Chemicals in the Laboratory

1. Chemicals in the Laboratory Occupational Hygiene Unit

2. Chemicals in the Lab • Legal Requirements • Drugs and Poisons • Dangerous Goods • Hazardous Substances • Risk Assessments Occupational Hygiene Unit

3. Legal Requirements • Worksafe • Is part of the Victorian Workcover Authority • Promote and enforce health and safety in Victorian workplaces • Responsible authority for the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the Dangerous Goods Act 1985 • All dangerous goods and hazardous substances but not drugs and poisons Occupational Hygiene Unit

4. Legal Requirements • Department of Health and Ageing • Responsible authority for the Drugs and Poisons Regulations • Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (SUSDP) Occupational Hygiene Unit

5. Drugs and Poisons,Dangerous Goods & Hazardous Substances Occupational Hygiene Unit

6. Drugs and Poisons • Many chemicals listed (list updated 3 – 4 times a year) • Schedules 1 through to 9 • Different legal requirements for each Schedule • Specific labelling rules for many Schedules • Specific storage requirements for Schedules 4, 7, 8 and 9 Occupational Hygiene Unit

7. Drugs and Poisons • Labelling Rules • Specific to each Schedule • Different depending on listing within Schedule and end use • See Occupational Hygiene Unit for access to SUSDP Occupational Hygiene Unit

8. Drugs and Poisons • Storage • Schedule 4 & 7 • Keep in locked cupboard • Order and delivery paperwork kept • ALL use to be logged, with clear concise reason for use and containers weighed pre and post usage and witnessed by Authorised Signatory • Schedule 8 & 9 • Keep in approved Safe (key held by Approved Signatory) • Order and delivery paperwork kept • ALL use to be logged, with clear concise reason for use and containers weighed pre and post usage and witnessed by Authorised Signatory Occupational Hygiene Unit

9. Dangerous Goods • What are Dangerous Goods? • Why do I need to know? • What do I do when I have found them? Occupational Hygiene Unit

10. What are Dangerous Goods? • Essentially they have the potential to create a “dangerous situation” by their chemical nature • Can cause an immediate threat to health (eg. Fire or explosion) • Listed in the ADG Code, or • Meet the criteria referenced in the ADG Code Occupational Hygiene Unit

11. What are Dangerous Goods? Occupational Hygiene Unit

12. Dangerous Goods Flammables Maximum quantity of Flammable liquid within a laboratory (outside of a DG Class 3 Flammable safety cabinet) is 10 kg or L per 50 m2 Occupational Hygiene Unit

13. Dangerous Goods Oxidizers Occupational Hygiene Unit

14. Dangerous Goods Corrosives Occupational Hygiene Unit

15. What are Dangerous Goods? Toxic (Poisonous) Occupational Hygiene Unit

16. Dangerous Goods Radioactive Occupational Hygiene Unit

17. What are Dangerous Goods? Miscellaneous Occupational Hygiene Unit

18. Why do I need to know about Dangerous Goods? • To comply with Victorian Worksafe Dangerous Goods (Storage and Handling) Regulations 2000, as required by law • To protect the health and safety of the worker and prevent damage to property and/or the environment Occupational Hygiene Unit

19. What do I do when I find Dangerous Goods? As specified by the regulations, users of Dangerous Goods must ensure: • Correct storage • Correct labelling • Keep a register of dangerous goods • MSDS available • Undertake a Risk Assessment • Keep a record of the risk assessment • Review and revise the risk assessment Occupational Hygiene Unit

20. Hazardous Substances • What are Hazardous Substances? • Why do I need to know? • What do I do when I have found them? Occupational Hygiene Unit

21. What are Hazardous Substances? • Substances that can cause illness or disease. Can be acute or chronic • Are listed in the List of Designated Hazardous Substances; or • Meets the criteria for a hazardous substance set out in the Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances • Noted on the MSDS (if from Australia or Europe) Occupational Hygiene Unit

22. Why do I need to know about Hazardous Substances? • To comply with the Victorian Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2007, as required by law • To protect people at work against risks to their health associated with the use of hazardous substances Occupational Hygiene Unit

23. What do I do when I have Hazardous Substances? As specified by the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2007, users must ensure: • Correct labelling • Keep a register of hazardous substances • MSDS available • Undertake a Risk Assessment • Keep a record of the risk assessment • Review and revise the risk assessment Occupational Hygiene Unit

24. Hazardous Substances Risk Phrases • A list of standard terms that describes the hazard associated with the chemical • Examples • Methanol • R11 Highly flammable • R23/25 Toxic by inhalation and if swallowed • Nitric acid • R35 Causes severe burns • Dichloromethane • R40(3) Limited evidence of a carcinogenic effect, group 3 carcinogen Occupational Hygiene Unit

