School of Chemistry Occupational health, safety and environment manual February 2007 edition

This document is under continuous review and is now in a new style

Some sections are being reviewed and rewritten, these are highlighted in blue. New sections may be added and any constructive comments and suggestions are welcome.

If you have any queries please contact the safety officer (Mr Bruce Dobney) or environmental officer (Mr Robert Seefeld)

Occupational health, safety and environmental matters within Chemistry

Monash has an Occupational Health, Safety and Environment (OHSE) structure that provides support to the Faculties and Schools so that our obligations under The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 in addition to many other Regulations in the area can be met.
The OHSE web site has a great deal of very useful information and is at http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/ohse/

Responsibilities

As individuals, we all have responsibility for our own safety, to ensure we have been adequately inducted, trained and supervised in areas that are relevant to our work and that we continue to be willing to learn.

Within the school, the focus for OHSE matters is with the individual, the supervisor and the Zone 13 Committee.

The 2008 Committee and their roles

• Dr Keith Bambery (Deputy Laser Safety Officer) Bld 19/134B ext 55721 
• Mr Stuart Batten (Radiation Protection Officer) Bld 19/113 ext 54606
• Mr Anthony Chesman (Post Graduate Student Representative) Bld 19/115C ext 55147
• Mr Bruce Dobney (Safety Officer) Bld 23/221 ext 54583
• Lex Edmond (ACES Representative) Bld 23/252 ext 51824
• Mr Simon Gooding (Post Graduate Student Representative) Bld 19/119A ext 54601
• Mrs Meryl Kennedy (First Aid Coordinator) Bld 19/127 ext 54574
• Ms Sharon Lockhart (Faculty OHSE Consultant) Bld 24/G05 ext 51627
• Ms Miranda Phelan (Health and Safety Representative) Bld 20 ext 54572
• Mr Robert Seefeld (Building Warden Coordinator) Bld 19/G25b ext 54062
• Mr Finlay Shanks (Laser Safety Officer) Bld 23/G20 ext 51582
• Ms Tracy Warner (Building 75 Green Centre Representative, Biosafety Office) Bld 75/238 ext 58622

The membership of the Zone Committee broadly represents areas of activity within the School. It generally rotates on a two to three year cycle.

The first line of communication on OHS matters is between you and your Supervisor. However, the Safety Officer (Mr Dobney), the Deputy Safety Officer (Mr Rob Seefeld) and the Health and Safety Representative (Ms Phelan) are always available to listen to your concerns and may be consulted at any time.

Faculty OHSE consultant

The role of the Science Faculty OHSE Consultant is to ensure that a uniformly high standard of occupational health and safety is achieved across all departments of the Faculty.

The address of the Science Faculty's safety page is http://www.sci.monash.edu.au/safety/

Zone 13 OHSE notice board

The Official Zone 13 Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Notice Board is located opposite the door to the school tea room (23/137). Minutes of Zone Committee meetings, School OHSE News Items, recent University Hazard Alerts and other safety information are placed on this Notice Board.

OHSE policies, information sheets and hazard alerts

These are issued by the University OHSE administration from time to time and deal with matters of concern to many or all members of the University. Copies may be downloaded from the OHSE web site at http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/ohse/

Safety induction

All research staff and students must complete a Safety Induction course as soon as possible after joining the School and will not be issued with keys to offices and laboratories until this has been completed. The General Office will direct all personnel to the Safety Officer to ensure this is carried out.
See the OHSE web site at http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/ohse/

Emergency procedures

You should familiarise yourself with the EMERGENCY PROCEDURES BOOKLET (latest issue was September 2004) that is located besides each telephone. This booklet includes instructions for Emergency Evacuation.

Red Phones are located at strategic points throughout the School. You should know the location of the one nearest to your office or laboratory. Where it is impractical to use the Red Phone system, call the emergency internal number 333.

In case of fire, you may also use the Fire Alarms located in various places throughout the School. Break the glass and press the alarm button.

In the case of serious personal injury, First Aiders should assist with emergency treatment until medical personnel arrive.

