Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Lab Safety

CuriosityKilledtheKat - 22-8-2011 at 23:40

Does anyone know of any full safety kits available to purchase in Australia for my hobby lab? I have searched extensively and can only find single items! I would prefer to order a kit containing everything I need for a safe work environment:) Thankyou.

bob800 - 23-8-2011 at 13:39

What do you mean by "safety kit"? You mean a kit that would include a fume hood, workbench, gloves, goggles, etc? I don't think such a kit exists, and even if one did, it would be EXTREMELY expensive.

You can, however, build your own lab table, fume hood, etc. There are several threads on things like this, so please use the search function!

Bot0nist - 23-8-2011 at 15:52

I agree with bob800, you will definitely not find an all encompassing 'kit' for safety. You mention the word environment in your post. Try and define exactly what environment will you be working in. Namely, what threat will you be faced with. Will you be doing simple beginners reaction or making ampules of phosgene?

And that's the thing about safety. It is more a state of mind and a set of rigorously followed protocols then it is something to be bought. Think about all that could happen and determine what you need. Simple things like gloves, goggles/faceshields can be found locally for little to nothing. Where proper clothing if you don't have an apron or labcoat. Think "what if I accidentally knocked that beaker of hot H<sub>2</sub>SO<sub>4</sub> into my crotch." A fume hood is really essential for some things, but working outside with a good fan will suffice for most. Always remember not to contaminate the area and to practice safe disposal though.

Read.
Read.
Read before doing anything, and do dry runs, and work the reaction out on paper. Always start small and check good literature before try to scale up any reaction.

Look for safety threads here and check out some other good sites like woelen's and many others.

[Edited on 24-8-2011 by Bot0nist]

Otter - 23-8-2011 at 16:33

There are other small things such as...

keep a bucket of baking soda with you at all times. It puts out fires well by releasing CO2 and it can also effectively deal with acid spills.

Keep containers of oxidizers well sealed a far away from flames. Out of experience I was once using a pack of calcium hypochlorite; I had an alcohol burner 2 feet away. The plastic caught fire and the whole thing deflagrated after having burned for a couple of seconds. Luckily all it resulted in was a cloud of smoke and a hole in the driveway... however fires that have oxidizers *in* them are significantly more dangerous than normal fires, being harder to put out and capable of producing an explosion.

Bot0nist - 23-8-2011 at 19:37

A deflagration punched a hole in your driveway?

Otter - 24-8-2011 at 13:26

Quote: Originally posted by Bot0nist  
A deflagration punched a hole in your driveway?


Fire was hot enough to melt it such that when I started scraping the ashes up chunks of the driveway started coming out.

MeSynth - 24-8-2011 at 14:15

Quote: Originally posted by CuriosityKilledtheKat  
Does anyone know of any full safety kits available to purchase in Australia for my hobby lab? I have searched extensively and can only find single items! I would prefer to order a kit containing everything I need for a safe work environment:) Thankyou.


you sound like the guy would couldn't figure out how to get sulfuric acid.. he said he was from australia too.

CuriosityKilledtheKat - 24-8-2011 at 22:26

Thankyou Bot0nist and Otter i'll be sure to keep those tips in mind. I'll be working in a space roughly 10m2 just beginners reactions nothing too advanced to begin with I have only a micro distillation kit half a dozen test tubes and a small beaker set to work with I also have work benches & storage facilities and i'm looking into making a fume hood after finding a few helpful threads on the SM forums but before I start I want to make sure I have taken every possible safety precaution and MeSynth your comment was rather dumb this is the Beginnings forum and a discussion on laboratory safety afterall and i'm quite sure I know how to get sulfuric acid

MeSynth - 25-8-2011 at 01:25

you dare call me dumb? i was going to help you but not now.

Bot0nist - 25-8-2011 at 05:00

Mesynth, He did not call you dumb, but rather your comment. I am inclined to agree with him on that point. It was cryptic, non-helpful, and irrelevant to the thread. Then you follow up with another useless post stating basically, nanny nanny boo boo, I wont help you.

So, since he didn't say it, I guess I will.
U dumb.
:P

MeSynth - 25-8-2011 at 07:56

i was tiered. buy a fume hood.

CuriosityKilledtheKat - 25-8-2011 at 18:57

Mesynth I didn't call you dumb I said your comment was and I don't feel like being a keyboard warrior so lets just leave it at that btw here are some websites I have found for anyone who like myself want some equipment/tips for lab safety

www.cch.com.au/au/OnlineStore/ProductDetails.aspx?...9...2.....
www.greymatter.net.au/sciweb/guide/handouts/guide1ho2.pdf
www.dynamicfume-exhaustsyst.com.au/
www.frsa.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=3096

MeSynth - 26-8-2011 at 11:04

FUME HOOD | GOGGLES/GLASSES AND A FACE SHIELD | GLOVES

SMART :D
[FUME HOOD]--[SCRUB SOLUTION]--[ACTIVATED CARBON]--[NEIGHBORS]

DUMB :o
[FUME HOOD]--[NEIGHBORS]

IF YOU DONT SCRUB YOUR FUMES HOOD EXHAUST DO EXPERIMENTS AFTER 11PM SO KIDS ARE NOT EXPOSED TO THE CHEMICALS.

redox - 26-8-2011 at 14:49

Quote: Originally posted by MeSynth  
FUME HOOD | GOGGLES/GLASSES AND A FACE SHIELD | GLOVES

SMART :D
[FUME HOOD]--[SCRUB SOLUTION]--[ACTIVATED CARBON]--[NEIGHBORS]

DUMB :o
[FUME HOOD]--[NEIGHBORS]

IF YOU DONT SCRUB YOUR FUMES HOOD EXHAUST DO EXPERIMENTS AFTER 11PM SO KIDS ARE NOT EXPOSED TO THE CHEMICALS.


Can you not write in all caps please? It is extremely irritating. :mad:

Also, just so you know, all of your posts on this thread have been pointless and stupid, adding practically nothing to the conversation. :mad:

Please think before you post.

Anyway, my homebuilt fume hood vents strait to the atmosphere. But I've got a lot of land, so no one is going to be poisoned from my experiments. The gases dissipate quite quickly in open air, leaving only a small propensity for an accidental poisoning.



[Edited on 26-8-2011 by redox]

MeSynth - 28-8-2011 at 10:05

Quote: Originally posted by redox  


all of your posts on this thread have been pointless and stupid, adding practically nothing to the conversation.

Please think before you post.

Anyway, my homebuilt fume hood vents strait to the atmosphere.

[Edited on 26-8-2011 by redox]


I have already decided previously that your either incompetent or intentionally trying to spread misinformation. I will no long reply to any of your posts and I urge others to do the same.

redox - 28-8-2011 at 12:07

I'm sorry MeSynth, I was in a bad mood when I wrote that. I didn't intend to sound mean. But seriously, many of your posts don't add much to the conversation. Also, what misinformation was I spreading?

The WiZard is In - 28-8-2011 at 15:37

Quote: Originally posted by CuriosityKilledtheKat  
Does anyone know of any full safety kits available to purchase in Australia for my hobby lab? I have searched extensively and can only find single items! I would prefer to order a kit containing everything I need for a safe work environment:) Thankyou.


This company be not in the antipodes, however, it will give you
some idea's.

http://www.labsafety.com/