Timothy Styranec,
Chemical Storekeeper/ Safety Officer
Chemistry Department
Youngstown State University
 Regrettably, society has come to accept 35,000 to
45,000 deaths a year as “normal”.
 300 have died in chemistry lab accidents since 1904.
 http://www.labsafetyinstitute.org/MemorialWall.html
What is the biggest
challenge in lab safety?
 Convincing people that lab safety is
serious and that it’s important.
Lab Safety in Academia
 The bottom line in lab safety is knowing what the
hazards might be and how to avoid them
 Lab Safety always comes back to paying attention to
proper procedure
 “We have to change the paradigm where faculty
and students say they never have had an
accident.”
 Schools have a 10 to 50 times greater frequency of
accidents than does the chemical industry, though
they tend to be smaller.(Source James Kauffman, Lab
Safety Institute)
Reason for Today.
 Some things to think about in regards to safety in the
academic lab.
 Understand the correct way of doing things.
 A huge difference exists, he says, between university
and industry labs. “There are industrial labs where the
first time you are caught not wearing appropriate eye
protection, you’re fired. That would never happen in
an academic lab. It is a difference in culture.”
 (DuPont?) has a policy that if you get caught in lab
without eye protection, you get warned the first time,
sent home for the day the second time, and fired the
third time.
 Source: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/government/88/8805gov1.html
Causes of Lab Accidents
 Lack of working
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understanding of hazards
Improper or unintended use
of equipment
Inexperienced
Distractions, lack/loss of
attention to task
Broken, damaged glassware
or equipment
Other
Procedures to protect yourself
 Wear the proper personal protective equipment
 Do not leave operations unattended
 Do not work alone
 Complete the proper safety training
 Have regular safety inspections
Yale University Accident
 A federal official says a Yale University student
died after her hair was pulled into a piece of
equipment in a chemistry lab machine shop.
 Yale police are leading the investigation.
 No information is available at this time.
Texas Tech
 According to CSB, the injured Texas Tech student
received severe burns and lacerations to his face and
hands when a mixture of nickel hydrazine
perchlorate exploded during the afternoon accident
in the chemistry building.
[Ni(N2H4)3][ClO4]2
Texas Tech
Texas Tech Accident
 Dumb: Against protocol, Brown made a 10 g batch of
the NHP.
 Dumber: The explosion occurred when Brown was
finishing grinding a 5 g sample of his NHP with a
mortar and pestle because it was “lumpy”. These types
of compounds are known to be shock sensitive.
 Moronic: Brown wasn’t wearing eye protection or
using a blast shield at the time.
 Insane: According to the police report, Brown
routinely took explosive compounds home with him in
his pockets. The report made it sound as if he was
testing them at his house. The police bomb squad was
called to his residence to confiscate the vials, and they
conducted a controlled detonation of the samples.
 Brown was routinely in the habit of working
unsafely. His luck finally ran out.
Incidents at other Universities
UCLA.
Texas Tech.
Ohio State.
Hudson, Ohio High School
Chemistry Lab.
Many others.
University of Colorado
 Grad Student was cleaning glassware with ethanol and
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nitric acid.
She put the mixture in a waste bottle and began taking off
her protective clothing and goggles.
She thought the reaction was done when the bottle
detonated. Received acid burns on her body and face, and
glass blasted her clothing and was embedded in her side.
The glass cut a nerve in her elbow.
She wound up with stitches and burns, but didn’t need
surgery.
There was never a thorough investigation
University of Colorado
 Mulcahy(Graduate Student) was using an old, but
common technique, she says, and “one that others in
my lab were also using. There were even references to
it online.” Her adviser was unaware students were
using the practice and ended it after her accident.
 Mulcahy points out that many graduate students and
faculty can tell a story about their near-miss.
Fire at OSU
Coleman Lab: Three-alarm blaze
2005
Improper Chemical Storage
 Gallons of hexane were being
stored on a shelf. After
several gallons fell and broke
open, the graduate students
soaked in hexane left, having
been overcome by the fumes.
