Types of common laboratory accidents and methods of prevention

4 Types of Common Fire Accident

Fire Accidents

The occurrence of fire accidents is universal and can occur in almost all laboratories. The direct causes of such accidents are:

1. Forgot to turn off the power, causing the equipment or electrical appliances to be energized for

too long, the temperature is too high, causing fire; (August 8, 2005, a laboratory of Capital Normal

University caught fire, the cause of the fire: the school’s master student Wei Mou in the morning The

experiment was done in the laboratory. The power was not turned off at noon. The “rotor” of the experimental instrument was still running, and the fire was caused by a short circuit.

2. The power supply line is aging and overloaded, causing the line to heat up and cause fire;

3. Inadvertent or improper storage of inflammable and explosive materials, so that the fire source is in contact with flammable substances, causing fire;

4. Throwing cigarette butts, touching flammable substances, causing fire.

Explosive accidents

Explosive accidents occur mostly in laboratories with inflammable and explosive materials and

pressure vessels. The direct causes of such accidents are:

1. Explosion caused by the use of equipment and pressure vessels (such as high-pressure gas

cylinders) in violation of the operating procedures;

2. The equipment is aging, there are faults or defects, causing leakage of inflammable and explosive materials, causing explosions in case of sparks.

3. improper handling of flammable and explosive materials, resulting in combustion and explosion; such items (such as trinitrotoluene, picric acid, ammonium nitrate, azide, etc.) are subject to high thermal friction, impact, vibration and other external factors or other properties When the incompatible materials come into contact, a violent chemical reaction occurs, generating a large amount of gas and high heat, causing an explosion.

4. Strong oxidants can decompose in combination with substances that are incompatible with nature, causing combustion and explosion.

5. Explosion of equipment, drugs, etc. caused by fire accidents.

Poisonous Accidents

Most toxic accidents occur in laboratories with chemicals and highly toxic substances and in

laboratories with toxic emissions. The direct causes of such accidents are:

1. Bring food into the toxic laboratory, causing ingestion poisoning (for example: a staff member

at a university in Nanjing mistakenly used the aniline-containing intermediate product in the

refrigerator as a sour plum soup, causing poisoning, because the refrigerator was used in the

refrigerator. Stored sour plum soup for staff to drink);

2. Equipment facilities are aging, there are faults or defects, causing leakage of toxic substances or toxic gas emissions, resulting in poisoning;

3. Poor management, inadvertent operation or illegal operation, improper handling of toxic

substances after the experiment, resulting in the loss of toxic substances, causing poisoning and environmental pollution;

4. The wastewater discharge pipeline is blocked or modified, causing the toxic wastewater to flow out without treatment, causing environmental pollution.

Mechanical and electrical injury human accident

Electromechanical injuries occur mostly in laboratories with high-speed rotation or impact motion, or in laboratories with live work and in laboratories with high temperatures. The performance and immediate cause of the accident are:

1. Improper operation or lack of protection, causing crushing, snagging, and collision;

2. Violation of operating procedures or due to aging of equipment and facilities, there are faults and defects, resulting in electric shock and arc sparks;

3. Improper use of high-temperature gas, and liquid damage to people.

Equipment damage accident

Equipment damage accidents occur mostly in laboratories that are heated by electricity. The performance and immediate cause of the accident are:

A sudden power failure due to a line fault or a lightning strike causes the heated medium to fail to return to its original state as required to cause equipment damage. For example, about 20 mercury tube accidents (loss of about 15,000) occurred twice in a university in Hunan not long ago, which was caused by a sudden power outage.

Common laboratory accident handling methods

Prevention and Treatment of Fire Accidents

When using a volatile, flammable organic solvent such as benzene, ethanol, diethyl ether, or acetone, if it is handled inadvertently, it may cause a fire accident. In order to prevent accidents, you must always

pay attention to the following points:

(1) When handling and handling flammable and explosive solvents, keep away from fire;

the residue of explosive solids must be carefully destroyed (such as decomposing metal acetylide with hydrochloric acid or nitric acid); do not throw unfinished matchsticks For substances prone to spontaneous combustion (such as Raney Nickel for hydrogenation reaction) and filter paper with them, they should not be discarded at will, so as to avoid a new source of fire and cause fire.

