Personal Safety
Please follow these safety measures for your
safety and the safety of others working in the lab:
- Always
wear safety glasses, gloves, and a lab coat
- Keep
hood sash ˝ closed
- Always
use the “buddy system”
- If
you are unsure about something, ask someone!
Equipment Safety
All persons using the high-pressure equipment
should be properly trained about the potential hazards, suggested operation of
each piece of equipment and the safety measures to be taken if any of the
potential hazards become a reality.
Orientation Checklist
Each person using the high-pressure system
should be properly trained and complete the Orientation Checklist. This form should be completed after the
employee completes an orientation with Pam or another employee. The orientation should be completed within
the first week of employment and should provide a time for the new employee to
get acquainted with and learn about the high-pressure system. The form will help new co-workers understand
the system they are working with and know what to do if an incident occurs.
Incident Report
If an incident occurs, you should not just shake
it off and move on. Measures must be
taken to find the source of the problem and correct the problem. A record is not taken to keep track of
someone’s mistakes, but to make sure incidents are not repeated and to show
that corrective action was taken. Even
if it is a minor cut or burn, tell someone.
You can help everyone in the lab to work more safely if every incident
is investigated. One copy will be
collected for Pam’s personal files and another no-name copy will be maintained
in the general lab safety notebook in the lab.
This is done so that other co-workers can learn from past incidents, while
not connecting the incidents with individual people.
|
Item
|
Potential
Hazards
|
Suggested
Operations
|
Safety
Measures
|
|
High-Pressure Carbon
Dioxide Tank
|
Suffocation, tank
explosion
|
Don’t move it on your
own unless you have been trained. Do
not unhook it from the system.
Cylinder should only be moved with its original cap in place. The cylinder should never be moved with
the regulator attached.
|
Explosion – Evacuate
laboratory
Suffocation – Call for
help
|
|
Tank Valves (3)
|
Bursting at tank or
tubing interface
|
|
Valve bursting – Evacuate
laboratory
|
|
Stainless-Steel Tubing
|
|
Do not slide the hood
sash quickly downwards – it will pull at the tubing. Do not try to bend the tubing.
|
Rupture – Close the
subsequent valve providing the gas flow and evacuate the hood area
|
|
System valves (3)
|
|
|
|
|
Piston
|
|
Do not operate over
10,000 psi
Turn handles slowly.
|
Bursting - Evacuate
laboratory
|
|
Pressure Gauge
|
|
Do not operate over 4000
psi
Relieve pressure at the
gauge when not using the gauge.
|
Notify PAM and
co-workers
Do not use it.
|
|
Heating Tape
|
|
Do not touch the heating
tape when it is hot. Connect the
heating tape to a temperature controller and monitor the Temperature with an
internal thermocouple.
|
Burns – Seek first aid
Overheating – turn off
the heat source.
|
|
Temperature Controller
|
|
Do not turn it up to the
maximum output and walk away. Monitor
the Temperature! Turn the controller
down before your desired temperature is reached.
|
|
|
Stainless-Steel Cell
with valves, fittings, and an electrode
|
|
Do not pressurize the
cell without placing the protective shield over it. Do not lean over the cell in the hood. Do not shake the cell. Pressurize the cell slowly. Check the valves/fittings for leaks at
lower pressures first.
|
Bursting – Evacuate the
hood area until the pressure has dissipated.
|
ORIENTATION CHECKLIST: HIGH-PRESSURE SYSTEM SAFETY
1. What is the maximum operating gauge pressure? _________________________ psi
2. What is the maximum
pressure that the piston can contain? ___________________ psi
3. What is the
Critical Temperature and Pressure of Carbon Dioxide?
Temperature:
__________ oC Pressure: ___________ psi
4. What direction do you turn the tank valves to
open?
Clockwise Counterclockwise
5. When the system
valves are perpendicular to the direction of gas flow, are they open or closed?
Open Closed
6. What hazards are
associated with Carbon Dioxide? (Check all that apply)
Fire Hazard
Respiratory System
Nervous System
Carcinogen
Chemical
Burn
7. What should you do
if the electrode in the stainless steel cell bursts?
Close the valve to the cell Close the cell valve and evacuate hood area
Evacuate hood area Lean into the hood to find the leak
8. When should you
turn off the heating tape/temperature controller?
When the cell reaches your desired
temperature
Before the cell reaches your desired
temperature
After the cell reaches your desired
temperature
9. What is an electrical short? How do you know when there is an electrical
short?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10. When equipping the high-pressure cell with
valves and fittings, how should you orient the working electrode? How should you orient the sapphire windows?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
INCIDENT REPORT – PAM’S RECORDS
Name _________________________________ Date ____________
Please describe the
incident below:
What
was the cause of this incident?
How will it be
amended?
Signature _______________________________ Date ______________
Signature _______________________________ Date ______________
INCIDENT REPORT - LAB RECORDS
Date
__________________
Please describe the
incident below:
What
was the cause of this incident?
How will it be
amended?
