Like many Australian workplaces, a laboratory environment involves the use and storage of chemicals, including dangerous goods of various classes. However, the compact nature of most laboratory environments, and the proximity of hazardous chemicals to the people handling them, necessitate a specially developed set of guidelines for the storage of chemicals in laboratories and their supporting storage facilities. We’ll detail the chemicals commonly found in laboratories, the risks associated with each dangerous goods class, and the storage and handling precautions required to control these risks.
Chemicals commonly used in laboratories include a range of hazardous substances, as defined by Safe Work Australia, as well as a variety of dangerous goods — many of which are classified under the current ADG Code.
Flammable liquids such as methanol are commonly used in labs for a variety of purposes.
Laboratories also commonly use a range of chemicals that may not be classified as hazardous substances or dangerous goods but can present compatibility problems when stored incorrectly.
In the next section of our post, we’ll look at some of the most commonly used lab chemicals and explain the dangerous goods classes of these substances.
Some of the most prevalent chemicals found in Australian laboratories are those designated as Class 3 - Flammable Liquids.
Some common examples of flammable liquids include:
Class 2 - Gases are used in Australian labs for a variety of purposes such as gas chromatography. The risks associated with the storage and handling of gas, generally involving gas cylinders, are manifold and must be managed properly to avoid damage to people and property.
Gases used in laboratories include:
Class 4 - Flammable Solids such as carbon, sulphur and phosphorus are prone to spontaneous combustion. Flammable solids classified as Dangerous When Wet, such as alkali metals, activated carbon, and aluminium phosphide, can emit flammable gases when they come into contact with water, and must be stored appropriately with adequate ventilation.
Class 4 - Flammable solids used in labs are divided into three subdivisions and include:
Class 5 - Oxidising Substances and Organic Peroxides differ in that the former are non-combustible while the latter may combust independently.
Oxidising substances and organic peroxides used in labs include:
Toxic Substances Used in Laboratories
Dangerous goods used in labs can be either toxic or non-toxic, as well as exhibiting other hazards associated with other Dangerous Goods classifications.
A powerful oxidiser such as hydrogen peroxide, for example, is also corrosive and toxic, but has a greater oxidising ability than corrosion ability or toxicity and is therefore given a Class 5.1 Dangerous Goods classification (hydrogen peroxide also has a subsidiary hazard classification of Class 8 to cover its significant corrosive ability).
Class 6.1 - Toxic Substances used in laboratories include:
Class 8 - Corrosive Substances used in labs include acids and bases.
Sulfuric acid (H2SO4), hydrochloric acid (HCl), nitric acid (HNO3), citric acid (C6H8O7)
Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), aluminium hydroxide (Al(OH)3)
Acids are a chemical commonly found in laboratories.
Class 9 - Miscellaneous Dangerous Goods used in laboratories include:
There’s a myriad of ways to injure yourself or damage equipment in a laboratory environment, and the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals is one of the major hazards lab workers face on a daily basis.
It’s essential to identify and manage the risks to health and safety associated with using, handling, generating and storing hazardous chemicals in a laboratory. Controlling chemical risks is an intrinsic part of your duties under the current model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations.
The model Code of Practice: Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace provides practical guidance on how to manage health and safety risks.
If hazardous chemicals are not stored and handled in ways that comply with these codes and regulations, damage to people and property are more likely to occur, potentially ruining businesses, careers and people’s lives.
One of the first steps the code stipulates for managing chemicals in the workplace is to ensure all the hazardous chemicals stored on the premises each has a readily accessible, relevant Safety Data Sheet (SDS) that anyone can refer to for critical information about the hazardous chemical.
The SDS includes information on:
Although not mandatory under WHS Regulations, a risk assessment is the most effective way to identify the hazards and control risks in the laboratory from dangerous chemicals.
A risk assessment will help you:
An approved Code of Practice provides practical guidance on how to comply with the standards of workplace health and safety as set out in the WHS Act and WHS Regulations.
As with other Australian workplaces, laboratories and the people working within them have specific duties under the model WHS Regulations to manage the risks to health and safety associated with using, handling, generating and storing hazardous chemicals at a workplace.
