Laboratory safety, flexible

Flexible Laboratory Design within the Constraints of Safety... 

In many large institutions, the environmental health and safety department has developed a generic Chemical Hygiene Plan, but the plan must be modified to include detailed protections that are specific to each laboratory and its workers. This approach allows considerable flexibility in achieving the performance-based goals of the Laboratory Standard. Model Chemical Hygiene Plans are available from the OSHA consultation service, from the American Chemical Society, and from some professional associations or commercial sources. 

Hoses can be so useful, yes even indispensable, and yet used without sufficient discipline and caution they can be a menace. The British Health and Safety Laboratory studied 718 Loss of Containment Incidents occurring between 1991 and 2002 and published it in 2003 [7]. Loss of containment incidents were identified from about 2500 investigations reported to the Health and Safety Executive. It is surprising that the HSE reported that the site of release of about 9.7% of all of the loss of containment incidents occurred involving a flexible hose. Said differently, about 10% of all loss of containment involved flexible hoses. The report is cryptic and statistical in nature. The report stated that 3.9% on the releases were at cotmections, 2.6% were in the hose body and 3.2% were open-ended sitirations. 

Health and Safety Laboratory (2009) Reinforcing wire corrosion in flexible pipe . Health and Safety Laboratory Literature Survey ES/MM/09/07, available online http //www. hse.gov.uk7research/hsl pdf/2009/esmm0907.pdf, retrieved September 2011. 

Working hours are maiidy nine to five-thirty, with local variations. Those involved in research often work in a flexible environment and longer hours may be necessary at certain stages of a project. For practical reasons, safety and maintenance work on hospital eqnipment is likely to be performed ont of hours. The workplace may be an office, laboratory, workshop, hospital or clinic, or more likely a combination of the above. 

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