Top 11 Lab Safety Equipment Importance and Uses

A laboratory is a risky workplace with high-risk procedures and hazardous chemicals that pose potential threats. Hence preventive measures and understanding laboratory safety are superiorly important. In this case, you must understand what lab safety equipment is, how it works, and why it is essential.

Then, you can equip the laboratory with this safety lab equipment to maintain a safe and functional environment for workers and researchers. Let’s get a comprehensive understanding of the most common yet helpful lab safety equipment for your convenience.

Lab Safety Equipment

Laboratory equipment isn’t all about microscopes and Bunsen burners. With life-threatening and injury situations on the line, laboratory safety equipment is vital. For example, infectious blood and hazardous substances shouldn’t pass through the clothes and reach the skin. Otherwise, it can cause temporary or, worse, permanent health damage.

Other laboratory risks include exposure to toxic and corrosive materials, flammable solvents, high-pressure gases, explosive chemicals, and dangerous microbes. Hence, it’s essential to understand what lab safety equipment is and how to use it properly.

The Essentials

Below is some must-have lab safety equipment to ensure complete safety from various hazards while working in the lab:

Protective Gloves

The hands are at higher risk of coming into contact with dangerous substances. Hence, you must wear gloves based on your ideal risk assessment. Safety gloves will let you handle the following:

• Chemicals of unknown toxicity
• Corrosive items
• Very hot or cold substances
• Hazardous materials
• Rough or sharp-edged objects

When choosing lab safety gloves, ensure they are comfortable and have sufficient length to prevent wrist and hand exposure. More excitingly, the gloves should be suitable for your work. Lab safety gloves come in different types: reusable, heat-resistant, insulated gloves, and disposable gloves (nitrile, latex, and vinyl). Ensure proper disposal and replacement when compromised.

The variation of disposable gloves is nitrile, latex, and vinyl. In addition, check the visible years before use, replace them when compromised, and dispose of them after use. lastly, wash your hands afterward to prevent pollution.

Lab Coats

You must wear lab suits whenever working in the lab or clinical areas to protect the skin and prevent contamination. A lab suit acts as a removable barrier in case of a splash or spill from dangerous substances. Protective equipment is important because it safeguards against chemical exposure and biohazards.

Lab coats should be made of absorbent materials and removed promptly if a chemical spill occurs to prevent contact with the skin. Always button or close the lab coat for ultimate protection.

Safety Glasses

Lab safety definition includes protection for the eyes, which are extremely vulnerable during exposure to hazardous materials. Safety glasses and splash-proof goggles help prevent injury from particles and moderate impact-related splashes.

This lab safety equipment acts as a shield and helps carry on the experiment safely. Safety glasses come in various types, allowing you to choose the right style for essentials. 

In addition, if you work with chemical substances, opt for chemical or splash safety goggles. Other types of safety glasses are specifically intended for UV light or laser protection. In general, safety glasses should feel comfortable while fitting perfectly around the eyes. And make sure the safety glasses are sanitized and disinfected after use.                   

Eyewash

In case, you don’t wear goggles and somehow something gets into the eyes, keeping eyewash can protect your eye. In this case, you can simply let the water splash into the eyes. Even it’s the fastest first aid for eye injury in the lab. The high-pressure water should dissolve the intruding substances or chemicals and calm the hurt area.

Fume hood

Sometimes, you need to do a potentially risky experiment in the chemistry laboratory. During the experiment, something can produce toxic fumes, foul, and may explode or splash. You should handle these experiments by keeping the fume hood around. it has an inbuilt system to suck any risky fumes away from you while the tough glass protects from accidental burns or splash. 

Disposable Masks

Masks ensure respiratory protection by preventing inhalation of hazardous particles. Surgical masks, while effective, do not provide full protection against gases or airborne chemicals. Instead, opt for respirators or antibacterial disposable masks for complete coverage.

First Aid Kit

Risks and hazards are present in the laboratory, making the first aid kit the top choice for such work field. Even you should store first aid kits in inaccessible locations and the box should include the:

• Wipes
• Gauze
• Sterile and eye dressings
• Tweezers
• Antiseptic cream
• Bandages
• Scissors

No matter the injury, the first aid kit can prevent infection and lower the severity.

