On an initial look at a laboratory it is hard to believe just how dangerous it really is. It all looks so neat and tidy, and so innocuous. Then you stop and think about the chemicals that might be used there, maybe some are more unstable than others. Scientists and scholars alike use various equipment to make things safer. Lab hoods are just a part of this protection.
So despite it's sterile nature, there will be specific places where chemicals can be safely handled. This is because protective equipment has been installed there. How high a level of protection is determined by the way in which that zone gets utilised.
Some chemicals are stable while they are on their own. As soon as they are mixed together chemical reactions take place. A vapour can be given off, their volume can increase or they can just start spitting chemicals out. These are the main reasons for only handling the chemicals within the dedicated areas.
The handling of the chemicals is normally carried out with the aid of a cabinet. These cabinets are available in differing grades, and are normally gauged against chemical reactions. To enable the user to see what they are doing the front and sides are normally constructed of perspex. If the chemicals are particularly harmful then the handling is carried out via gloves attached to the cabinet.
A common element to these handling cabinets is the inclusion of a cowling or lid over the top. Secured within this lid there is often a strong light source, which is controlled from the outside of the cabinet. The user now has the benefit of a bright light directly above the work that they are carrying out.
If the chemicals are likely to spit or bubble over then the cabinet as a whole should be able to contain this. The last thing that the operative needs is to be splashed by various chemicals. Even though they will still be wearing their own personal protective equipment.
An unsteadier reaction might well cause gases to be produced. If these gases are flammable in nature then it is advisable to keep them away from the hot light source. This is achieved by further sealing the light from the fume laden environment. As a gas can travel where a liquid can't, the cabinet requires construction to a higher standard, it has to be gas tight.
Some of these gas tight cabinets will have an exhaust fan, and via trunking the vapours will be vented off to the atmosphere. Sometimes it isn't practical to run trunking within the laboratory, so certain cabinets come with their own integral filters, and these will recirculate the air vapour mix through changeable filters.
Maybe now you are thinking that a laboratory is not such a safe place after all. Yet with care and attention, and using the correct equipment, the dangers are minimised. Operatives need to be able to use these handling cabinets, and the lab hoods, safely. They need to know how to maintain them in accordance with the maker's guidelines.
So despite it's sterile nature, there will be specific places where chemicals can be safely handled. This is because protective equipment has been installed there. How high a level of protection is determined by the way in which that zone gets utilised.
Some chemicals are stable while they are on their own. As soon as they are mixed together chemical reactions take place. A vapour can be given off, their volume can increase or they can just start spitting chemicals out. These are the main reasons for only handling the chemicals within the dedicated areas.
The handling of the chemicals is normally carried out with the aid of a cabinet. These cabinets are available in differing grades, and are normally gauged against chemical reactions. To enable the user to see what they are doing the front and sides are normally constructed of perspex. If the chemicals are particularly harmful then the handling is carried out via gloves attached to the cabinet.
A common element to these handling cabinets is the inclusion of a cowling or lid over the top. Secured within this lid there is often a strong light source, which is controlled from the outside of the cabinet. The user now has the benefit of a bright light directly above the work that they are carrying out.
If the chemicals are likely to spit or bubble over then the cabinet as a whole should be able to contain this. The last thing that the operative needs is to be splashed by various chemicals. Even though they will still be wearing their own personal protective equipment.
An unsteadier reaction might well cause gases to be produced. If these gases are flammable in nature then it is advisable to keep them away from the hot light source. This is achieved by further sealing the light from the fume laden environment. As a gas can travel where a liquid can't, the cabinet requires construction to a higher standard, it has to be gas tight.
Some of these gas tight cabinets will have an exhaust fan, and via trunking the vapours will be vented off to the atmosphere. Sometimes it isn't practical to run trunking within the laboratory, so certain cabinets come with their own integral filters, and these will recirculate the air vapour mix through changeable filters.
Maybe now you are thinking that a laboratory is not such a safe place after all. Yet with care and attention, and using the correct equipment, the dangers are minimised. Operatives need to be able to use these handling cabinets, and the lab hoods, safely. They need to know how to maintain them in accordance with the maker's guidelines.
