From: Joseph Biscardi Date: May 12, 2023 Subject: May 2023 Safety Newsletter
Issue #1 May 2023
Safety Moment- Transporting Chemicals or Hazardous Materials
When moving gas cylinders, cryogenic liquids, and chemicals around the buildings, make sure to keep the following tips in mind:
For Chemicals:
Use a cart with a lip or raised edge in case the container leaks
If a cart cannot be used use a rubber carrier or lined bucket for containment
For liquid cryogens
Beware rolling over door thresholds or carpets so the wheels don't catch and tip the dewar over
Ask a labmate for help getting doors and clearing the path for you
Compressed Gas Cylinders
Make sure to use an appropriate gas cylinder cart- these have the appropriate tethering and wheels that help keep it upright
With all Hazardous Materials
We discourage riding in the elevator with chemical containers or full cryogenic dewars. If there is no other option, then make sure to avoid having passengers in the elevator with you.
How old are your gas cylinders?
Inspection dates stamped on the top shoulder of your gas cylinder can give you an idea of how old that cylinder is. These dates tell you when the tank was last inspected and for how long the inspection remains valid.
You can see from the picture below, the tank was inspected in 1973 and the star indicates it is good for 10 years, or until 1983. Since this tank was so old and contained 100% H2, we successfully encouraged the PI to send it to us for disposal. We encourage labs to avoid purchasing tanks like this and instead rent them from a gas supplier such as AirGas or Haun.
The Division of Chemical Health and Safety will be hosting an open dialogue session free to anyone interested. The event will help establish connections with safety leaders and team members at other institutions. If you are interested please consider signing up! LST Quick Connections link
Less Is Better!
Limiting wastes in general and being environmentally-conscious is always important to our community, but it becomes even more important when we generate chemical hazardous waste. Your lab could assist with limiting hazardous waste on campus by discussing and planning for these topics:
Limit chemical purchases to what you need for your experiment, not for what you think you may need in the future. This starts with keeping an accurate inventory of your lab's chemicals.
Pratice "First In First Out"- use a container completely before opening a new chemical container.
Triple rinse empty containers and recycle them whenever feasible.
