What Are Corrosive Chemicals? A Complete Guide To Corrosive Chemicals

Any chemicals, be in liquid, solid and gaseous or vapor state, when dissolves an object are called corrosive. Hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, nitric acid, ammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide etc. are falling under the category of corrosive chemicals. Corrosive chemicals are very harmful for human health. If accidentally we contact with corrosive chemicals, these can destroy our body tissue, burn and blister our skin. One may dies also due to severe burn. These chemicals can burn eyes leading to permanent blindness. If it happens to be swallowed, it will burn mouth, throat and lungs in digestive system. Person will lose the ability to swallow. If anyone breathes in corrosive vapor, lining of his nose, throat, lungs will be burnt.

Chemicals resistant Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) plays a vital role while handling corrosive chemicals. Workers can stay safe in PPE.

What is Corrosive Chemicals Cart?

While working with the hazardous chemicals, there is high chance of occurrence of accidents from the corrosive nature of these substances. So, taking safety measure is must. And this requirement has made the corrosive chemicals carts the must have equipment wherever dangerous substances are being handled. Along with other tools, corrosive chemical cartis vital to form an effective and perfect environment wherever harmful substances are handled. Since these chemicals carts are acids and corrosives resistant, these ensure no hazards in transportation. 

Types of Corrosive Chemical Carts:

Mainly there are two types of Corrosive chemical carts. Based on the materials they are made, these carts have been differentiated. These two types are:

·         Polypropylene Chemical carts: These carts are made of polypropylene and used for transportation of corrosive chemicals and other harmful waste. These chemical carts are built in liquid tight welding technique. These carts meet all safety and regulatory requirement.  These carts are available at affordable price.

·         Utility carts: These carts are generally built out of zinc, chromium or stainless steel. These chemical carts are also used to transport the hazardous substances. But these are not ideal for moving dangerous chemicals as polypropylene carts are.  It is high-priced. These are used as heavy-duty carts and medium-duty carts.

Why Polypropylene chemical carts wins over Utility chemical carts?

Polypropylene chemical carts have gained popularity more than utility chemical carts for the following reasons:

·         Polypropylene chemicals carts are designed to ensure maximum and safety and easy usage. This material has chemical compatibility. Therefore, to avoid disasters, Polypropylene Chemical carts are widely used for moving corrosive chemicals or hazardous waste from one place to another.

·         In industries or medical business, container sizes vary significantly. Here, such a transportation cart is required that can accommodate these different types of containers. Polypropylene chemical carts are made in such a way that most container sizes can be fitted in these carts. We do not have to purchase different transport Lab Equipment for different sizes of containers. Polypropylene chemical carts are configured to support heavy container loads. These carts have foot-operated brake which reduces risk of spillage.

·         Polypropylene chemical carts are acid resistant as well as they ensure smooth movement. So, they can be used at small spaces.

Both chemical carts work well. Only consideration is the lifespan. 

What are the characteristics of corrosive chemical cart?

Demand of chemical carts is increasing day by day. These chemical carts are used to handle heavy material and storage purpose. Use of these chemical carts is beneficial as they are:

·         Versatile-As per the need, these chemical carts can be designed for wide range of uses in including classrooms, laboratories, electronics, chemicals, etc.

·         Flexible- These chemical carts can be used at any place. These come in different sizes and can be customized. These are perfect for ESD (Electrostatic discharge) as there are ports in these carts.

·         Safe and secure-Materials can be carried in chemical carts safely without anybody’s assistance. There is no chance of dropping material and getting these damaged. There is no risk of getting injured also by the working staff. You can move hazardous chemicals, tools and costly material in these user-friendly carts securely.

·         Efficient- These corrosive chemical carts move materials and tools from one place to other efficiently for various purposes. Materials can be stored in these carts easily.

·         Durable-These chemical carts are long lasting and provide service for many years. 

Irrespective of usage, choosing chemical carts is the smartest choice which simplifies the task of material handling and essentiality of storage.

Safety of Transportation of chemical substance is an important issue

The transportation of hazardous chemicals can make significant threats to people and the environment in the way of explosions, fires, toxic leaks, radioactive spills, and the breathing of corrosive substances. These threats have made safe chemical transportation an important issue. The best practices for transporting corrosive chemicals or hazardous waste can reduce the risk of accidents which causes damage.

How to choose the right cleanroom chair?

Some of us don’t spare much though while buying a chair but a simple chair can be extremely useful in our lives. Especially if we think about our work space a chair and a table plays a crucial part in our live. The work performance of workers can be affected due to the lack of a good chair. A chair is not only a space where we sit in but it also directly connected to the comfort of the worker which again affects his performance. As the working hours normally varies from five hours to more depending on the workload this long time couldn’t be spent if we are not comfortable with the chair we sit in.

