Selection of Protective Laboratory

Testing Requirements of Peroxidizable Compounds Tests for the Presence of Peroxides Characteristics of Chemical-Resistant Materials Selection of Protective Laboratory Garments Protective Clothing Levels Selection of Laboratory Gloves Selection of Respirator Cartridges and Filters Effects of Electrical Current on the Human Body Electrical Requirements of Common Laboratory Devices... 

The following table provides guidance in the selection of protective gloves for laboratory use.1" If protection from more than one class of chemical is required, double gloving should be considered. 

For selection of protection components and devices, the transient voltage withstand level of equipments and circuit components must be known or conservatively estimated. For most equipment and circuit components, standards do not exist for lightning transient levels. Therefore, information available from manufacturers must be obtained, laboratory testing performed or conservative engineering estimates used. Limits for common types of equipments and components are provided for guidance. 

Hot plates. The electrically heated hot plate, preferably provided with three controls — Low , Medium and High — is of great value in the analytical laboratory. The heating elements and the internal wiring should be totally enclosed this protects them from fumes or spilled liquids. Electric hot plates with stepless controls are also marketed these permit a much greater selection of surface temperatures to be made. A combined electric hot plate and magnetic stirrer is also available. For some purposes a steam bath may be used. 

Eye protection is mandatory for almost all types of laboratory work. A wide selection of safety glasses and goggles is available from suppliers of safety equipment, many especially designed for specific purposes. There are official specifications for such glasses, and it is unwise to buy any w hich are claimed to be as good as the ones guaranteed to meet those specifications. 

There was an instance in which a laboratory that had conducted a number of studies for EPA regulatory purposes went out of business and the records relating to studies the laboratory had conducted were lost. In this case EPA required many of the studies to be repeated. The lesson to be learned from this experience is that a sponsor should be very careful in the selection of contract facilities and should periodically check with the contract lab to ensure that the laboratory continues to operate and that study records continue to be maintained. Some sponsors obtain the specimens and/or originals or copies of aU raw data for contracted studies for storage in their own archives to protect against the loss of raw data at the contract laboratory. 

The OPCW mobile laboratory equipment has been selected to allow operation of a GC/MS laboratory on site, aiming at a performance similar to the one of a stationary laboratory using a standard bench top instrument. However, restrictions in the selection and operation of the equipment (i.e. protection of confidential information) and issues related to logistics/transport of the laboratory equipment cause certain limitations, which are described in the paragraphs below. 

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