 Moments later fire broke out.
 Luckily, no harm came to
anyone.
Case Study: Laboratory Fire Kills
UCLA Researcher
 A 23-year-old research assistant working at UCLA who was seriously burned in
a lab fire in December 2008 died from her injuries.
 • She was trying to transfer up to 2 ounces (~50ml) of t butyl lithium
(pyrophoric chemical), which was dissolved in pentane from one sealed
container to another by a 50 ml syringe.
 • The barrel of the syringe was either ejected or pulled out of the syringe,
causing liquid to be released.
 A flash fire set her clothing ablaze and spread second- and third-degree burns
over 43% of her body.
UCLA Accident
Root Causes of the Accident
 Poor technique and improper method
 Used a 50ml syringe to transfer~50 ml pyrophoric
chemical
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Should have used a 100 ml syringe
 Should have used Cannula Method for transferof
pyrophoric chemical > 50 ml
 Lack of proper training
 No safety training record in the research group and
UCLA chemistry Department.
Root Causes of the Accident
 Lack of supervision
 No follow up actions had been taken after received a
UCLA safety inspection report with over a dozen of
deficiencies
 Solo operation in the laboratory
Root Causes of the Accident
Poor housekeeping
 Flammable materials and water- and air reactive
chemicals were stored improperly
 Improper use of fume hood
 The tempered-glass vertical sash that probably was not
lowered enough, otherwise, only her hands and
forearms would have been burned
Root Causes of the Accident
 No proper personal protective equipment
 Eye protection, nitrile [rubber] gloves and lab coats were
not worn by laboratory personnel
 Lab coat would have been less flammable and easier to
remove than the sweater which caught on fire
 Victim not familiar with emergency response equipment
 The injured researcher ran away from a nearby
emergency shower instead of toward it
New articles from Lab Safety
Institute
 Lab Accident Leaves Student Uninjured (February 2004)
 Four Hurt In Lab Explosion (January 2004)
 Science Lab Safety Upgraded After Mishaps (April 2003)
 Study Shows High School Science Labs Could Be Safer (February 2003)
 Sulfuric acid spill causes scare (1/30/09,News update)
 Omaha college student burned with sulfuric acid (1/27/09)
 Accident at Mercer lab causes explosion (2/17/09)
 USF grad student burns face in lab accident (11/26/08)
Safety Website for ACS
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/safety/
Personal Protective Equipment
(PPE)
Goggles
Gloves
Lab Coats
Appropriate Clothing
Emergencies
In an emergency, immediately
call 911, ext. 3665 or 3700.
911 will go directly to campus
police
Waste Handling and Disposal
 Red Containers: Organic Waste
Halogenated and Non-Halogenated
Each time waste is dumped, fill out the form on the container.
 Aqueous Waste goes in a separate container. Use a chemical waste
form to label the bottle.
 Mercury, lead, etc. All heavy metal waste goes in a separate container.
 Solid waste goes into a separate container. Use a chemical waste form.
Label everything.
Miscellaneous Comments
 Do not throw away empty containers.
 Throw glass in the crocks, not in the garbage.
 Follow all operating procedures.
 MSDS’s are available in the chemistry office, YSU
police department, and the Chemical Management
Center.
 Report all incidences(eg., injuries, etc.)
 Speaking of first aid, what’s the first thing you do if
your clothing is on fire?
 That’s right … stop … drop …and roll.
 What’s the second thing?
 Ah ha! Not as easy. The correct answer is lots of cold
water in the shower to take the heat away to stop the
“cooking” process.
Questions or Concerns
 Any questions or concerns direct to me.
 Tim Styranec Ext. 3665 Room 5053.
 Cell phone 330-518-7637
 The chemistry procurement and safety site is a good
resource.
The End
 Safety quiz
 http://web.ysu.edu/gen/stem/Chemistry_Safety_Trainin
g_p686.html