Typical Cases of Laboratory Safety

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1. A colleague forgot to turn off the heating mantle, causing the temperature to rise too high and exceed the range of the thermometer, which then cracked with a \"bang\". 2. After a colleague replaced the power outlet for the refrigerator, he forgot to turn on the power switch. The next day, it was found that all the samples in the refrigerator were damaged, and most of the expensive medications were completely ruined. 3. An explosion occurred in a gas chamber at a university! The reason is: serial sampling was used, and I was not in the laboratory throughout the morning; it might have been caused by impure carrier gas, resulting in casualties among those in the laboratories on the same floor! ! 4. In the summer, due to the extreme heat, upon entering the analysis room, I saw mineral water (freshly obtained xylene) on the table, picked it up and drank it, which resulted in poisoning! ! 5. During the experiment, a colleague mistook perchloric acid for a diluted sulfuric acid solution; suddenly, there was an explosion as a result of the reaction. 6. To prepare the cleaning solution, potassium dichromate and sulfuric acid should be used, but the person in question used the wrong substances – potassium permanganate was added, which caused sulfuric acid to splash out and result in severe burns to the face. 7. During digestion, concentrated sulfuric acid was added too quickly, reacting violently with the sample and spraying out from the bottle mouth, causing burns to the hands ； As digestion neared its end, there was no one to monitor it; eventually the acid evaporated and an explosion occurred, with a cracking sound similar to that of firecrackers ； 8. When testing wastewater COD, no one was present during the heating and reflux process; the water supply was interrupted midway, and by the time it was noticed, most of the solution in the bottle had evaporated, resulting in a failed test. 9. The person unloading the goods was not wearing acid-resistant gloves, and one of the barrels of hydrofluoric acid had a loose lid, causing some of the liquid to splash onto the worker’s hands. The area was washed thoroughly with water on the spot, and the worker was taken to the hospital; although treatment was prompt, the corrosion had reached the bone. 10. The alcohol lamp fell to the ground accidentally, causing a fire in the sand nearby; in his panic, he stepped on the source of the fire with his feet wearing sandals. As a result, the fire wasn’t extinguished and his foot was burned. 11. While opening a 0.2 mol/L sulfuric acid solution, the laboratory technician, due to the stopper sticking to the bottle mouth, rotated it forcefully and accidentally broke the bottle neck; as a result, a tendon in the index finger of his left hand was torn, preventing free bending of the finger, but it was healed after surgery. 12. When adding alcohol to the alcohol lamp, some of the alcohol spilled on the lab table, hands, and sleeves. In a hurry to light the alcohol lamp, the alcohol on the lab table, hands, and sleeves caught fire, resulting in burns to the hands. 13. When preparing dilute sulfuric acid, water was mistakenly poured into concentrated sulfuric acid, resulting in violent splashing and severe burns to the face. 14. A staff member at a university accidentally consumed reagents containing aniline in the refrigerator, mistaking them for plum juice, and suffered poisoning; this was because plum juice that the staff member drank had previously been stored in the refrigerator. The direct cause was that the laboratory personnel violated operating procedures by bringing food into the lab. The official account [Laboratory ISO17025] reminds that it is strictly prohibited to keep food in the laboratory. 15. My senior colleague used an air-drying oven in the laboratory to bake steamed buns; he passed away from stomach cancer half a year later. 16. I brushed the bottles with concentrated sulfuric acid and then diluted it with a large amount of water. When pouring it into the waste container, it splashed everywhere and got all over my face; I immediately rinsed it with plenty of water, but bubbles still appeared.