Fire Blankets

It’s a versatile and one-use safety aid that should be available in a laboratory. The fire blankets can suffocate small fires and are suitable for wearing without having any special training. In the laboratory, a dire blanket helps control and contains chemical spills. In case the clothing ignites, the fire blankets can smother the flames. 

This lab safety equipment also ensures personal protection during risky works like fire evacuation. Like other lab safety equipment, you should also keep the fire blankets in unobstructed, accessible areas.

Fire extinguishers

Like the previous equipment, you should keep at least one fire extinguisher in the laboratory. Place the fire extinguishers in an easily accessible section in the laboratory and you should have the skill to operate them in case of fire. The fire extinguisher comes in lots of variations including foam-based, water-based, and wet chemical. 

Vacuum Systems

Another lab safety equipment you need is a vacuum system. However, you must make sure the switch and service cord of the vacuum system are free of observable defects and remain accessible for an emergency. 

You should also use a trap on the suction line to avoid liquids from being drawn into the pump. If vapors or gases are being drawn through the pump, you should use a cold trap in the suction line to prevent pump oil contamination. In addition, you can put a tray under the pump to hold any oil drips.

Laboratory-Safe Refrigerators

Samples, chemicals, and liquids are common in most labs and must be stored in cool and safe environments. In this case, a lab-safe refrigerator is the best bet. And the features it should have are compressors, magnetic door gaskets, no ignition source, and self-closing doors.

While storing flammable chemicals, make sure they don’t have any risky source of electrical sparks inside. 

Safety storage cabinets

Though many people don’t consider the storage cabinet as lab safety equipment in the lab, it makes sense. Locking any dangerous substances into the safe cabinets can limit its access to the students and drastically lower the possibility of lab mishaps. In addition, storage like fume cabinets help clean chemical fumes and resist corrosive effects. 

What is the Importance of Lab Safety Equipment?

Lab safety equipment is essential to ensuring the protection of workers, researchers, and the environment. Without proper safety lab equipment, accidents like fires, chemical spills, and exposure to toxic substances can occur. Protective equipment is important because it:

• Prevents injuries and contaminationReduces health hazardsSaves lives by minimizing risks

Workers should implement a comprehensive laboratory safety program that includes:

• Regular safety training and inspectionsAccess to proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)Emergency response procedures for spills and accidentsAdhering to OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) guidelines

By maintaining lab safety standards, researchers and workers can protect themselves and the broader community from potential hazards.

The other important lab safety equipment is:

• It prevents injury
• Help avoid making a mistake
• Save lives
• Along with the importance of lab safety equipment in protecting researchers and workers, workers should use several key strategies to ensure the safe operation of the lab. These include:
• Building a comprehensive lab safety program that includes procedures, training, and policies for the safe operation of dangerous substances. This program should be modified to the certain risks present in the lab and reviewed as well as updated regularly.
• Offering access to ideal PPE for all employers who use dangerous substances in the lab. And the list includes lab coats, safety glasses, gloves, and respirators.          
• Performing regular safety inspections of the lab. A trained person should conduct these inspections in the lab. The procedure includes inspecting for proper storage and dangerous substance labeling and maintenance of protective equipment.
• Applying procedures for spill containment, emergency response, and waste disposal. You should communicate these procedures to all employers and practice and review them regularly to ensure that the employer is prepared to react to emergencies in the lab.      

To gather more information on lab safety, workers can refer to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) lab safety guidelines. This instruction offers detailed suggestions for the safe operation of the lab including inspections, PPE, training, and emergency response procedures.

Overall, lab safety is a helpful part of ensuring the safety of researchers and employers in lab settings. By applying for a comprehensive safety program and offering access to ideal PPE, workers can help avoid mistakes and injuries and protect the wider community from possible hazards.

Final Words

The safety of researchers and workers in the lab should be a top priority because knowledge isn’t as expensive as the damage to human lives. Once you understand what lab safety equipment is, you can ensure optimum safety for all workers and researchers. Remember, there is no excuse for burns, cuts, or injuries due to safety concerns.

FAQs on Lab Safety Equipment