(2) Before the experiment, carefully check whether the instrument is correct, stable and strict; the operation requirements are correct and strict; during normal pressure operation, do not cause the system to be closed, otherwise explosion accidents may occur; for liquids with boiling points below 80 °C,

Generally, it should be heated by water bath when it is distilled. It can’t be heated directly by fire. In the experimental operation, the organic vapor should be prevented from leaking out, and it should not be heated by the open device. To remove the solvent, it must be done in a fume hood.

(3) It is not allowed to store a large amount of flammable materials in the laboratory. In

the event of a fire in the experiment, you should not be panicked and should remain calm. First cut off all sources of ignition and power in the room immediately. Then rescue and extinguish the fire according to the specific situation.

Common anti-law:

1. When the flammable liquid is burning, immediately remove all flammable substances in the fire area and turn off the ventilator to prevent the combustion from expanding.

2. When alcohol and other water-soluble liquids catch fire, use water to extinguish the fire.

3. When an organic solvent such as gasoline, ether or toluene is on fire, use asbestos cloth or dry sand to extinguish. Never use water, otherwise, it will increase the burning area.

4. When potassium, sodium or lithium is on fire, it must not be used: water, foam fire extinguisher, carbon dioxide, carbon tetrachloride, etc., can be extinguished with dry sand and graphite powder.

5. When the electrical equipment wires are on fire, do not use water and carbon dioxide fire extinguishers (foam fire extinguishers) to avoid electric shock. The power should be turned off before using a carbon dioxide or carbon tetrachloride fire extinguisher.

6. When the clothes are on fire, do not run. Immediately cover them with asbestos cloth or a thick

outer coat, or quickly take off your clothes. When the fire is heavy, you should roll on the floor to

extinguish the flame.

7. When the oven is found to have odor or smoke, the power should be cut off quickly, and slowly

cooled, and the fire extinguisher should be ready for use. Do not rush to open the oven door to avoid

sudden supply of air to help burn (explosion), causing fire.

8. Pay attention to the protection of the site in the event of a fire. Larger fire accidents

should be reported immediately. If there is a serious injury, it should be sent to the hospital

immediately.9. Familiarize yourself with the location of fire extinguishing equipment in the laboratory and how to use the fire extinguisher.

3 Things to Do In Case of Fire

1. Report Fire and Sound Alarm

2 Fire-fighting facilities will be used to save the initial fire;

3 Evacuate Building

How to use a portable dry powder fire extinguisher:

1. First tear off the small lead and pull out the insurance pin;

2. Use one hand to press the pressure handle and then lift the fire extinguisher;

3. Hold the nozzle with the other hand and spray the dry powder jet to the flame root of

the burning zone.

Prevention and Treatment of Explosion Accidents

(1) Certain compounds are prone to explosion.

Such as: peroxides in organic compounds, aromatic poly nitro compounds and nitrates, dry diazonium

salts, azides, heavy metal acetylides, etc., are explosive materials, and should pay special attention to their

use and operation. When the peroxide-containing ether is distilled, there is a danger of explosion, and

the peroxide must be removed beforehand. If there is a peroxide, it can be removed by adding an acidic solution of ferrous sulfate. Aromatic polynitro compounds are not suitable for drying in an oven. The

combination of ethanol and concentrated nitric acid can cause a very strong explosion;

(2) The instrument device is incorrect or incorrectly operated, sometimes causing an

explosion.

If distillation or heating is carried out under normal pressure, the instrument must be connected to the

atmosphere. Be careful when distilling, do not evaporate the material. Glass instruments that are not resistant to external pressure (such as flat-bottomed flasks and Erlenmeyer flasks, etc.) cannot be used during decompression operations.