Assembly points

These are currently:

• The courtyard by the Microbiology barbecue area
• The paved area between lecture theatres S1 and S2
• The grassed area under the pines to the south of the First Year Laboratory (for First Year Laboratory evacuations only)

Do not leave the assembly point without informing the Building Warden Coordinator, Dr Don McGilvery or Dr Peter Nichols.

Wait until the Building Warden or delegate or Emergency Services personnel gives the "all clear" before re-entering the building.

Floor wardens

The following individuals are currently designated as Floor Wardens. They will assist in ensuring that the building or floor of the building is evacuated when necessary.

Floor wardens change from time. The current list is at http://web.chem.monash.edu.au/department/ohs

First Aiders

First Aiders are individuals who have been trained to treat relatively minor injuries. These would range from such things as paper cuts through to more significant injuries from broken glass which do not need stitching.

They can also provide emergency first aid before medical or ambulance personnel arrive or before the victim can be safely moved to the University Health Service.

The full list of all First-Aid trained personnel is available at http://web.chem.monash.edu.au/department/ohs

To assist first aiders, OHSE has developed an information sheet "Emergency Response Information for First Aiders" (Information Sheet No. 15). The Policy and Information Sheet are available at the OHSE website on:
http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/ohse/Document/Docum.htm

First Aid cabinets

First Aid Cabinets are strategically located throughout the School in accord with current policy. They are for use by trained First Aiders ONLY.

Reporting accidents and incidents

Procedures for incident reporting, investigation and recording are to be found at the OHSE website within Documents and Procedures.

It is better to over-report than to under-report as failure to report an incident or hazard may result in a more serious situation in the future.

Security

Risk assessment

There are two types of Risk Assessment carried out within the School and the University. One is concerned with an overall assessment of a project, the other with day to day operations.

Overall assessment of projects

A general Risk Assessment is required for all Student Research Projects.
It is the responsibility of each Project Supervisor to ensure that this is carried out with his or her students prior to commencement of experimental work.

The purpose of this assessment is to get students thinking about the potential hazards they are likely to face during the year well in advance. In particular, the assessment should draw the attention of both students and supervisors any special properties of the types of compounds they will be using or preparing and the need to take the necessary precautions.

It is a requirement of Worksafe Victoria that all personnel in the School carry out a risk assessment before commencing any experiment involving Hazardous Substances.

Assessment of day to day operations

Working after hours (OHS Policy No. 1/99)

Members of the School may work in the School between the hours of 8:45 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. without restriction. During this time all School safety procedures must be strictly followed and you must not work without a "buddy" before 9:00 a.m/ or after 5:00 p.m..

"After hours" is defined as the period between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. on weekdays and at any time on weekends and University holidays.

Working between 5.00p.m. and 8:45a.m. on weekdays:

• The "after hours book" (near the South West entrance) MUST be signed - even if you have been in the School since before 7:00 p.m.
• The "buddy system" will apply - there must be somebody else nearby who is prepared to check on your well being at least every 30 minutes.
• No "high risk" activity may be undertaken.
• You must sign out when leaving the School
• You are reminded that University First Aid facilities will NOT be staffed outside official University working hours (8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.)

The University Policy is outlined on the Science Faculty Web Site - http://www.sci.monash.edu.au/safety/docs/limitedresponse.pdf

Any breach of these rules will lead to restrictions being placed on your access to the School after hours.

Working on weekends and public holidays

Medium risk work, i.e. standard organic and inorganic preparative work, will be permitted during daylight hours subject to your supervisor's written approval.

In such cases, your supervisor must certify for each specific occasion that, based on the nature of the chemical substances and procedures to be used and your level of experience and training, the work will be of low to medium risk

After hours book

All persons entering or remaining in the School outside of normal working hours must enter their name, time of entry, the room or rooms where they will be working and sign out when they leave. There is only one after hours book. It is located by the door to the car park at the Southwestern comer of the School and must be filled in regardless of when or where you entered the School.