25. Risk Phrases For the purposes of classification, health effects are subdivided into: • acute lethal effects (R20-28); • non-lethal irreversible effects after a single exposure (R39, R68); • severe effects after repeated or prolonged exposure (R48); • cumulative effects (R33); • corrosive effects (R34, R35); • irritant effects (R36, R37, R38, R41); • sensitizing effects (R42, R43); • carcinogenic effects (R40, R45, R49); • mutagenic effects (R46) • reproductive effects (R60-64); and • other toxicological effects (R65-R67) A substance may have more than one health effect Occupational Hygiene Unit

26. Hazardous Substances IARC Carcinogen Classification • Group 1 Known human carcinogen • Group 2A Probable human carcinogen • Group 2B Possible human carcinogen • Group 3 Not classifiable for human carcinogenicity • Group 4 Probably not carcinogenic to humans Occupational Hygiene Unit

27. Labelling • Name shall be spelt out in full • Can use sample numbers when associated with a sample register • Must be legible • For Dangerous Goods include class diamond • Should include the risk phrase or signal word • Nitric acid • R35 Causes severe burns or • Nitric acid • Corrosive Occupational Hygiene Unit

28. Labelling Nitric acid 70% R35 Causes severe burns or • Nitric acid 5M • Corrosive Occupational Hygiene Unit

29. Dilute Solutions Corrosive • If pH of solution is less than 2 or greater than 11.5 solution is corrosive • If pH is between 2 and 11.5 then it is no longer classified as corrosive • Strong acids and bases diluted below 0.01M are no longer corrosive Occupational Hygiene Unit

30. Dilute Solutions Need to refer to tables in Approved Criteria for Classifying Hazardous Substances (NOHSC) 2004 Occupational Hygiene Unit

31. Chemical Storage Dangerous Goods chemicals must be separated by • distance(refer to Table on following page) or • a fire rated partition • eg. Flammable liquid storage cabinets Oxidising agents storage cabinets Occupational Hygiene Unit

32. Segregation Segregation Guide AS/NZS 3833:2007 Occupational Hygiene Unit

33. Segregation Accessed by Deakin University on 8/2/10 Occupational Hygiene Unit

34. Risk Assessments • Which Dangerous Goods/Hazardous Substances require a risk assessment? • When to do a risk assessment? • How to do a risk assessment? Occupational Hygiene Unit

35. Which Dangerous Goods/Hazardous Substances require a risk assessment? Category 4 and 5 • Categories are determined by the chemical’s risk phrases (found on MSDS) and displayed in Risk Assessment pro-forma • Category 5 DANGER “Probable injury and destruction” • Category 4 WARNING “Threatening work” Occupational Hygiene Unit

36. When to do a risk assessment? • all category 4 and 5’s • once MSDS is obtained • when ordering new chemicals (before it arrives in the store) • before storing and handling Occupational Hygiene Unit

37. Risk Assessment Pro forma Occupational Hygiene Unit

38. Risk Assessment Pro forma Occupational Hygiene Unit

39. Risk Assessment Pro forma Occupational Hygiene Unit

40. Risk Assessment Pro forma Occupational Hygiene Unit

41. How to do a risk assessment? Complete RA pro forma • Risk Evaluation • e.g. Corrosives Low risk – 20 mL dilute hydrochloric acid (HCl) High risk – 20 mL hydrofluoric acid (HF) Flammables Low risk – 100 mL flammable liquid in fume hood High risk – 2 L flammable liquid heated Occupational Hygiene Unit

42. How to do a risk assessment? Complete RA pro forma • Control measures • Elimination - assess need • Substitution - for a less hazardous substance • Engineering - e.g. fume hoods, glove box • Administration - training, safe work procedures • PPCE - e.g. nitrile gloves, face shields, aprons Occupational Hygiene Unit

43. Peroxides Peroxides can be EXPLOSIVE!!! • Peroxide forming chemicals eg. Diethyl ether, propan-2-ol, tetrahydrofuran (check on MSDS for peroxide formation) • Good lab practices (Must be dated upon arrival & upon opening) • Safe handling (i.e. potentially explosive) • Regular testing required (every 6 months) once opened using strips available from lab manager Occupational Hygiene Unit

44. Chlorine based chemicals e.g. hypochlorites for bleaching, disinfecting, rinsing • Good lab practices (Must be dated upon arrival & upon opening) • Lose activity over time so effectiveness is reduced • Regular testing required (every 6 months) to check chlorine content Occupational Hygiene Unit

45. Permit Systems • Permit to Work System • “Permit for Unattended Operations” • Download from the OHS web page • Experiment in progress sign and emergency contact details on lab entrance • Fill out log book for after hours work • Keep lab tidy and clean at all times Occupational Hygiene Unit

46. Web Addresses OHS web page • http://www.deakin.edu.au/scitech/current/ohs/ • http://www.deakin.edu.au/scitech/staff-only/ohs/index.php Occupational Hygiene Unit