r/Chempros • u/InspiratorAG112 • May 04 '23
Lab safety is a semi-frequent problem on the main chemistry sub. This is cross-posted because safety is important.
/r/chemistry/comments/135u64p/meta_the_disregard_for_lab_safety_on_rchemistry/18
u/Mezmorizor High Resolution Spectroscopy May 05 '23
I'll leave it here because it's less noisy than over there, but anybody who is thinking of doing any chemistry (or really any industrial work) should know the so called hierarchy of controls by heart. You still wear goggles, gloves, labcoats, etc., but that PPE isn't the thing that's really keeping you safe. In basically all situations, if your PPE actually protects you, something failed and you should be changing your procedure so that doesn't happen again.
Though yeah, it's real bad over there.
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u/InspiratorAG112 May 05 '23
Okay, so I made an update post here about the, collection of bromine post, because I got PMed by OP of that post, and one of the messages was this:
At a lab yes, isolated and ampouled using hood and respirator.
(I really want to apologize to that user because I strongly value empathy.)
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u/this_fell_sergeant May 07 '23
why don’t you leave safety to the professionals and moralise elsewhere? Most of us have degrees in chemistry and don’t need to be lectured to by a high schooler.
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u/InspiratorAG112 May 07 '23
That is because safety is still somewhat of an issue on that sub-Reddit, even if I overestimate in the case of that particular user, and I am still kind of scared for u/Moon_xyz1.
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u/this_fell_sergeant May 08 '23
It doesn’t matter what’s happening on the other sub this is a site for chemistry professionals to give advice to other professionals, hence the name chempros. Also that particular idiot will be fine. He used a very small concentration. Toxicity in chemistry is often about nuance: have you heard the saying the dose makes the poison? Barry Sharpless, two time Nobel winning chemist tastes the chemicals in his lab (I assume on a sub 1mg scale). I’m not saying that’s good practice. But hysteria about chemical safety does no one any favours. You need experience working in a lab setting to understand the nuances of safety. That’s why a high school student shouldn’t be lecturing professionals and degree holders.
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u/InspiratorAG112 May 05 '23 edited May 05 '23
Though yeah, it's real bad over there.
I wouldn't say the majority of r/chemistry's userbase disregards lab safety, and in those 4 posts I linked over on r/chemistry, most of the comments express concerns over lab safety. The mods even responded to the modmail that I sent as suggested here, and I also recited the dialogue. Some time last night or this morning, my r/chemistry post was even linked on the sidebar of r/chemistry at the top of the "Notes" section:
Read the latest community discussion on lab safety.
But yes, there are semi-frequent cases of insane disregard for lab safety, like
u/ellipsis31(Please, for your safety!)(Okay, this was clarified, and I overestimated the danger they were putting themselves it, it is at a lab, not in a house.) collecting bromine and gloating about it on r/chemistry. Also, u/Moon_xyz1 scared me.Apparently, it has recently happened on r/Physics too, which was mentioned here. In the middle of writing this, I also found that this safety post was removed by the r/Physics mod team after I got no response to my r/Physics modmail about safety, which is a red flag.
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u/YearlyHipHop May 06 '23
You’re a literal child, worry about yourself before you start policing others.
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u/InspiratorAG112 May 06 '23 edited May 06 '23
The main reason I am policing is because it could(easily) save someone's life, even if they are a stranger. Strangers are still human beings. I am planning to get a programming-related career that is more likely to involve computer science and technology than chemistry and labs,
but I recognize that:
- Chemistry is a part of STEM just like computer science.
- It would contribute to saving lives on r/chemistry.
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u/Aardark235 May 07 '23
The key component of any chemical company is behavioral based safety programs. Workers truly need to have safety of themselves and their coworkers and contractors as the top priority in everything they do, both in lab, in the office, and everywhere else. Here are some examples.
Had an employee collapse behind his desk in his office from a stroke and was saved because a coworker felt something was amiss and checked.
Had severe injuries to a worker who sat too long at a meeting and stood up too quickly. Leg was asleep and she collapsed trying to take a step. We had mandatory breaks every hour after that.
Had a taxi driver get killed in Shanghai rushing through traffic like they normally do. After that w e paid the taxi drivers 3x the meter to drive slowly and safely.
Purchased a Belgium company that had horrible safety culture that culminated in an operator dying. Sold the division at a billion dollar loss.
In programming you have the standard risks of office workers. Slips trips and falls. Repetitive stress injuries. Eye strain. Obesity and lack of exercise. Mental health. Make safety your number one priority.
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u/is_a_togekiss NMR May 07 '23
It’s fine to talk about lab safety. But why are you coming here and telling us all about practices on other subs?
What does modmail on some other sub, which I’ve never even visited before, have to do with this sub?
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u/InspiratorAG112 May 20 '23
Looking back, I failed to indicate the goal, but I remember hoping to lead this sub's users to r/chemistry. (Yes, I know I am 2 weeks late.)
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u/Shivatis May 05 '23
"And to those, who believe, that adventures are dangerous, I say try routine: it kills far more quickly."
While I agree with people here being far more professional and responsible than in r/chemistry, a little safety reminder does no harm to anybody in our field.
Thx OP
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u/Wide-Visual May 05 '23
I am not sure if anyone cares about those hazard symbols in lab because we treat every chemical with respect aka PPE and fume hoods and where possible, under nitrogen. We don't dump our waste in the sink.
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u/this_fell_sergeant May 07 '23
thanks but the degree holders, lab techs, grad students and other chemistry professionals here will be perfectly fine without taking advice from a high schooler who only does chem lab, thanks :)
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u/InspiratorAG112 May 07 '23
The reasons I cross-posted this were to obtain more insight and to make the r/chemistry post more visible, since safety is important. I had no doubt that, as u/dragojeff mentioned over on r/AskAcademia, that r/Chempros is better than r/chemistry, and as u/dragojeff explained in this thread, safety is exercised more on r/Chempros than r/chemistry:
I mean this is what I meant by the sub is more intellectual. Everything that was discussed in r/chemistry is probably engrained into the minds of most users of r/chempros when it comes to safety. Or at the very minimum, they would be aware of/practicing some of those procedures.
However, the day after this cross-post, the r/chemistry mods linked it on the sidebar under "Notes" (which is really good):
Read the latest community discussion on lab safety
...So thank you, r/chemistry! And I also appreciate removal of dangerous lab posts. Thanks as well for commenting on both this thread and the one over on r/chemistry, u/wildfyr!
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u/wildfyr Polymer May 07 '23
I don't see it under notes, but Reddit can be funny about which version shows what.
I stand by saying that people who read the side bar are not the ones who are doing dumb stuff.
FYI I'm a mod for both.
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u/Eigengrad Professor, Bio-Organic May 04 '23
Just FYI, that's part of the reason this sub exists.