Overnight reactions

Every overnight experiment must be reported to the General Office by 4 p.m. and recorded in the overnight experiment book. The Office will then notify Security of the potential risks involved. In addition, experiments must be labelled with a card, available from the General Office, giving the following information:

• Name and phone number of the person running the experiment.
• Name and phone number of the person's supervisor or where the supervisor is unavailable a second contact name and number
• The names of the substances and solvents involved and an indication of the nature of the experiment or the contents of the flask.
• Procedure to be followed in case of an emergency including where appropriates the order of shutting down the experiment. For example, turn off power, and then water.

Research students must get the apparatus checked and the card initialled by an experienced worker before leaving. This should preferably be their supervisor, but a more experienced graduate student or a post-doctoral worker may do it if the supervisor is not available. It is important that an experienced person check the system before it is left running.

Material safety data sheets (MSDS)

All manufacturers and suppliers of chemicals and chemical products are required under the Occupational Health and Saftey (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2000 to provide Material Safety Data Sheets which management must make available to workers in both the manufacturing and research areas.

They typically contain a list of hazardous ingredients, physical and chemical characteristics, data about fire and explosion hazards, information effects and treatment, and recommendations for safe handling.

Australian law requires that MSDS be written in the approved Australian format. This results in MSDS that are usually shorter and more readable than those written in the North American style, which tend to include every conceivable hazard. One problem is that they are typically written for chemical industry, which uses chemicals in large containers such as 200 litre drums and 12,000 litre tankers.

Finding material safety data sheets

Monash University subscribes to an on-line MSDS data base - CHEMWATCH. Access is via the OHSE website by going to Safety Topics then Chemical Safety.

Supply and storage of chemicals and samples

Refrigerators and freezers

It is preferable for refrigerators and freezers to be custom built so that all electrical connections are outside of the unit.
In the case where domestic refrigerators and freezers are to be used for storing chemicals and solutions, they must be approved, then modified to ensure all electrical connections are outside the unit and there is no possibilty of arcing. Appropriate signage must be affixed prior to use.

Commonly used solvents such as diethyl ether; pentane and carbon disulfide have flash points below -20^o. Such solvents can form explosive mixtures with air even at freezer temperatures. A spark from a light switch, thermostat or fan may detonate these mixtures.

Under no circumstances should food or drink for human consumption be stored in refrigerators and freezers containing chemicals of any sort, including aqueous solutions.

Unmodified refrigerators required for the storage of food only are allowable but they must be labelled such and NOT be in a laboratory.

Disposal of chemicals

The disposal of all chemicals should be considered at the stage of project planning and prior to purchase. The project Risk Assessment should include a description of disposal procedures. Remember, LESS IS BEST! (Often researchers purchase based on what they believe is good value for money but they ignore disposal costs.)
Unwanted or waste chemicals and research samples should be destroyed chemically if possible and within the laboratory of generation. Advice should be sought from your supervisor. There are standard procedures in numerous texts available. Otherwise they should (after proper labelling) be taken to the Faculty Store at the appropriate time for disposal through EPA licensed contractors such as Chemsal.

See the reference list in Section 10 for information on destruction of wastes. If you are carrying out a disposal for the first time, ensure that your supervisor or an experienced researcher is available to assist you.

Adequate safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, breathing apparatus etc. should be on hand as determined by your Risk Assessment.

Storage and disposal of solvents

Storage

Solvents should be stored in flame proof or ventilated storage cupboards supplied in the laboratory as appropriate.

Flammable solvents (class 3) should be stored in approved fire-rated safety cabinets. Where this is not possible, they should be stored in ventilated storage cupboards.

Because of the fire hazard, the amount of solvent stored in any laboratory must be in accord with the Monash 'Storage Limits for Dangerous Goods in Laboratories" Document.

Solvent bottles should not be left or stored in fume cupboards.

No solvent bottles containing sodium or other drying agents are to be returned to the store for disposal. They must be either cleaned or disposed of in the appropriate manner by individual users. Procedure for destroying old sodium wire.

