Give reasons for the following safety rules.
(a) Contact lenses should not be worn in the laboratory.
(b) A chemical spill on the skin should be washed off with water, not with solvent.
(c) Solvents are not to be poured down the sink.
(d) Water should not be used to extinguish laboratory fires.
(e) To dilute concentrated sulfuric acid, we pour it onto ice instead of simply mixing it with water.
(f) Broken glassware should be picked up immediately and put in the designated container.
(g) Closed-toe shoes should be worn to laboratory.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer is (a) Contact lenses can trap chemicals. They may require time to be removed when the eye must be washed. In addition, soft contacts can actually absorb chemicals from the atmo- sphere in the laboratory and damage the eye.
(b) A solvent may carry the chemical through the barrier of the skin into the system-that is, cause dermal absorption that would not have taken place otherwise.
(c) Solvent fumes in a drainage trough are a fire hazard.
(d) Most organic compounds float on water; therefore, water will cause the fire to speread. Some chemicals, such as sodium metal and metal hydrides, react explosively with water.
(e) When concentrated sulfuric acid is mixed with water, sufficient heat is generated that the acid-water mixture will boil and splatter. The ice cools the mixture sufficiently that this does not occur.
(f) Broken glassware is a hazard which must be removed immediately because another lab occupant may not notice it and inadvertantly cut themselves on it.
(g) Closed-toe shoes protect the feet from both chemical spills and broken glassware.

Give Reasons for the Following Safety Rules