Keeping all this points in mind various companies has come out with several kinds of chair specially made for office, hospitals or schools. Cleanroom chair are the kind of chairs that specifically designed keeping in mind the structural difference of every workers for example if the employee is taller in he will need certain kind of size and back adjustment that will be suitable for his body structure same things goes for employees with shorter or medium height. It gives the user a feel of comfort and perfectly fits for any kind of hygienic environment. So the next time when we will buy a clean room product we have to choose it carefully according to our requirement.

Features of clean room chair

These chairs are specifically designed for sterile environment. That makes it an ideal product to use in pharmaceutical, bio labs or hospitals. Keeping the best interest of the technicians and workers in mind there are some add on features that make this chairs different from the normal chairs we use. Those features are:

·         Clean room chair comply the standard of ISO cleanliness.

·         The height of the chairs are adjustable

·         Can be turned till 360 degrees adjustment

·         Footrest and glides are available for comfort and leg support

·         Can be used in wet room, clean room and preparation of food

·         Braked castor system is also available in gliding chairs

·         Electrostatic discharge system is equipped in the chairs

·         Some are washable

Things to keep in mind while choosing a clean room chair

There are several points to consider if we are buying this chair in bulk for the workplace. We have to take an average of the body structure of every technicians and who is over and under the average to decide the perfect chair required for them.

·         We have measure the height and weight of every worker and those who are over the average weight will need a chair with more space. In that case clean room offers plus size chairs for those individuals.

·         We have to consider the popliteal height of the chair which the measurement of the lower leg in proportion to the height of the chair. The height of the chair will be considered as ideal when we can sit in the chair keeping our feet firmly on the ground.

·         The seat depth can be determined if between the seat and the backside of our leg will have a considerable difference and the backrest cushion will help distributing the surface area for the distribution of our weight.

·         The width of the seat will be decided on the wideness of our hip the seat should be always broader than our hips and the armrest will add additional space.

·         To make the sitting arrangement more comfortable we should ensure that our leg should fall at 90 degree angle while sitting.

·         Cushion plays a great role in choosing our chair if the cushion is thickly padded and highly dense it will distribute our weight better and also if the cushion is contour we won’t have the feeling of slipping down from our chairs.

·         As we can find both cluster and glide. We can choose any one variant, if the technician is restricted in the cubicle cluster chair will work fine for them but if it is required for them to move a little bit every now and then in that case a glide chair will work best.

·         Placing the perfect armrest can be tricky if the armrest should be in such a height that the worker should be able to be near the workstation and also ban touch there back in the chair comfortable without hampering there movement.

·         Vinyl and polyurethane used in the seat ensure that no particulate is released in the clean environment of the lab and this martial is also easier to maintain and clean.

·         The height of the backrest should meet our requirement by supporting our spinal lumbar contour.

In the end all of these points solely depend on the technician who will be using the chair. This entire requirement is fulfilled by the all clean room chairs.

Top 3 Features To Look For While Buying Chairs & Stools For Your Laboratory

Laboratories are those places that need extreme physical and mental work. Like different furniture and equipment of the laboratory proper seating arrangements in the form of stools and chairs are highly necessary to keep the safety and comfort of workers at an optimum level.

It is also an integral part to maximize the productivity of your lab. In this aspect selecting chairs specifically designed for the lab, usage is highly necessary as different chairs and stools have different purposes and according to those purposes, these are built.

The major thing to consider in this case is the working conditions. Generally, selecting an ergonomic chair or a stool will benefit you in this aspect. These chairs can bend to some extent and will not give you back problems. In laboratories, some workbenches have some height from the ground and you cannot use normal stools or chairs in this case as it will not give you that much height.

So, this kind of small thing becomes a big deal when it comes to selecting an ideal chair.  Also, while working in the lab, you need to move from one place to the other. In this case, if you have wheels attached to your chair or stool, the movement will become seamless. You should not think much regarding the expenditure concerning the chair as it will be a long-term investment and you will not be throwing the chairs out before a minimum of 5-6 years.

Alaboratory  environment can often be boring, serious, and dull. Hence, you should add some fun or aesthetic appeal to the laboratory in the form of stools and chairs. You can add that aesthetic to your laboratory by getting polished aluminum, cast aluminum chairs, or chairs that are made from tubular or reinforced nylon.

There is a huge range of options to choose from. In this scenario choosing chairs and stools which have armrests, bases, footrests or rings allow you to add little more to the seating places. This ultimately becomes a positive side for the workers of the lab. Hence, the combination of functionality and aesthetics should be your goal. Now there is a basic difference between office chairs and lab chairs which will let us learn more regarding the things to look for while buying chairs and stools for your lab. We will discuss this difference in the following section.   

