Improving Safety in the Chemical Laboratory

The work of accident prevention in the lab begins with foresight.Discerning "close calls"--near accidents--early enough preventsthem from turning into full-fledged mishaps, mishaps that cost timeand money, and which could result in injury. Improving Safety inthe Chemical Laboratory is an accident prevention handbook for theprofessional in the lab that shows how to detect and eliminate thecauses of dangerous mishaps--and virtually "hazard proof" any labenvironment. In unequivocally clear and practical terms, ImprovingSafety in the Chemical Laboratory, Second Edition offers detailedprocedures--from precautionary labeling to simulated drills, safetyinspections,and the preparation of a chemical hygiene plan--for thedevelopment of a safety-enhanced workplace. Reflecting, in part,the upgraded procedures now mandated by the OSHA LaboratoryStandard in the USA, as well as the WHMIS regulations in Canada andthe COSHH regulations in the United Kingdom, this newest editionoffers unparalleled and up-to-date guidance on the fine points ofhazard control, with new added material on managing and handlingespecially hazardous substances and personal protectiveequipment:

* The 95 percent solution: the list of causes of laboratoryaccidents

* Hazard categories: unsafe acts; unsafe conditions

* Selecting and maintaining personal protective conditions

* Accident handling

* Classes of fuels and fires

* Preventing and extinguishing fires

* Toxic effects of chemicals

* Recognition of and treatment for exposure

* Chemical specific safety protocol

* Storage of lab chemicals

* Safe disposal of hazardous waste

* Personal protective equipment in the laboratory

* Improving hood performance

* Designing safety into new or renovated laboratories

A comprehensive, one-volume safety seminar, Improving Safety in theChemical Laboratory will provide indispensable guidance to labsupervisors and workers, teachers and students, and anyone involvedin the investigation of chemical accidents and injury. In clearlanguage that quickly details the full range of hidden--andavoidable--laboratory hazards, Improving Safety in the ChemicalLaboratory, Second Edition offers the most up-to-date, practical,and easy-to-implement lab safety regimen yet available.