I would like to query the group about eye protection.. As I understand it, the current and long-standing position taken by the ACS is the recommendation for the use of splash goggles and that using safety glasses is discouraged.
As a starter, Prudent Practices (2011) states:
“Researchers should assess the risks associated with an experiment and use the appropriate level of eye protection:
• Safety glasses with side shields provide the minimum protection acceptable for regular use. They must meet the American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) Z87.1-2003 Standard for Occupational and Educational Eye and Face Protection, which specifies minimum lens thickness and impact resistance requirements.
• Chemical splash goggles are more appropriate than regular safety glasses to protect against hazards such as projectiles, as well as when working
with glassware under reduced or elevated pressures (e.g., sealed tube reactions), when handling potentially explosive compounds (particularly during distillations), and when using glassware in high-temperature operations.
• Chemical splash goggles or face shields should be worn when there is a risk of splashing hazardous materials or flying particles.”
I have always interpreted the ACS position to intend to apply to (at least) academic labs where:
As a note in prelude to the rest of this email, I’ll observe that at my college we have required safety goggles for at least the past 38 years. The main argument rests on the two statements above.
I make the following assertions:
Given these assumptions, I am considering a new recommended policy (that the ACS may wish to consider) that posits that student should purchase
both safety glasses and splash goggles and then wear the appropriate eye protection during each lab. The choice of eye protection can follow an appropriate hazard and risk assessment for each experiment. There is a financial cost (to the student) for
this recommendation, but since most students will progress on to organic chemistry (where the need for splash goggles in likely higher) the cost can be spread out over other parts of the curriculum. The clear advantage to this recommendation is that it fosters
the use of RAMP on a regular basis and students are wearing appropriate eye protection all the time as determined by a needed risk assessment that minimizes the risks of hazards.
(The cost issue is not catastrophic: I found the splash goggles that we use online at $13 and the safety glasses look like about $7. Interestingly, our bookstore charges $24 for the goggles!)
Of course, any campus can adopt this policy irrespective of ACS recommendations. And, some campuses may decide that safety glasses are appropriate at all times (but this seems unwise to me).
I welcome the wisdom of the group on this matter.
Dave
David C. Finster
Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry
Wittenberg University
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