Disposal of used solvents

Used solvents should be recovered for use if possible. All solvents MUST be properly labelled with the name and the relevant Dagerous Goods diamond affixed.
Where this is not practicable, they may be stored in Winchester's, in the appropriate cabinet and taken to the store when full for disposal through Chemsal.

Waste solvents should be separated under the following categories:

• All chlorinated hydrocarbons (Class 6.1)
• Flammable solvents which are not water-soluble (e.g. Hexane - class 3)

Carbon disulfide and other special cases must be stored separately and properly labelled.

In some cases where small quantities only of water-soluble solvents are used for washing, these may be flushed down the drain along with a vigorous flow of water.

The generation and storage of any potentially explosive mixtures, e.g. acetone and chloroform, is NOT permitted.

Transport of solvents

Safety baskets are available for carrying solvents and other chemicals from one location to another. They should be used at all times.

Hazardous solvents

Extra care should be exercised when using glacial acetic acid, N,N-dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide and other water-soluble polar solvents. These easily penetrate skin tissue, carrying any dissolved compounds with them.

Glacial acetic acid can enter small cuts and cause painful blistering. It is recommended that you wash your hands frequently when using these solvents. In addition, working conditions should be arranged to minimise ingestion of solvents by breathing.

Carbon disulfide is particularly hazardous because of its low autoignition temperature (100o). Its vapour can be ignited by contact with a hot steam bath.

Personal protective clothing

Safety glasses

Laboratory personnel and visitors MUST wear safety glasses at all times in laboratory preparative areas. If you normally wear prescription glasses, you must wear 'overspec' safety glasses over your prescription glasses. Your glasses should fit tightly and be chosen for maximum eye protection.

Contact lenses should not be worn in laboratories because of the risk of chemicals being trapped under the lenses. If you have to wear contact lenses, you must also wear tight-fitting splash goggles.

Laboratory coats

Laboratory coats should be worn at all times. They should preferably be made of 100% heavy-duty cotton. The use of pure polyester coats is prohibited. These are particularly dangerous because of their flammability and the low melting point of polyester.

Footwear

Closed shoes only (never thongs or open sandals) should be worn in laboratory areas.

Explosive substances

Perchlorates

All perchlorates should be treated with respect and should be treated as explosive unless you know otherwise. Sodium Perchlorate is not explosive but is a powerful oxidising agent and may make a significant contribution to the intensity of any fire.

Ammonium perchlorate and many organic salts and heavy metal coordination complexes containing perchlorate ion may explode when heated. The localised heat associated with the preparation of Nujol mulls or KBr discs for infrared spectroscopy may be sufficient to cause an explosion.

Perchloric acid

Perchloric acid forms an azeotrope with water containing 72.5% HClO4. Aqueous solutions containing 72% or less perchloric acid are not in themselves explosive. However, such solutions are strong oxidising agents at elevated temperatures and react violently with many compounds.

Wood that has been impregnated with perchloric acid may undergo spontaneous combustion. For this reason, perchloric acid must be stored in a stoppered bottle, which in turn must be kept in a large glass beaker or deep Petri dish.

More information is available in Australian/New Zealand Standard 2243.2.

Other explosive compounds

The following compounds are particularly dangerous and extra precautions must be taken if it is necessary to prepare them. This list is not exhaustive and suggestions for additional items are welcome.

o-Nitrobenzoyl and benzyl chlorides (these explode violently upon distillation), diazonium xanthates (solutions used to prepare thiophenols), organic compounds containing pentavalent iodine, picric acid (2,4,6-trinitrophenol), picramide (2,4,6-trinitroaniline) and esters of nitric acid (e.g, ethyl nitrate, pentaerythritol tetranitrate), tetrazoles, pentazoles and their derivatives, p-toluenesulfonyl azide and other low molecular weight acyl and sulfonyl azides hydrogen azide and hydrazoic acid, diazomethane

Electrical safety

The Office of Electrical Safety in Victoria requires that all electrical works that are to be connected to the mains must be carried out by a Licensed Electrican

Suspect appliances

Any appliance that you suspect may be electrically unsafe should not be used until it has undergone an electrical safety check. Any shock, even a small tingle, means the appliance is dangerous. Look for damaged or loose power cords, covers which do not fit or damaged connectors.

