Safety policies that relate to the use and storage of hazardous substances.

Hazardous substances

No person is permitted to introduce a hazardous substance for use or storage in the School (as defined under NOHSC:10005 (1994)) without first complying with the requirements of the School's Hazardous Substance Management System in the School Safety Procedures. The system is structured to assist chemical substance users comply with the legal requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (1996).

Hydrofluoric acid

No person is permitted to handle or store hydrofluoric acid without first consulting the School Safety Procedures for the Biological Laboratory. These procedures lay down operational guidelines for handling, storage and supervision that are additional to the standard requirements of the associated MSDS.

MDF craftwood

MDF craftwood contains formaldehyde and is known to cause adverse health effects in predisposed people. In some cases the allergic reaction may be quite severe.

The handling and use of MDF craftwood within the School must comply with safe Handling guideliness for MDF craftwood:

Refrigerators

It is not permitted to store any chemical substances in domestic refrigerators in association with food or drink. It is not permitted to store any flammable substance in a refrigerator that has not been specially modified to eliminate the risk of explosion.

All refrigerators purchased for use other than storing foodstuffs must be modified prior to being put into service. The modification includes disabling the internal light and relocating the thermostat control unit to the outside of the refrigerator. These modifications remove the danger of contact arcs igniting flammable vapours.

This policy is retrospective to all refrigerators currently in service within laboratories.