bottles of flammable liquids should be transported using a Winchester carrier. Smaller bottles should be transported inside a secondary lockable container where possible (e.g. polyethylene). Use two hands to carry bottles. 5. Flammables should be used in a well-ventilated area, preferably a working fumehood (volumes > 100 ml) 6. Only use the smallest practical quantities of flammables for the experiment being performed. Lids of containers should be kept tightly closed when not in use. 7. Do not use flammables near naked flames (e.g. Bunsen burners) and other ignition sources such as power points and electrical equipment (e.g. hot plates). 8. Flammables should not be used within 3 metres from any potential ignition source (e.g. electrical devices including fridges and freezers). 9. Ensure all containers containing flammable chemicals are appropriately labelled according to the GHS guidelines 10. Dispose of excess/unused flammable chemical waste into designated flammable/solvent waste receptacles for disposal as hazardous wastes do not put down sink. Spill procedures and waste disposal: NB: Call Emergency Number x13333, if spills you are not prepared to manage internally as the following scopes: Packing Group I, spillage > 500ml; Packing Group II & III, Spillage > 2.5L Hazardous Materials (Hazmat)-Fire and Rescue NSW will respond and deal with these spillages. 1. Immediately check yourself for contamination. If contaminated, remove contaminated protective clothing and examine your clothes for contamination which may have soaked through. If day clothing is contaminated, remove, and wash skin under running water immediately for 15 minutes or until medical attention arrives. 2. Notify others and clear the area of unprotected personnel (i.e. evacuate the lab if risk of fire is high or inhalation risk exists). 3. DO NOT open windows to ventilate the spill as this will usually push the vapours into uncontrolled parts of the building which will require a larger evacuation and potential for widespread exposure. 4. If you do not have a fume cupboard and windows are the only means of ventilation, then only open them after the liquid has been absorbed and bagged. The need for further evacuation must be assessed prior to opening the windows. 5. To prevent a fire safely, PRESS ON emergency power isolation button. DO NOT operate switches on equipment or power outlets in the immediate vicinity of the spill as this could ignite any vapours. Extinguish open flames / isolate other ignition sources in the area around the spillage. 6. Call Emergency Number if Quantity of the spillage exceeds 500ml for Packing Group I and 2.5L for Packing Group II & III. 7. Only personnel trained to clean up a spillage are to be involved in the clean-up. 8. At least 2 persons are required for spills clean up. 9. Check MSDS for specifics of PPE for organic vapour (type A1) or low boiling point organic compounds (type AX1). 10. Use formalin cartridge if the spillage is formalin. 11. Post notice/sign on door to restrict/prevent entry to the lab during clean up and ventilation period. 12. Second person (trained personal) to have fire extinguisher at the ready should the need arise. 13. Contain the spillage by using the Boom bunding in the adjacent chemical spill kit, more than one may be required to contain the spill, this will depend on the size of the spill. For smaller spillages boom bunding may not be necessary. The spill may be encircled in powdered absorbent, sand or vermiculite. 14. Carefully check the limits of the spill to avoid walking into it or any spatter on the floor. Page 2
15. COVER SLOWLY and absorb the spill with non-combustible absorbent pads (or sand, vermiculite or proprietary powder) from the chemical spill kit starting from the outside of the spill area working towards the center. If the spill is very small, one pad may be to the appropriate size of the spill. 16. Collect the absorbed spillage using a dustpan and plastic spatulas or scoops and place into a white bucket / plastic bags provided. Tie the bag with a cable tie and double contain in a second bag also sealed with a cable tie. 17. Thoroughly rinse the floor or site of Chemical Spillage with water and dispose of rinse water down the sink. Some mild detergent should be added to remove residual contamination. 18. Wash contaminated gloves prior to removal and wash hands thoroughly. Put on clean disposable gloves and remove other PPE. Contaminated PPE should be washed and cleaned ASAP. Do not remove respirator until you have left the laboratory. 19. The laboratory where the spillage occurred should be allowed to ventilate for 30-60 minutes (depending on room ventilation) to remove hazardous vapours. Ventilation should occur via the fume cupboards. If no fume cupboard is present then open windows, but you may need to evacuate the adjacent labs and floors as vapours will travel through the building during this period. 20. Label the waste as follows: Solvent Name & Concentration, Contaminated absorbent pads, broken glass (if smashed Winchester included), Chemical Spillage Boom/pads (if used). 21. Organise for Chemical waste disposal by the usual method. 22. The person who spilled the acid or a witness should complete an online incident report via Riskware by their supervisor or staff member who works in the lab 23. Used contents of the Spill Kit must be replaced immediately or at least within 24 hours; contact facility officer at pharmacy.facilities@sydney.edu.au to get spare items for refilling the spill kit. 24. Remove any contamination from the re-usable PPE. Storage: 1. All flammables should be stored correctly in dedicated flammables/solvent cabinets away from incompatible materials (e.g. oxidisers and acids) - consult individual chemical s SDS for storage compatibilities with other chemicals. Do not store flammables in sump area (base of cabinet). Maximum volume capacities of cabinets apply. 2. Flammables that are used infrequently and any large or excess volumes of flammable should be stored in the dangerous goods depot, rather than in the laboratory. 3. Flammables should not be stored in normal refrigerators these are electrical devices and thus a potential ignition source (fridges must be appropriately approved for flammable storage). 4. The minimum possible amount of flammables should be kept in the work area. Empty or near-empty bottles should be removed from the laboratory. Do not store full or empty bottles on the floor as they present a tripping hazard. List emergency shutdown procedures Isolate power to nearby equipment but allow fume cupboard fans to continue to run. DO NOT operate equipment switches or power outlets as this may cause a spark and ignite vapours. Turn off gas supply to lit bunsen burners to extinguish flames. Isolate power via the EMERGENCY stop button adjacent to the exit. Follow local emergency procedures and approach emergency contacts. List Emergency procedures for how to deal with fires, spills or exposure to hazardous substances Fire: Cover the fire with a fire blanket if it can be fully contained underneath the blanket otherwise use a fire extinguisher (for trained users). Carbon dioxide or dry powder is suitable for flammable liquid spills. Be prepared for re-ignition: do not leave the scene unless fumes or smoke are hazardous. Spill: see above spills procedure Exposure: remove contaminated protective clothing and examine your clothes for contamination which may have soaked through. If day clothing is contaminated, remove, and wash skin under running water immediately for 15 minutes or until medical attention arrives. Page 3
List Clean up and waste disposal requirements See above and chemical waste disposal. List references used in the development of this SWP, e.g. codes of practice Work Health and Safety Act 2011 NSW Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Regulation 2002 WorkCover NSW Code of Practice Control of Workplace Hazardous Substances 2006 WorkCover NSW Code of Practice Storage and Handling of Dangerous Goods 2005 University's WHS Policy. List competency required qualifications, certificates, licensing, training - e.g. course or instruction: The training for this procedure is required; users need to be competency prior to starting any research using hazardous substances. Staff approved to assess competence for this SWP Research Supervisors SWP Sign off sheet SWP name and version: In signing this section the assessor agrees that the following persons are competent in following this SWP. Name Signature Date Competent Name Assessor/Authoriser of Assessor/Authoriser signature Page 4
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