CHEMICAL HAZARD
In all sectors of activity (chemistry, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biochemistry, education, petrochemicals, forensics, industry, agribusiness, hospitals, etc.), a multitude of products are stored and handled in laboratories. Operators are therefore constantly exposed to chemical risks.
Whether explosive, toxic, flammable or corrosive, chemicals may compromise the health of operators.
Chemicals handling refers to all operations carried out on chemical substances in a controlled and secure environment. It may be performed for experimental, analytical or synthetic purposes.
According to Charles Sturt University, “‘ Chemicals handling is not just the actual use of a product – it includes the assessment of chemical risks before deciding to use a particular chemical, the purchase and movement of chemicals, storage and use of properly labelled chemicals, safe handling procedures and finally, disposal of chemicals.”
Chemical substances are chemical compounds referring to pure chemicals, mixtures or solutions that may be liquid, solid or gaseous, as indicated by the INRS (France’s national institute for scientific research).
It is essential to understand what handling is, in order to be able to choose the most effective protective measures.
Chemicals cause all sorts of hazards, hence the importance of preventing any threat in order to ensure enhanced safety against exposure to chemical risks.
It is therefore necessary to protect against chemical risks to maintain the individual safety of lab technicians, their health and the interior (laboratory) and exterior environment while limiting the release of potentially hazardous substances into the air.The risk of inhalation is one of the biggest hazards during handling.
Laboratories must implement chemical protection measures for staff to help reduce accidents and work stoppages while increasing productivity.
Professionals may use collective protective equipment, such as ventilated enclosures. These enclosures guarantee the safety of each member of the laboratory staff exposed to a chemical risk that may affect their well-being.
Filtration hoods provide better filtration quality than any other filtration or extraction device. They provide permanent protection against emanations of toxic gases during handling by extracting all substances in our molecular and particulate filters.
These autonomous and unconnected filtering chemical fume hoods produce no emissions and guarantee air purity of at least 99.995% inside as well as outside. Zero emanations inside, zero emissions outside.
Secure weighing stations, an ideal solution for high-risk operations requiring a contained environment.
You will enjoy optimum stability as well as a high degree of accuracy, total elimination of toxic emanations and an excellent level of safety during handling.
The choice of equipment depends on what the user will be handling (type of pollution: acid vapours, odours, inert particles (dust, powder)), the frequency of handling, the activity in the room and the number of occupants, and lastly the space available to install the device,
When the customer requests an estimate from our sales team, the sales reps recommend the ESP® (Erlab Safety Program), which is a 3-step service based on scientific analysis whereby our technicians recommend the following:
The device guarantees your safety throughout your handling procedures.
STEP 1
eValiQuest® is a chemical risk analysis carried out online. This first step of the programme helps to establish the customer’s needs and types of handling operation and offers the best protective equipment according to the risk to which they are exposed.
Erlab chemists analyse customers’ data to offer the best solution and deliver a report including the following:
The specific chemicals handling operations are analysed by Erlab in its internal test laboratory. Erlab determines whether the user’s handling operations can be performed safely.
STEP 2
When your hood is installed, a certificate for use will indicate exactly which chemicals may be used, the type of filter and an estimate of its service life for which your device has been approved.
This certificate gives the user or safety manager a constant reminder of the information governing use of the device.
STEP 3
The ESP® agent will contact you periodically to make sure that your handling operations have not changed and that the filter is still working efficiently. He/she will explain how to carry out filter performance checks step-by-step as well as the procedure for replacing it. If there has been a change in handling operations, the ESP® agent will invite you to complete a new questionnaire (step 1).
This will be studied and a certificate of use mentioning the authorised chemicals will be sent to you for handling in the best safety conditions.
With over 50 years of expertise, Erlab guarantees optimum filtration quality to ensure protection of both samples and operators when handling chemical agents.
Its filtration system enables the immediate capture of toxic gases, particles and CMR agents at source, which are then imprisoned permanently in the filters, at the top of your device. Erlab filtration provides an unrivalled level of protection inside laboratories.
The chemicals handling operations set out in the ESP® determine the filtration configuration. The Erlab device may be equipped with both a particulate filter and a molecular filter, depending on filtration needs. The module may feature up to four filtration columns (depending on the device model).
In conclusion, chemicals handling is a major challenge in terms of safety in a variety of sectors. If it is not properly prepared and supervised, it can expose laboratory staff to chemical risks and thus jeopardise their health in addition to being a threat to the environment.
It is therefore essential not only to choose the most efficient and suitable protective equipment, in addition to other accessories such as gloves, goggles and lab coats, but also to know the procedure for storing chemicals to ensure enhanced protection.
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