flinnsci.com SAFETY REFERENCE CHEMICAL SAFETY IN THE LAB
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Chemical Safety in the Lab
Make Your Lab a Safer Place to Work and Teach
The overall safety profile of your school will be
drastically improved if you adopt and follow carefully
written purchasing specifications for laboratory
chemicals. Your goals should be to establish
uniformity and high standards with respect to the
information shown on the chemical label, the type
of chemical packaging used and the amount of
chemical purchased.
Chemical Labeling
Begin by specifying that certain information be
clearly shown on all chemical bottle labels. The
required information should include:
• Chemical Name, Grade, Purity and Concentration
• Hazard Alert
• A Chemical Safety Guide showing what safety aids
should be available when using the chemical
• Warning Information
• First Aid Procedures
• Lot Number
• Compatible Chemical Storage Family
• Suggested Disposal Method
• Shelf Life
• Solubility
• Date Purchased
• CAS Number
• NFPA Code
A consistent labeling system makes proper storage
and maintenance of your chemical inventory much
easier. It also helps you to quickly identify hazards
and proper safety procedures.
Flinn Scientific is the only science supply company
that provides such comprehensive labeling on its
chemicals. The Flinn chemical safety label has
been specifically designed to fit the needs of the
middle and high school science teacher. The above
specifications will help you acquire the quality
product you expect and the safety information you
need.
Chemical Packaging
The second category to incorporate into your
chemical purchasing specifications is the safety
packaging of the chemicals. Chemicals must be
supplied in packaging designed to give the chemical
and the user maximum protection. The packaging
should maximize the chemical’s freshness and shelf
life. Flinn also uses packaging that will reduce or
eliminate expensive hazard shipping charges.
Incorporate chemical packaging concerns into
your purchasing considerations. Does the supplier
package most chemicals in safe plastic containers,
versus glass bottles, which can be broken? All Flinn
chemicals are packaged in unbreakable plastic
bottles or PVC-coated glass containers for safety.
The type of container in which a hazardous
chemical is packaged may determine whether you
purchase the chemical in the first place. For instance,
most chemical suppliers package magnesium ribbon
in a wax paper bag. Flinn Scientific packages it in an
air-tight zipper-lock bag to prevent the magnesium
ribbon from oxidizing.
Does your supplier offer acids in safer, PVC-coated
bottles? Does your supplier package small, precut
pieces of sodium or potassium under mineral oil in
PVC-coated glass bottles and then in a metal can
for safer storage? Flinn Scientific’s state-of-the-art
chemical packaging containers are the safest in the
industry.
Chemical Package Sizes
Does your chemical supplier offer smaller chemical
package sizes so you can purchase only the quantity
you actually need? Excess chemicals sitting on your
shelves year after year increase your overall storage
risks, tie up valuable budget dollars, create hazardous
clutter and result in costly disposal methods.
The shelf life of your chemicals is an important
concern. Some chemicals become more hazardous
with age. Purchasing in small quantities allows you to
have new, “fresh” chemicals on the shelf at all times.
It is recommended to mark any chemical labels with
the purchase date. Having this information available
helps you know how old your chemicals are and if a
shelf life problem exists.
Yes, safety has its costs, but these costs are always
short term! In the long run, purchasing chemicals in
smaller package sizes saves you money because
you are storing less material, ultimately leading to
lower disposal costs. You might even save money on
insurance premiums—some insurance companies
may offer lower premiums to schools that have
adopted chemical purchasing practices designed to
promote safety.
Flinn Scientific has more than 500 chemicals
available in small package sizes.
Conclusion
Purchasing chemicals is not like buying finger paints
or copier paper. You need to establish uniformity
among the chemicals you purchase, use and
store. When you buy chemicals from ten different
companies you are going to get ten different levels of
quality. This all adds up to confusion for your science
department staff and lowers your school’s overall
safety standards.
If you are serious about getting your “chemical
act” together, look at more than just the price of the
chemicals you purchase. What does one chemical
accident cost in terms of lost time, cleanup, injury
and in today’s world—litigation? Will a court of law
have sympathy for your school when an accident
occurs and they find out that you purchased a
“lesser quality” chemical package because it was
$1.17 cheaper than the package you should have
purchased? You must ask yourself if the money saved
is worth the increased risk.
Improve the overall safety profile of your school by
adopting stringent purchasing specifications for your
laboratory chemicals. Not all chemicals are equal
in quality, packaging or labeling. Science teachers
can obtain laboratory chemicals that are properly
packaged and labeled if the purchasing specifications
are carefully written with the science teachers’
and students’ safety in mind. Flinn Scientific’s
suggestions for chemical packaging specifications
help the safety conscious science teacher achieve
the goal of obtaining chemicals provided in “safe to
use” chemical containers, properly labeled and at a
competitive price.
Please ask yourself the question, “In the best
interest of my students and teaching staff, where
can I purchase laboratory chemicals with specialized
chemical safety packaging and labeling?” The answer
is Flinn Scientific! Discover why Flinn Scientific is
truly your “Safer Source” for laboratory chemicals.
Purchase your chemicals from Flinn Scientific and
help make your laboratory a safer place to teach and
learn.
No Need to Repackage
Flinn sodium is packaged ready-to-use and
ready-to-store. Five small pieces of sodium
(0.3–0.5 g each), perfect for demonstrations,
are packaged under mineral oil in a plastic
bottle. The bottle is placed in a plastic bag
within a metal can for safer storage. Count
on Flinn for the safest package.
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