(3) When a gas such as hydrogen, acetylene or ethylene oxide is mixed with air to a

certain ratio, an explosive mixture will be formed, which will explode if exposed to an open

flame. Therefore, an open flame must be strictly prohibited when using the above substances. For the synthesis reaction with a large amount of heat release, carefully add the material slowly and pay attention to the cooling, and at the same time prevent accidents caused by the leakage of the piston of the dropping funnel.

Prevention and Treatment of Poisoning Accidents Many of the reagents in the experiment were toxic. Toxic substances often cause poisoning through

respiratory inhalation, skin infiltration, and ingestion.

When handling irritating, malodorous and toxic chemicals, such as H2S, NO2, Cl2, Br2, CO, SO2, SO3, HCl, HF, concentrated nitric acid, fuming sulfuric acid, concentrated hydrochloric acid, acetyl chloride, etc., must be in the fume hood In progress. After the fume hood is opened, do not put

your head into the cabinet and keep the laboratory well-ventilated.

In the experiment, direct contact with chemicals should be avoided, especially for direct contact with

drugs. Organic matter on the skin should be washed immediately with plenty of water and soap. Do not wash with organic solvents, as this will only increase the rate at which chemicals penetrate the skin.

Organic matter splashed on the table or the ground should be removed in time. If the

mercury thermometer is accidentally damaged, the mercury that has fallen on the ground should be collected as much as possible and covered with sulphur powder in the place where it is scattered.

The highly toxic substances used in the experiment are kept by the technical leaders of each research group and are distributed to the users in an appropriate amount and the remaining is to be recovered. The utensils containing the toxic substances should be labeled and marked and should be cleaned in time. The operating tables and sinks of the toxic substances are often used. The toxic residues after the experiment must be disposed of in accordance with the laboratory regulations and are not allowed to be littered.

In the operation of toxic substances, if you feel sore throat, discoloration or cyanosis of the lips, stomach cramps or nausea and vomiting, palpitations and dizziness, it may be caused by poisoning.

Immediately after the first aid, the following emergency treatment is given to the hospital for treatment, without delay.

(a) Solid or liquid poisoning: The toxic substance is spit out immediately in the mouth and rinsed

with plenty of water. If you are eating alkali, drink plenty of water and drink some milk. Those who eat acid, drink water first, then take Mg(OH)2 emulsion, and finally drink some milk. Do not use emetics or take carbonates or bicarbonates. For heavy metal salt poisoning, drink a cup of aqueous solution containing a few grams of MgSO4 and seek medical attention immediately. Do not take vomiting

medicine to avoid danger or complicate the condition. People with arsenic and mercury poisoning must seek medical attention urgently.

(b) Inhaled gas or vapor poisoning: Immediately transfer to the outside, untie the collar and

buttons, and breathe fresh air. Artificial shock should be applied to the shock, but do not use the mouth-to-mouth method. Immediately send the hospital first aid

Prevention and Treatment of Laboratory Electric

Shock accidents

Electric furnaces, electric heating sleeves, electric mixers, etc. are often used in experiments. When using electrical appliances, the human body should be prevented from direct contact with the conductive parts of the electrical appliances and the asbestos mesh wires should be in contact with the electric resistance wires of the electric furnace; the wet objects should not be touched by wet hands or hands. It is strictly forbidden to drip water and other solvents into the electric heating sleeve to prevent short circuits of the electrical equipment.

In order to prevent electric shock, the metal casing of the device and equipment should be connected to the ground wire. After the experiment, the instrument switch should be turned off, and then the plug connected to the power supply should be turned down. Check the electrical equipment for leakage. Use a test pencil. Any leaking instrument should not be used.

First aid method when electric shock occurs:

1 Turn off the power;

2 Use a dry wooden stick to separate the wire from the victim;

3 Separate the victim from the land. In the first aid, the first-aider must take safety

measures to prevent electric shock. The hand or foot must be insulated. If necessary,

perform artificial respiration and send it to the hospital for treatment.

