Handling chemicals should only be done when you have ensured that the surroundings are completely safe. It has been addressed by a lot of industrial chemical manufacturers in India to handle such chemicals with safety.
Here are some tips that your business or industry should always use when working around hazardous chemical materials.
Training
Always keep your employees trained about the safety hazards of handling chemicals in laboratories and industry spaces. A well-trained employee will not only keep themselves safe, but the other people working around him as well.
Always follow the training procedures that were informed to you by the employer in the begging. For employers, never skip out on training someone, even if they have been working in the industry for some time. Each employee should go through the same procedure of necessary training before they start working with actual chemicals.
Planning
Always try to stay one step ahead of the situation. It is sensible to plan of time and understand what could go wrong with the chemicals you have. And how you can work towards controlling the situation when it happens.
Protective Equipment
No employee should ever be allowed near hazardous chemicals without the proper protective equipment. Doing so will only lead to leaving you without any option in case something goes wrong.
Hence make it mandatory for everyone working in the industry to wear protective gear before they start their day at work. Check the equipment from time to time. Never take any issue lightly, even a smallest malfunction with equipment or protective gear could cause hazards.
Assign a dedicated person in your business to regularly inspect the protective equipment daily. Replace anything that is worn out.
Labels
Unlike other offices, where nothing major can happen if you ever mix one file with the other, accidently mixing chemicals together can be catastrophic.
There are a lot of hazardous and highly reactive chemicals that should never come in contact with each other. Therefore, it is best that you label each one of them and regularly check if the labels are misplaced or not.
Labelling will also make it easier for your employees to practice safety measure and handle them with care. Finding out the hard way can cost the company and the employees a lot.
MSDS
If there are new employees who are still getting around the workplace, make sure you have provided an accurate material safety data sheet, also known as MSDS, for every chemical present in the lab.
It’ll make your employees more cautious when they understand the damage a chemical mishap can cause and what things are necessary to avoid to stay safe while handling them.
Separate the Canteen
Never allow anyone to eat where they work, especially when there are highly reactive and hazardous chemicals lying around all the time. There are chemicals that can react to certain types of material which might not lead to a positive result.
Storage
Always make sure you are handling your storage properly. Store the chemicals that are not compatible with each other in different places, the lower the possibility of either of them coming in contact with each other, the better the safety around your business.
Clean
Always keep the workspace clean when dealing with chemicals. If there are splashes and spills while working with chemicals, always make sure that you thoroughly get it cleaned before beginning with the next chemicals.
Some of the best speciality chemical companies in India have always advised that it is best to clean your hands thoroughly once you are done handling them with soap and water.
