General Lab Principles

PHARMACEUTICS I
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LABORATORY USE AND SAFETY
Definitions;
Laboratory; is a room/building equipped for scientific experiments,
research or teaching for manufacture of drugs and chemicals.
Safety; is the condition of being protected from danger.
Hazard/ hazardous material; are materials that harm the health or
the environment.
Corrosives; These are materials that can attack and chemically destroy
exposed body tissues e.g. acids
Accident ; is an unpleasant and unintended event associated with
injury, loss, harm or damage
Sharps; are devices/ equipments with sharp points or edges that can
puncture or cut skin
Toxicity; is the degree to which a chemical substance can harm the
health of an individual.
others
Precautions; these are measures taken in advance to prevent
something dangerous or unpleasant
Cautions; these are warnings during design of a given equipment to
prevent danger from happening
Prevention; this is the action of stopping something from happening
First aid; this is the first help given to a sick or injured person until full
medication / treatment is available.
Importance of a laboratory
- Acts as a storage for scientific equipments
- Helps in the culture for antibiotics
- Helps students to develop skills on how to interact with serious
chemicals
- Aids in research during drug development
- Aids in storage of pharmaceutical excipients
- Helps in testing the efficacy of a drug in animals and humans during
clinical trials
Importance of chemical safety
• To prevent environmental pollution and toxicity
• To prevent chemical from reacting with the environmental factors
such as moisture
• It minimizes cost in terms of purchasing of the chemicals
• Prevents contamination/spoilage with dust
• It enables easy identification of chemicals from the storage site
• It ensure proper disposal of wastes
Barriers to safe and effective practice of
laboratory chemical safety
- Inadequate water supply in the lab
- Congestion of students and staff in the lab
- Poor waste disposal methods
- Lack of enough knowledge about the laboratory safety like chemical
storage and handling
- Un favorable environmental conditions such as high temperatures
- Lack of security
- Inadequate power supply for machines
- Poor facility design
- Limited funds to purchase laboratory equipments
Qualities of a good laboratory
- An ideal lab should be organized so as not to mix up different

chemicals
- It should have a well qualified personnel who has knowledge about
the lab
- It should have a good drainage system
- It should be suitable and safe for storage of chemicals
- It should be well spaced to avoid congestion
- It should have a proper documentation and record keeping system
of products made and supplies
- It should be well ventilated for proper aeration
- It should have safety equipments like fire extinguishers
- It should have sufficient light
- It should have a proper water supply system
Examples of safety equipments found in an
ideal laboratory
• Lab coats; protect chemical splashes from contacting directly with
the clothes and the body.
• Protective gloves; they reduce the risk of injury on hands by
chemicals
• Fire extinguisher; stops fire in case of any fire out break
• First aid kit; holds supplies/items used to treat minor injuries like
burns and cuts
• Refrigerator; helps to keep chemicals to their desired temperatures
• Head gears
• Masks
• Aprons
• Gumboots
Laboratory rules and good lab practices
• Do not eat, drink, or smoke in the lab

• Do not ply in the lab
• Use the apparatus for the right purpose
• Keep the apparatus in their right position after use
• Clean the lab before and after use
• Clean the apparatus before and after use
• Handle all chemicals, glassware and equipments with care.
• Assume that all chemicals unknown are toxic
• Do not perform practicals unless authorized
• Wash your hand well before and after the practicals
• Never taste the chemical
• Wear safety equipments and minimize all chemical exposures
Ways of preventing the fire out break in the
laboratory
• Educate everyone on fire risks and safety
• Use of alert systems e.g. smoke alarm detectors
• Observe proper safety working practices
• Maintain and know how to use a fire extinguisher
• Use labeled and proper chemicals to prevent fire accidents
• Do not smoke in the lab
• Avoid careless and unintended use of flames
• Review your fire prevention procedures
• Ensure proper disposal of hazardous materials
• Regular maintenance of fire alarms
• Keep chemical containers closed
• Keep away from heat sparks and any source of ignition
• Maintain an organized working area
Procedure of response to fire out break in the
lab
• Report any fire out break to the department of fire and safety team
immediately
• Follow instructions from fire marshals( fire brigadiers )
• Switch off electricity supply from the main switch
• Switch off gas supply
• Switch off the air conditioners if available
• Call fire management response team
• Use smoother blanket in case of minor fires
• Use the fire extinguisher to stop fire
• If fire is out of control, evacuate the building immediately
• Put on fire alarms
• Place all clear signs on the door to indicate that the room has been
evacuated(no one inside)
• Gather for a head count at the emergency gathering area
• Do not enter the building until declared safe by the local fire department
Relevance of fire safety precautions in the lab
- To reduce the costs and wastages

- To observe proper safety practices
- It saves life and minimizes damages
- They prevent cross contamination
- Help us to known flammable chemicals
Laboratory design
a) FLOOR;
The laboratory flow should be:
- Slip resistant
- Moisture proof
- Durable
- Easy to clean and maintain
b) Laboratory furniture
- It should be durable enough to withstand heavy equipments
- It should be resistant to chemical spills and splashes
- It should be easy to clean and disinfect to prevent contamination
- Should be of adequate size and surface area
Cotd…
c) Laboratory sinks;
- They should be made from high quality materials to withstand
intense chemicals
- They should be easy to clean
- They should be durable
d) Storage cabinets; these are lab cabinets used to organize and store
lab supplies, glassware, documents and non hazardous materials.
- They should be durable
- They should be moisture resistant
- They should be resistant to chemicals
To be continued….

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PHARMACEUTICS I

- An ideal lab should be organized so as not to mix up different

• Do not eat, drink, or smoke in the lab

- To reduce the costs and wastages

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