Handling, Transporting and Storing Chemicals in the Laboratory

A laboratory without chemicals is unthinkable. Most work involves a variety of chemicals with different hazard classes, so the way they are handled and stored matters for both the safety of the people working and the reliability of the analyses.

Some chemicals look harmless. Yet the most dangerous are precisely those we consider harmless but which can cause serious harm when conditions allow: because their hazard is not recognised, nobody knows how to respond when an accident happens. Every chemical used in the laboratory should therefore be treated with the same care, clear rules should be set for transport, storage and use, and these rules should be reinforced through regular training until they become habit. This reduces the number of accidents and limits the damage when one does occur.

Many regulations, in Turkey and internationally, govern the use and storage of chemicals in laboratories, and the current regulations are always the first point of reference. Although they do not change often, the legislation should be reviewed once a year, any revisions applied and the staff concerned informed.

The Right Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Protective equipment is always needed when chemicals are used and stored, and the right PPE varies widely from one work area to another. When choosing it:

• Define the nature of your work.
• Assess the risk of contamination.
• Identify situations that could harm you or the people around you.
• Consider how the chosen PPE interacts with the chemicals and consumables in use.

The basic principle is that PPE should protect you without harming your work or the environment. A glove that lets the chemical through will harm you; a glove that reacts with the chemical and contaminates consumables will affect your analyses.

Safe Transport

• Never move bottles that are visibly damaged, deteriorated, cracked or missing a cap; report them to the laboratory supervisor.
• Always carry chemicals in a suitable, leak-tight secondary container. For example, use a plastic outer container for a 2.5-litre glass bottle of a corrosive or solvent.
• To move many chemicals at once, use a trolley with wheels large enough to cross sudden changes in floor level without tipping. Know your route and clear any obstacles beforehand. If the trolley also acts as a secondary tray, make sure it is leak-tight and its edges are high enough.
• Do not move chemicals at busy times such as lunch and break changeovers.
• Use a goods lift for hazardous chemicals wherever possible; if that is not possible, travel in the lift alone and warn people before entering and at intermediate stops.
• Never leave chemicals unattended. If you leave a chemical in another area, inform the person responsible and the other staff there and, if possible, assign the chemical to a named person.

Storage

• Label every chemical purchased with the date opened, the person who opened it, the expiry date and the storage conditions.
• Classify chemicals by their compatibility with one another and store them accordingly; display the compatibility charts in stock rooms and in the laboratory. Make sure each chemical is returned to its own place after use.
• Keep volatile toxic substances in ventilated cabinets.
• Keep flammable and explosive chemicals in dedicated fire-resistant cabinets or rooms. Only small quantities of flammable liquids may be kept in open areas; these limits are set out in the regulations, so study the relevant regulation and apply them.
• Use resistant secondary containers inside cabinets for corrosive chemicals. This protects the cabinet and prevents spills caused by corrosion damage.
• Close bottle caps tightly to prevent vapours escaping.
• Keep chemicals that need refrigeration in a suitable, labelled refrigerator, and never store food in these refrigerators.

Preventive Measures

• Do not store chemicals above shoulder height in the laboratory or stock rooms, or hold them above shoulder height while using them.
• Do not place chemicals on the floor without a secondary container.
• Protect chemicals from direct sunlight and heat sources.
• Do not store chemicals in the fume hood; keep only the amount needed while working, and put it away when you have finished.
• Do not place chemical bottles or other materials on top of cabinets, so as not to obstruct the fire suppression system.
• Do not use worktops for storage; chemicals should be on the bench only while in use and should be put away as soon as you have finished with them.
• Keep track of expiry dates. Bottles left unused for a long time gather dust, which can lead to contamination; dispose of chemicals that are long unused or past their expiry date by the proper procedure.

For storing volatile, flammable and corrosive chemicals, KRCLAB’s chemical storage cabinet range includes ventilated and fire-resistant models.