Chemicals on Skin

Nature/Causes:

• Spillage of chemicals during transfer or heating of chemical liquids, washing up of apparatus containing chemical mixtures, opening the container of chemical or breakage of glass containers.
• Students' mischievous behaviour of pouring chemicals to others.
• Concentrated sulphuric acid, phenol and sodium hydroxide were the most common harmful chemicals involved.

Safety Precautions:

• Chemicals should always be handled with great care.
• The correct ways of handling chemicals should be used, e.g. avoid direct skin contact when transferring chemicals.
• Protective gloves should be worn when highly corrosive chemicals are handled.
• Proper laboratory spatula, instead of narrow stem plastic teaspoon, should be used for handling chemical solids.
• All chemicals should never be tasted.
• Wash hands after handling chemicals and before leaving the laboratory.
• Use the minimum amount and lowest concentration of chemicals in doing experiments, and use safer alternatives to replace hazardous chemicals or dangerous procedures whenever possible.
• To reduce the possibility of a liquid spurting from the test tube while heating, fill no more than 1/3 of the test tube with the liquid and heat gently while shaking. Boiling tubes are preferable to test tubes for boiling liquids. Vigorous boiling can normally be prevented by adding anti-bumping granules. The mouths of test tubes should never be pointed towards oneself or others.