XN000022-1982-09-06 — Page 5

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1982

ADVICE ON SAFETY IN SCHOOL LABORATORIES

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SUPERVISORS, SCHOOL HEADS, SCIENCE TEACHERS AND LABORATORY TECHNICIANS WERE URGED TODAY BY THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO SAFETY IN SCHOOL LABORATORIES.

IF A SCIENCE LABORATORY IS USED AS A CLASSROOM FOR NON- SCIENCE LESSONS DUE TO FLOATING CLASS ARRANGEMENTS, THE TEACHER INVOLVED SHOULD SEE TO IT THAT THE STUDENTS DO NOT ENTER THE LABORATORY UNLESS HE IS PRESENT AND THAT THEY DO NOT DISTURB OR REMOVE ANY OF THE SCIENCE MATERIALS IN THE LABORATORY, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT SAID.

EVERY LABORATORY SHOULD BE EQUIPPED WITH AT LEAST ONE APPROPRIATE FIRE EXTINGUISHER WHICH IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE, A FIRE BLANKET AND A BUCKET OF SAND.

WHENEVER A LABORATORY IS NOT IN USE, ITS GAS AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLIES SHOULD BE SWITCHED OFF AT THE MAINS, HE ADVISED.

THE SPOKESMAN ALSO SAID THAT STUDENTS SHOULD BE TAUGHT HOW TO EVACUATE FROM A LABORATORY IN THE EVENT OF FIRE.

+ IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT ANY SUCH EVACUATION BE CARRIED OUT IN AN ORDERLY, CONTROLLED MANNER, AND THAT EVERYTHING BE DONE TO AVOID PANIĆ, HE SAID.

RECORDS SHOWED THAT ACCIDENTS IN SCHOOL LABORATORIES WERE MOSTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE PREPARATION AND BURNING OF HYDROGEN, MIXING WATER WITH CONCENTRATED SULPHURIC ACID, MIXING CONCENTRATED ACIDS WITH POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE, GRINDING OR WARMING A MIXTURE OF AN OXIDIZING AGENT WITH CARBON OR SULPHUR PREPARATION OF CHLORINE AND HYDROGEN SULPHIDE, HANDLING OF BROMINE, SODIUM OR POTASSIUM, HEATING OF ALCOHOLS AND THE STORAGE OF YELLOW OR RED PHOSPHORUS, PHOSPHORUS TRICHLORIDE OR PHOSPHORUS PENTACHLORIDE.

+SCIENCE TEACHERS, LABORATORY STAFF AND PUPILS ARE THEREFORE STRONGLY ADVISED TO EXERCISE SPECIAL CARE AND TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS WHEN PERFORMING THESE EXPERIMENTS AND WHEN HANDLING THESE CHEMICALS.

+ THE ATTENTION OF SCIENCE TEACHERS AND LABORATORY TECHNICIANS IS ALSO DRAWN TO THE USE OF BENZENE, WHICH IS A SUSPECTED CARCINOGEN.

+CARCINOGENS CAN ENTER THE BODY NOT ONLY BY INGESTION, BUT ALSO BY INHALATION AND SKIN ABSORPTION. IN GENERAL, EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL CARCINOGENS ARE LONG-TERM AND INSIDIOUS, RATHER THAN IMMEDIATE AND OBVIOUS.

+BASED ON SAFETY GROUNDS, THE STORAGE, ISSUE AND USE OF CORROSIVE, POISONOUS AND CARCINOGENIC SUBSTANCES LIKE BROMINE, CONCENTRATED ACIDS AND ALKALIS AND BENZENE SHOULD ALWAYS BE SUPERVISED BY THE SENIOR SCIENCE TEACHERS OF THE SCHOOL, SAID.

HE

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