Thoughts on Laboratory Safety Management

       With the development of technology, the number of laboratories, as the main places for scientific research and testing analysis, continues to grow. With the deployment of laboratories, safety management issues have become increasingly prominent. Therefore, how to do a good job in laboratory safety management and prevent laboratory safety accidents has become an important issue in laboratory safety management.
       Identification of Safety Risk Factors in Chemical Laboratories
       Laboratory hazards can be broadly classified into two categories, namely laboratory safety accidents caused by human factors and laboratory safety accidents induced by non-human factors. Non human factors mainly include physical factors, chemical factors, biological factors, and environmental factors, with chemical and physical factors being the main ones. Laboratory safety accidents caused by weak safety awareness of laboratory personnel, inadequate safety training, and lack of laboratory safety management systems are human factors.
       1）safety management system
       The content of the laboratory safety management system is missing, and corresponding management systems have not been established for chemical reagent warehouses, waste liquid and reagent storage rooms, etc., or the content of the management system does not match laws and regulations; After the old laboratory was renovated and put back into use, the failure to update the management system in a timely manner is a manifestation of inadequate and incomplete management system. At the same time, it is also prone to accidents caused by the lack of laboratory safety management systems.
       A laboratory safety management system should be established based on the characteristics of the laboratory and reagent library, including horizontal to edge, vertical to bottom, horizontal to vertical, and block combination. Special management systems should be developed for the laboratory reagent library, each laboratory, and laboratory fire-fighting facilities, and the management systems for hazardous chemicals, general chemicals, and chemical waste liquid should be refined. As shown in Figure 2.

       2）Personnel safety awareness and safety training
       Strictly and regularly conduct laboratory safety training according to requirements, so that laboratory personnel can master the safety management content system. During the experiment, laboratory personnel should implement the laboratory safety management system in place, strictly follow the equipment operating procedures to operate experimental instruments and equipment, and conduct experiments according to standard methods.

       3）Safety management of chemical reagent warehouse
       If there are situations in the chemical reagent warehouse where explosive reagents and drug reagents are not stored separately, liquid reagents are mixed with solid reagents, strong acid reagents and strong alkali reagents are not equipped with dedicated reagent cabinets, the ventilation of the reagent warehouse is poor, anti-static devices are not installed, entry and exit of the reagent warehouse are not registered according to requirements, and the chemical reagent warehouse lacks monitoring facilities, it is difficult to effectively manage the chemical reagent warehouse. The chemical reagent warehouse is one of the key points for the safe operation of laboratories, and its management is the focus of laboratory safety management. Improper ventilation of the chemical reagent warehouse may cause chemical poisoning, and improper placement of chemical reagents can easily lead to corrosion, combustion, explosion and other problems caused by mutual reactions between chemical reagents, which may result in direct and indirect economic losses.

       4）Safe use of exhaust devices
       The exhaust system is an essential item in laboratories, serving as the breathing guardian of scientific research laboratories. In laboratories of biological sciences, chemistry, physics, etc., an important facility is a fume hood. They are not only laboratory decorations, but also the breathing guardians of the laboratory, ensuring the health and safety of researchers. It can discharge harmful gases, odors, and chemical pollutants from the laboratory, preventing them from spreading indoors and reducing the harm of the laboratory; Thereby improving the efficiency of experimental operations.

       5) Laboratory facilities
       The aging of laboratory facilities is one of the factors that can cause laboratory safety accidents. Old laboratories may have problems such as aging wiring, broken water pipes, ceiling water accumulation, and blocked sewers; The water pressure of fire hydrants does not meet the standard requirements, fire extinguishers are expired, fire sand is damp, and occupying fire exits can also have adverse effects on safety. We should strengthen laboratory maintenance and upkeep, regularly renovate the main structure of the laboratory, replace aging circuits, and clear drainage channels.