These duties include:
The model Code of Practice: Managing risks of hazardous chemicals in the workplace provides guidance on how to manage the specific risks associated with hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
The Code advocates using the following systematic methodology:
Another authoritative source of information specific to ensuring safety in laboratories is a series of standards - AS/NZS 2243 - Safety in laboratories - published by Standards Australia that focus on promoting safe working practices in laboratories.
Part 10 of the AS/NZS 2243 series (AS/NZS 2243.10:2004 - Safety in laboratories - Storage of chemicals) is dedicated to the appropriate storage of chemicals and dangerous goods both within laboratories and within dedicated storage areas that are support areas for a laboratory.
The Standard covers the basic principles of storing chemicals to ensure the safety of people, property and the environment both inside and outside the laboratory.
Dangerous goods from Class 1 (Explosives), Class 6.2 (Infectious substances), and Class 7 (Radioactive substances) are not covered by this Standard but are covered in other parts of the AS/NZS 2243 series.
Storage of chemicals outside the laboratory entails a choice of risk control measures dependent on the class or mixed classes of dangerous goods involved. The choices include the undertaking of a risk assessment to determine which control measure should be applied for that particular chemical storage scenario.
As per the Hierarchy of Controls, there is a system involved with controlling chemical hazards – running from the most effective to the least effective of controls.
In this part of our post, we’ll be focusing on the engineering controls that are best suited to laboratories.
Isolating hazardous chemicals from people and other chemicals (or things) that are incompatible is mandatory.
Isolation can be achieved using distance, barriers and appropriate chemical storage facilities.
Examples of isolating lab workers from hazards includes the use of fume hoods with exhaust extraction capabilities to remove dangerous airborne hazards from the work area or using closed or sealed systems for chemical dispensing and transfer.
Isolating hazardous chemicals from other chemicals — also called segregation of chemicals — is achieved by using distance, barriers or a combination of both.
Incompatible hazardous substances can be easily segregated by storing them in separate chemical storage cabinets.
If isolation of the hazardous chemicals is not possible or falls short of the required standards, there are engineering controls that should be implemented.
These controls are physical in nature and include devices or processes that eliminate or minimise exposure to the hazards. Use engineering controls to:
Minimise the generation of hazardous chemicals.
Engineering controls include mechanical ventilation systems, compliant chemical storage containers or the automated processes involving hazardous chemicals.
Compliant storage is a necessary control to minimise chemical hazards.
To meet the requirements for the Standards covering the storage and handling of chemicals in the laboratory, certain dangerous goods will need to be securely stored in compliant chemical storage cabinets.
Indoor chemical storage cabinets are designed to:
Some dangerous goods require cabinets made from chemically-resistant materials to prevent corrosion. For example, harsh corrosive chemicals, such as sulphuric acid, can cause significant damage to metal surfaces. This is why laboratory-strength concentrations of this acid should be stored in cabinets constructed from high-density polyethylene to prevent corrosion of the storage equipment.
IMPORTANT: Storing corrosives? Find out the difference between a steel and polyethylene corrosive substance storage cabinet by reading our popular blog.
The location of chemical storage cabinets is also a key factor in minimising the risks these hazardous chemicals present. They must not be stored:
Where laboratory cupboards are used to store hazardous chemicals, their construction and the materials used must be compatible with the chemicals. Spill trays should also be in place as well as adequate ventilation where required.
Where hazardous chemicals are kept on shelves or racks in a laboratory, the following restrictions apply:
To reduce the risk of contamination, liquids should not be stored above solids. Therefore, liquids should be stored as low as possible to reduce the risk of breakage and spillage, with adequate bunding provided.
When working in a laboratory setting, there are multiple chemical hazards to control. However, due to the various Dangerous Goods classes present, segregation of incompatible susbtances, safe handling procedures, adequate ventilation and compliant chemical storage are key considerations. However, before you introduce new chemicals into your laboratory, we highly recommend you conduct a risk assessment so you can properly identify, assess and control the hazards in your workplace.
Our team have developed an eBook explaining how to control the risks associated with hazardous chemicals such as those used in labs. This free eBook helps you select the most effective risk control measures and implement all the required mandatory controls according to current legislation.Get your copy today to find out more.