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RISK
ASSESSMENT: USE OF GLASSWARE
This Risk Assessment refers to the use of ordinary laboratory glassware,
including equipment under reduced pressure or vacuum. It does
NOT apply to glassware used under elevated pressure.
Hazards
- Cuts from damaged or broken glass.
- Cuts from flying glass due to implosion following evacuation or mechanical
shock or stress.
- Cuts from forcing plastic tubing, teats or rubber bungs onto glass
tubing, pipettes or condensers that break.
- Cuts from broken glass and sharp items e.g. Pasteur pipettes disposed
in ordinary wastebins.
- Burns from heated glass.
- Poisoning following cuts by contaminated glassware.
Risk:
For an untrained person the probability of being injured (cut) by broken
or breaking glass is rated as likely with any injury being moderate to
severe.
Who is likely to be injured?
From mishandling of glassware, the most likely person to be injured is
the user although, in the case of imploding glass, anyone in the vicinity
is likely to be hurt
Control Measures
Physical:
- Glass vessels under vacuum should normally be enclosed in plastic
or wire mesh to prevent fragments being scattered after implosion.
- Broken glass must be disposed of into specially designated bins and
not into the normal waste bins.
Training:
- Training in the safe use of normal laboratory glassware is part of
the Undergraduate course but extra training by Research Advisers/Supervisors
may be required for the use of glassware under vacuum.
P.P.E:
- Depending on the procedure being performed Safety Glasses or Face
Shield should be worn. In some circumstances, e.g. when pressure is
applied in fitting tubing to glass, leather gloves covering the wrists
or towel or tissue padding may be required
Operating Precautions
- Before use, all glassware should be checked to ensure that it is free
from cracks, flaws or scratches that may cause it to fail in use.
- Glass should be transported carefully and never in pockets.
- Glass must never be stored on the floor.
- When fitting tubing to glassware, glass may be lubricated with water
or glycerol and the plastic tubing softened by brief immersion in hot
water. Excessive force must not be used or force in a direction which
will make the glass snap. Thought should be given as to where the sharp
edge of the glass might go if it does break and the grip arranged accordingly.
The glass may be wrapped in a towel or thick layers of paper tissue.
When tubing is being removed, a sharp knife can be used to cut off tubing
that does not yield to gentle pressure.
- Hot glass (which looks the same as cool glass) should be treated with
care and placed where no one can accidentally come into contact with
it before it has cooled.
- Joints and stoppers. Ground glass connections should be lubricated
before assembling and disassembled immediately after use. Flasks or
containers must not be stoppered when hot. If a stopper seizes, it is
extremely dangerous to reheat the container to remove it.
- Damaged glassware should be repaired or disposed of in the "Broken
Glass" bin and not the ordinary waste-bins. A brush and dustpan
should be used to clear up broken glass. Special care is needed when
clearing broken glass from a sink where water can make sharp edges invisible:
tongs can be used to pick out pieces.
- Glass "sharps" must be disposed of in the proper containers
and not in the ordinary waste-bins.
Vacuum use
- Glassware subjected to vacuum should be carefully inspected for flaws
before use.
- For glassware under vacuum, volumes of 1 litre or larger should be
enclosed in tape or plastic mesh to restrain fragments in the event
of implosion. This applies to equipment such as vacuum storage bulbs,
rotary evaporators, vacuum desiccators etc. See the Risk Assessment
"Use of Reduced Pressure or Vacuum".
Washing
Detergents are the normal means of cleaning glassware. More drastic methods
such as the use of chromic acid should be used only when cleaning with
detergents or solvents is inadequate and should be covered by a separate
Risk Assessment. Beware of fire risk if using solvents to clean or dry.
Training Requirements
The safe use of glassware is part of normal Undergraduate training
Remaining Risk
Cuts from broken glass or the misuse of glass remain amongst the commonest
form of injury in the Dept of Chemistry. Great care is always required.
Emergency Procedures
- Cuts and burns should be treated immediately. No attempt should be
made to remove broken glass from wounds.
- Apart from very minor injuries, a First Aider should be called.
Back to Completed Risk Assessment Forms
Adapted
with permission from School of Chemistry, University of Bristol
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