All lab staff must work with harmful materials such as airborne agents, samples, contaminated tools, and so on. Hence, they always need safety furniture in the laboratory, such as the flammable storage cabinet Malaysia. Among the imperative things that a laboratory should have is safety equipment. This is to ensure that staff are safe and prevent injuries and accidents.
Safety Goggles
Among the most sensitive, vulnerable, and important parts of the human body are our pair of eyes. It is important to keep our pair of eyes safe by wearing safety goggles – it could only be a step away from disaster. They shield both sides of the face and prevent anything harmful from entering the eyes through the sides. While some goggles protect our eyes from chemical splash goggles, some protect our eyes from lasers or UV light hazards.
Eye Wash Stations
The eyes must be washed immediately if it’s exposed to chemical spills or broken glass. This decreases the chances of impactful effects such as chemical burns, or any permanent damages. Additionally, it’s ideal to have more than one eye wash station in the laboratory.
Gloves
Our hands are the ones that do the usual heavy lifting. Hence, it’s the most exposed to chemicals in the laboratory. Hence, like eye goggles, gloves are the safety equipment that could keep our hands safe from disaster. The ideal types to wear are disposable gloves such as latex or nitrile. However, when working with harmful chemicals or heat, staff lab opt to wear gloves with stronger protection that possess heat-resistant and chemical resistance.
Lab Coats
Not only is it an item of stylish clothing, but it is also important lab safety equipment. The long white lab coats help protect its wearer’s skin from dangerous liquids and particles. Since it is made out of materials that absorb liquid, staff should immediately remove them when a chemical spill occurs. As a result, the chemicals will not soak through and have contact with the skin. Hence, button up all those buttons!
Safety Showers
All laboratories should have safety showers; they are preventive equipment in case the skin comes in contact with harmful and dangerous chemicals. Once any contaminated clothing is discarded, quickly get into the shower and drench in the water. As a result, serious wounds or injuries due to exposure to harmful chemicals could be avoided.
Fire Extinguishers
This is must-have safety equipment in every laboratory. Fire can happen whenever electrical equipment or flammable items are involved. Hence, fire extinguishers are essential safety equipment. Train lab staff on how to use them and keep them somewhere that is easily accessible. There are four main fire extinguishers to consider keeping in the laboratory, which depend on the laboratory’s usage.
- Class A: used for ordinary combustibles
- Class B: used for flammable liquids and gases
- Class C: used for electrical equipment
- Class D: used for combustible metals and metal alloys