Appliances which show signs of corrosion and which do not carry a recent (within last 12 months) "Tested for Electrical Safety" label should be given a safety check

Knowingly using or allowing others to use appliances that you suspect may be unsafe could leave you open to prosecution.

Unqualified repairs

No unqualified person is permitted to repair, adjust or otherwise work on any equipment, whether owned by the University or not, while any electrically live parts are exposed. A qualified person is one who has a certificate or degree of some kind in electrical technology.

Unqualified construction

In research areas, it is sometimes necessary for people without formal electrical qualifications to construct electrical equipment. The OHSE in-house rule is that any such construction must be checked by a qualified person before power is applied to it.

New appliances

Any appliance or electrically operated equipment brought into the Department must be checked by a qualified person before being used. It is not uncommon to find newly purchased equipment which fails to meet Australian Safety Standards because of design or construction faults.

Some potentially dangerous appliances

Do not touch the elements of the following items unless they are unplugged.

• Heating mantles
• Heating tapes
• Heating columns
• Glass diffusion pumps
• Anything plugged into a variable transformer.

Double adaptors

It is OHSE policy that double adaptors should NOT be used within the University. The reasons for this include:

• The use of double adaptors, especially when "piggybacked", may result in an electrical overload.
• Because of the design of some double adaptors, especially the flat type, it is easy to make contact with the "live" pin while removing the adaptor from the power socket.

If you need additional power outlets, you should use a POWER BOARD with overload cutout and reset protection.

Where possible, equipment should be fitted with residual current devices ("earth leakage detector" plugs). You should remember that even these do not provide absolute protection against electrocution. Both mechanical and electronic switches have been known to fail.

Radioactive substances

The School Radiation Safety Officer is responsible for all matters concerning the use of radioactive substances and ionising radiation within the School. The University Radiation Safety Officer is concerned with the overall use of ionising radiation within the University.

Radioactive substances must not be used unless both your supervisor and the Radiation Safety Officer have been consulted and the Safety Officer advised.

In the event of spillage of radioactive material, your Project Supervisor, the School Radiation Safety Officer and the School Safety Officer must be informed immediately.
A radiation monitor for use in such circumstances is available in the main corridor of the Physics Department.

Lasers and ultra-violet lamps

The Laser Safety Officer, Mr Finlay Shanks (Building 23 Room G20, Ext 51582) is responsible for the safe operation of lasers, used mainly in the spectroscopic areas.

You should be aware that allowing laser radiation to enter your eyes may result in permanent blindness.

Ultraviolet lamps, especially those used in photochemical syntheses, should also be used with care. They too have the potential to cause serious eye damage, even on momentary exposure. They must be properly shielded before switching on and care taken to prevent exposure of the eyes to ultra violet light.

Cyanides

The use of cyanides is regulated under the Drugs, Poisons and Controlled Substances Regulations (Part V - Special Poisons - arsenic, cyanide, strychnine). All users within the School must conform to the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission's Guidelines on the safe use of cyanides as well as the School's own policy.

Guidelines are currently being rewritten within Monash and this information will be posted at the next update.

Sodium residues

Several fires have occurred in this School during destruction of sodium residues from drying solvents. The circumstances were similar to those that have caused major fires in other universities. In every case the fire could have been avoided by strict use of the following procedure:

• The flask or Winchester should be securely clamped behind a safety screen in an otherwise empty fume cupboard.
• The sodium wire residues should be well covered with isopropanol and left for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.

Remember that sodium oxide / hydroxide encrustations are very soluble in water but insoluble in alcohols and there may be unreacted sodium underneath.

The solution should be carefully poured into a large volume of water in a beaker or bucket, NOT down the drain. Water should not be added to the container until it has been thoroughly rinsed with ethanol and inspected visually for signs of undissolved material.

