RISK ASSESSMENT FOR NEW EXPERIMENTS

Preview This section presents questions and ideas to consider when starting work in a new laboratory or visiting a new laboratory. 

A postdoctoral researcher was purifying an organic azide compound using vacuum distillation when an explosion occurred. The ceramic top of the heating mantle fractured and fragments were embedded in his face. Eye protection was being worn. 

A graduate student cleaned some NMR tubes using aqua regia. The residue (about 50 niL) was placed in a 4-L waste bottle when he finished. He capped it and placed it in a flammable storage cabinet. About an hour later, the bottle exploded and broke a nearby bottle of pyridine. The pyridine leaked out onto the floor but did not ignite. It dissolved some floor tiles and its foul odor was distributed throughout the lab. 

What lessons can be learned from these incidents  

Planning for safety is essential because once you begin the experiment it s often too late to stop what is going to happen. The concepts and principles in this book prepare you to carry out work in the laboratory and to conduct experiments safely. Nevertheless, this book can only deal in basic principles and cannot foresee all future experiments. Because every experiment is different, its hazards require careful consideration to minimize opportunities for adverse events or incidents. Your safety and the safety of others depend on you consistently and repeatedly applying what you have learned. This is a continuous 

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