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Previous by Date: Subject: Shorts and Skirts in Labs Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 15:41:20 -0800 Author: "Larry D. McLouth" |
Next by Date: Subject: Re: Shorts and Skirts in Labs Date: Mon, 3 Nov 2008 19:02:08 -0800 Author: Marc Majewski |
>I'm interested in written policies/procedures on wearing shorts and >skirts in chemistry labs. >Thanks > >Larry My personal and professional opinion is that neither should NEVER be worn in a lab. Here's 3 quick examples that form the basis of that opinion. 1. A grad student was moving some old vacuum lines down to the storeroom. These were the old-fashioned kind that were assembled in place and when they were taken down they had to be cut/broken. The ends of the manifold were jagged and stuck out from the end of the cart he was using. He managed to jab himself in the leg pretty good and required stitches. I suspect if he had been wearing jeans instead of shorts he would have had only a superficial wound. 2. In the accident I describe at http://www.ilpi.com/safety/explosion.html jagged pieces of glass embedded themselves in the ceiling ductwork. Had anyone actually been hit by those it is easy to imagine the injuries. And the potential effect on protected skin vs unprotected is obvious. 3. Here's an example where a flask disintegrated into hundreds of tiny fragments. While the brunt of the impact was on the victim's arm, it gets across the idea that the more layers of *anything* between the skin and projectiles, the better. In this archived UseNet post you will fine my firsthand account at the very bottom: http://yarchive.net/chem/piranha_solution.html And don't get me started on the fires I've witnessed.... That all said, you will find *tremendous* resistance trying to ban shorts/skirts in laboratories. Even from seasoned faculty/researchers who really should know better. The worst example I ever saw of that was at an oceanographic institution where it took unbelievable effort to get them to agree to ban bare feet and sandals in the lab (and they still didn't ban shorts). If you run into anyone like that, send them a copy of this message. Rob Toreki -- ===================================================== Safety Emporium - Lab & Safety Supplies featuring brand names you know and trust. Visit us at http://www.SafetyEmporium.com esales**At_Symbol_Here**safetyemporium.com or toll-free: (866) 326-5412 Fax: (856) 553-6154, PO Box 1003, Blackwood, NJ 08012
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