Peroxidisable compounds

Peroxide formation in laboratory solvents and reagents has been the cause of many accidents over the years. It is important that you can recognise which compounds have the potential to form peroxides.

Organic compounds which can form allylic or benzylic radicals (cyclohexene and tetralin) or radicals stabilised by an adjacent oxygen (most ethers) are potential peroxide formers.

Diisopropyl ether is particularly dangerous. Aldehydes can also form peroxides, although they are not normally a problem.

In general, pure compounds are more subject to peroxide buildup.

Alkali metals and their amides are converted to peroxides on prolonged exposure to air.

Some common compounds which form peroxides on storage are tabulated below. The Table is representative rather than exhaustive and lists:

• compounds which form explosive peroxides even without concentration
• materials forming peroxides hazardous only upon concentration (by distillation, evaporation, etc.)
• vinyl monomers which form peroxides, which by themselves may not be particularly hazardous, but which on decomposition may initiate explosive polyrnerisation of the bulk monomer

Testing and treament for ethers containing peroxides

The peroxide test reagent is prepared by mixing the following solutions in a ratio of 10:1:1 (AS/NZS 2243.2 - Appendix D)

ferrous ammonium sulfate (1% w/v solution)
sulfuric acid (0.5 mol/L)
ammonium thiocyanate (0.1 mol/L)

A red colouration on mixing approximately equal volumes of ether and reagent indicates the presence of peroxides. If peroxides are present, they can be removed by passing through a chromatography column containing activated alumina. About 80g of alumina should be sufficient for a Winchester of ether. The ether should be tested before and after passing through the column.

Mercury and its compounds

Because of its toxicity and the difficulty of cleaning up spills the use of mercury should be kept to a minimum.

Any large spillage of mercury should be reported to the Safety Officer and an Incident Report submitted. Small droplets of mercury may be difficult to sweep up and should be removed with a small amount of zinc dust, making sure to remove any surplus zinc dust.

All mercury compounds should be treated as hazardous. Dialkylmercury compounds are extremely dangerous - a single drop on the skin can cause death.

Use of fume cupboards

Fume cupboards are one of the most important yet least understood safety devices in use in the School. All members of the School should read Information Sheet No. 13 (Use of Local Exhaust Ventilation Systems Part 1: Fume Cupboards).

Fume cupboards should be kept clean and uncluttered at all times and not be used as a repository for unwashed equipment.

Each fume cupboard has a yellow "Recommended Sash Height" sticker and the sash should be kept at or below this level when in use.

OHSE recommends that the performance be tested on a regular basis to ensure that the face velocity and flow distribution are satisfactory.

Miscellaneous matters

Visitors

All visitors to the School are asked to report to Chemistry Reception in the first instance. Staff there will endeavour to locate the individual sought. Visitors are not permitted to enter working laboratories by themselves and must wear safety glasses and appropriate footwear and clothing while there.

In particular children are not permitted in any of the School except under the supervision of an adult.

Vacuum vessels

Evacuated Dewar vessels should either be taped or completely enclosed in metal or wooden containers. Similarly, large evacuated flasks should be taped or enclosed in mesh cages. Vacuum desiccators should be taped to prevent the scattering of glass in case of implosion.

Appliances for fire protection

Every laboratory contains appliances to cope with emergencies. These may include:

• safety showers (portable)
• fire blankets
• fire extinguishers

The General Office must be notified immediately whenever one of these appliances is used so that it can be replaced or refilled.

A fire bucket with clean dry sand or vermiculite should also be present.

Cleaning of glassware

Glassware should normally be cleaned with solvents or detergents or in an ultrasonic bath. Where this is unsatisfactory, the use of small amounts of aqua regia (conc. HCl and conc. HNO3, 3:1 v/v) is recommended. Do not make up baths of aqua regia - about 5-10 mL is adequate to clean a 2 litre flask overnight in the fume cupboard.