First aid knowledge of other accidents in the laboratory

(1) Glass cut: Generally, light injury should be squeezed out in time, and the glass fragments should be taken out with sterile tweezers. Wash the wound with distilled water, apply iodine, and then bandage with a band-aid or bandage; a large wound should be used immediately. The bandage tightened the upper part of the wound, causing the wound to stop bleeding and rushing to the hospital for treatment.

(2) Scalding: When burned by flame, steam, red hot glass, iron, etc., immediately wash or soak the wound with plenty of water to quickly cool down to avoid temperature burns. If it is blistered, it should not be broken. Apply gauze and then send it to the hospital for treatment. For minor burns, apply some cod liver oil or scalding ointment or scented oil to the wound. If the skin is blistering (secondary burn), do not break the blisters to prevent infection; if the skin is brown or black (three-level burn), apply a dry

and sterile sterile gauze and gently wrap it in the hospital.

(3) Burned by acid, alkali or bromine:

(a) If the skin is burnt by acid, rinse it with plenty of running water immediately. (If the skin is contaminated with concentrated sulfuric acid, avoid flushing with water first, so as to avoid the strong heat release when the sulfuric acid is hydrated, and the injury should be aggravated. Soak the concentrated sulfuric acid with a dry cloth first, then Rinse with water), rinse thoroughly, neutralize with 2 to 5% sodium bicarbonate solution or soapy water, and finally rinse with water and apply the Vaseline.

(b) The lye burn should be washed immediately with a large amount of running water,

further rinsed with 2% acetic acid or 3% boric acid solution, and finally rinsed with water, and then coated with petrolatum.

(c) Immediately wash the phenol with 30% alcohol, rinse it with plenty of water, and then apply it with a saturated solution of sodium sulfate for 4 to 6 hours. Since the phenol is diluted with water by 1:1 or 2:1, it is instantaneous. Can increase the damage of the skin and increase the absorption of phenol, so do not rinse the contaminated surface with water first. After the above burns, if the wound surface blisters, it is not appropriate to break the blisters. After serious treatment, the seriously injured person was rushed to the infirmary.

(4) Acid, lye or other foreign matter splashed into the eyes:

(a) The acid splashed into the eyes, rinsed immediately with plenty of water, and rinsed with 1% sodium bicarbonate solution.

(b) If it is lye, rinse immediately with plenty of water and rinse with 1% boric acid solution. Keep your eyelids open when you wash your eyes. You can help open the eyelids and continue to rinse for 15 minutes. Severely injured patients were sent to hospital for treatment immediately after initial treatment.

(c) If foreign matter such as wood chips or dust particles can be opened by others, gently remove the foreign matter with a sterile cotton swab, or allow it to shed tears. After the foreign matter is discharged, add a few drops of cod liver oil. It is dangerous if the glass schard enters the eye. At this time, try to keep calm. Never rub it with your hands. Don’t let others turn your eyes. Try not to turn your eyes, let them cry, and sometimes the debris will flow out with tears. After gauze, gently wrap your eyes, and immediately send the injured to the hospital.

(5) For strong acid corrosion poisons, first drink a lot of water, then take aluminum hydroxide paste, and chicken protein; for strong alkaline poisons, it is best to drink a lot of water, then take vinegar, sour juice, and chicken protein. Do not infuse the milk with acid or alkali poisoning. Do not take vomiting agents.

(6) Mercury can easily enter the human body through the respiratory tract, and can also be directly absorbed by the skin to cause cumulative poisoning. The signs of severe poisoning are metallic odor in the mouth, exhaled gas also smells; saliva, black on

the gums and lips with mercury sulfide; swollen lymph glands and salivary glands. If you are inadvertently poisoned, you should be sent to the hospital for emergency treatment. In acute poisoning, the stomach is thoroughly washed with toner or vomiting agent, or protein (such as 1 liter of milk plus

3 egg whites) or castor oil is detoxified and vomited.

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