Laboratory Scenarios - Essay Example

According to the National Institute for Occupational safety and Health (2006), anyone entering or using the lab has to have detailed knowledge of the dangers and risks involved, and the risks presented by each of the reagents in the laboratory. This knowledge is important in helping the lab users to indentify potential risks and take the appropriate measures to prevent these risks from occurring. Below is a detailed analysis of three laboratory situations that clearly do not follow the safety procedures and that put lab users at great danger.

In Scenario 2, there are deliberate safety procedures that were overlooked. The student was working in the lab late night. This means that the lab might not be well lit and since it was late night, the student might have been fatigued thus placing the bottle wrongly at the counter making it to shutter and spill the contents. The student had no safety clothing or lab protective gear, making the contents to spill on her clothing. The bottle was wrongly used for unintended purpose, since it originally contained chloroform and the label canceled out.

In addition, the student was cleaning the floor with bare hands without the use of gloves, which is a great health risk. She was cut in the process, and decided to ignore the first aid criteria by only applying a simple bandage. Moreover, she found it not necessary to alert others and especially reporting to the lab supervisors concerning the case. One of the relevant authorities that are concerned with such cases is the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute that sets and writes guidelines and safety procedures to be followed in the laboratory, as would be suited to the case above (Merrick et al, 2006).

The body designs and outlines documents that contain quality clinical practices that have to be followed in such chemistry labs. This lab seems not to comply with any of the lab practices and guidelines and as Hampton (2011)