Handbook of Laboratory Health and Safety Measures

During the past two decades, many books, governmental reports and regulations on safety measures against chemicals, fire, microbiological and radioactive hazards in laboratories have been published from various countries. These topics have also been briefly discussed in books on laboratory planning and management. The application of various scientific instruments based on different ionizing and non-ionizing radiations have brought new safety problems to the laboratory workers of today, irrespective of their scientific disciplines, be they in medicine, natural or life sciences. However, no comprehensive laboratory handbook dealing with all these hazards, some of which are recently introduced, has so far been available in a single volume. Therefore, it was thought worthwhile to publish this handbook on safety and health measures for laboratories, with contributions from several experts on these subjects. As this is a multi-author volume, some duplication in content among the chapters is unavoidable in order to maintain the context of a chapter as well as to make each chapter complete. An attempt has also been made to maintain the central theme, which is how to work in a laboratory with maximum possible environmental safety. I am indebted to Mr D. G. T. Bloomer of MTP Press Limited, who has undertaken the publication of this volume and to Mrs M. R. Lingard-Pal, for acting as an honorary editorial assistant. S. B. PAL 1985 vii List of Contributors Numbers in parentheses indicate the page on which the authors' articles begin P. BOWKER B. L. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Organizing the Design of a Safe Laboratory....Pages 1-9 Electrical Safety Measures and Standards for Laboratory Facilities and Equipment in Hospitals and Laboratories....Pages 11-35 Design of Mechanical Equipment for Laboratory Staff and Patient Safety....Pages 37-42 Handling of Laboratory Animals – Including Non-human Primates....Pages 43-60 Health Care of Laboratory Personnel....Pages 61-77 Responsibilities of the Chief for Health and Safety in the Laboratory....Pages 79-85 Health and Safety Hazards and Precautions in Chemical Laboratories....Pages 87-119 Safety Measures to be taken in a Haematological Laboratory....Pages 121-135 Health Hazards in Microbiology....Pages 137-160 Safety Measures in a Clinical Chemistry Laboratory....Pages 161-182 Safety Precautions in a Clinical Cytogenetics Laboratory....Pages 183-206 X-ray Hazards — Diagnostic and Therapeutic....Pages 207-233 Radiation Protection in Radionuclide Investigations....Pages 235-254 Ultraviolet Radiation Safety....Pages 255-297 Uses of Ultrasound and their Hazards....Pages 299-325 Safety Aspects of Laboratory and Clinical Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Magnetic Fields....Pages 327-344 Laser Safety....Pages 345-362 Safety measures to be taken when moving to a new laboratory....Pages 363-381 Back Matter....Pages 383-391