Aqua regia is extremely corrosive. It must never be allowed to come in contact with ethanol or other alcohols as it forms alkyl nitrates, which may decompose violently after an unpredictable induction period of a few seconds to many hours.

Chromic-sulfuric acid baths have caused serious accidents in this School in the past. Chromium (VI) compounds are also considered to be carcinogenic. Their preparation and use is prohibited.

Rotary vacuum pumps

All rotary vacuum pumps must incorporate a safety guard. If a pump without a safety guard is located in any of the laboratories you should inform the Safety Officer. Pumps should be subject to regular maintenance.

Glass blowing repairs

Any glass apparatus sent for repairs should be completely dry, free of solvent and flushed with nitrogen before being heated in a flame.

Housekeeping

Empty Winchesters, boxes of chemicals and sundry equipment must not be stored on the floor or just inside doorways. If something is no longer needed, clean it and return it to the Store.

Fume cupboards are not intended for use as storage space. They should contain only equipment and chemicals actually in use or for use in the immediate future. Solvent residues and malodorous substances should be kept in ventilated storage cupboards.

Workbenches should be kept in a clean dust-free condition and used only for short-term storage of samples and chemicals. They should not be used for storing dirty glassware.

Loose tiles on laboratory floors constitute a hazard. They should be reported to the General Office who will arrange for their repair. Faulty taps, blocked sinks, faulty electric lighting and power, etc., should also be reported to the General Office.

Cables and tubing should not be laid across open flooring other than on a short time basis. They should be carefully placed to avoid the possibility of accidents through tripping, and warning signs displayed.

Gas cylinders

All gas cylinders must be properly secured with a chain to prevent their falling and causing injury. They must also be chained when moving on a trolley.

Storage of acids and alkalis

Concentrated acids and alkalis must be stored separately from each other and from organic solvents in order to reduce the possibility of an explosion in the event of a fire.

Labelling and storage of chemicals

Under no circumstances must bottles containing chemicals be allowed to remain unlabelled. This rule applies to both proprietary lines and research samples

Carcinogenic chemicals

The following list of carcinogenic chemicals is not exhaustive. Exclusion of a chemical does not necessarily indicate that it is not a carcinogenic hazard. It should be noted that chemicals which are structural analogues to known carcinogens should be handled carefully. Adequate data on carcinogenicity of such analogues may never become available and therefore should be handled in the same way as carcinogens. For example, it is prudent to regard all chemicals belonging to certain chemical classes (e.g. polycyclic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines, aromatic amines, azo dyes, arsenic compounds) as presenting a carcinogenic hazard. Consequently some chemicals have been grouped into general classes to highlight the risk associated with the class of compound.

The chemicals listed below are Schedule 1 Carcinogens.

2-Acetylaminofluorene
Aflatoxins
4-Aminodiphenyl
Benzidine and its salts (including benzidine dihydrochloride)
bis(Chloromethyl)ether
Chloromethyl methyl ether (technical grade which contains bis(chloromethyl)ether)
4-Dimethylaminoazobenzene
2-Naphthylamine and its salts
4-Nitrodiphenyl

The following chemicals are Schedule 2 Notifiable Carcinogenic Substances.

Acrylonitrile
Benzene
3,3-Dichlorobenzidine and its salts
Diethyl sulfate
Dimethyl sulfate
Ethylene dibromide when used as a fumigant
4,4-Methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MOCA)
2-Propiolactone
o-Toluidine and o-Toluidine hydrochloride
Vinyl chloride monomer

If you have any of these chemicals in your laboratory please contact Rob Seefeld or Bruce Dobney as soon as possible, in order that WorkCover be notified and the Hazardous Substances Regulations be complied with. 

Scheduled Carcinogens are prohibited substances that can only be used in a licenced laboratory.

Chemicals that are considered to present a carcinogenic hazard to humans on the basis of epidemiological and/or experimental evidence are listed below by their chemical name and Chemical Abstract Services number (CAS no.).

# Evidence of carcinogenicity applies to the group of chemicals as a whole and not necessarily to all individual chemicals