In offices, the chairs are of low height with back support and are used majorly to sit in front of a cabinet or cubicle which does not have much height. Whereas, in the laboratory, major works are done on the workbench which has a substantial height difference compared to the cubicles in the offices.

 That is why if you get office chairs for your lab, it will be wasteful expenditure. There are 3 major things which you should look in a lab chair or stool. Read the next portion of the article to find about that.  

1. Go for Functionality, never make a compromise

Functionality is the most important factor to look at every lab component. Hence, chairs or stools are no exception. Lab work is highly demanding for your physical energy and hence you need to sit for long hours. Hence, you should select those models which have a positive impact on your posture. You might opt for chairs which have some kind of a backrest or armrest as these will provide you and other workers some relaxation.  

2. Think about the height

We have mentioned the issue of height since the beginning of this article and indeed it is one of the major things to look at while selecting chairs for your lab. If the height of your chair is too much, it will put a lot of pressure behind your knees making it difficult for blood to circulate. On the other hand, very low chairs, will restrict you from reaching the workspace and give troubles while working. The best idea in this aspect can be a lab chair that has customizable height. The person sitting on it can manage the height according to their requirement.

3. Make mobility a major concern

Stationary chairs are useful if you do not move around the lab too often but almost all the labs have different work stations or workspaces to perform different types of experiments. To solve the issue of running around from one corner to the other it is better to go for a lightweight wheel-containing chair or Laboratory Stools. Also, it is better to go for the same kind of ergonomic chair if you need to slide around the lab almost all the time. Wheel-based chairs make your life easy around the laboratory. It also enables you to multitask.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully the article was able to clear your doubts regarding the selection of laboratory stools and chairs. As a pro tip, you go for a sleek design with some added aesthetic just to make your lab peppy and bright.

Also, always remember to put the safety and comfort of yourself and other workers into priority and get the best equipment and furniture to boost the morale and work culture of the lab.

Need of Adjustable Height Workbenches – Different Types Available

For 7 years Tinni is working in a private organization and since then she is sitting in this same desk. But recently, she is facing some difficulties while working in sitting position. She feels severe pain on her back. Sometimes, she stands up and tries to work. But the desk is too low to her. She is quite tall. At times she takes a stroll on the floor for few minutes and comes back to her desk. But she observes one thing that her colleagues do not like this. They are working hard at the same type of workstations and only she is complaining, wandering on the floor. She takes leave often due to her back pain.  That day her boss called her and asked about her work pressure, pending works. And he also said if she is free, he can assign more work to her. Tinni cannot reply that user-friendly workstations are very much required in this office. If adjustable height workbenches were there in this office, she could work comfortably. It is a private company, Boss!

What is An Adjustable Height Workbench?

Adjustable height workbench has the flexibility of either sitting or standing while working. Based on two factors these are made. Comfort of the users and size and weight of the object they will be keeping on that bench. Now you won’t have to keep two types of separate workbenches for jobs that these are for standing and those are for sitting. Height adjustable workbench has the changeability. So, both types of tasks can be handled with it. This type of workbench is useful when many people use the same workstation. People can adjust its height according to their convenience. Height adjustable workbench allows the users to adapt to their workload.  For shift-based work it is a perfect workstation. This sit and draw workbench can be used at home, office

How does this workbench work?

Height adjustable table can be adjusted in various heights by using three different mechanisms. Options are:

Allen key height adjustment mechanism – By loosening screws at intervals down the edge of bench legs, height is adjusted and again tightening them new level is kept firmly. 

Adjustment via a manual hand crank- By rotating the hand crank clockwise and anti-clockwise its height can be raised and lowered.

Use of electric motor – By pressing accessible up and down button its desired height can be adjusted. It is the easiest way to change the height of workbench. 

Types of height adjustable workbench

There are various types of adjustable height workbenches like heavy duty, modular and ESD.

Heavy Duty- Heavy duty height adjustable workbench is made for long lasting usage. Steel is used throughout the workstation to make it durable equipment for industrial purpose. It can take many abuses because of its strength and durability. This workstation is designed for any demanding production or engineering environment.

Modular –These motorized height adjustable workbench accommodates various requirements of multiple shifts and multi-task functions. Mobility of this workstation makes it accessible to numerous work areas. This workbench is available in various color and material such as fabric, wood, glass and metal. This workstation will definitely impress your clients.

ESD (Electrostatic discharge) – Electronics industry most importantly requires ESD protection. This workbench is adjusted automatically. This workstation is required for production of electronics, repairing testing and other electronics related work.  ESD workbench provides the static electricity guidance. Strong cold steel is used as his material. Its design can improve production. Its permanent properties are laminate top and ESD powder coating.  The table top of this workstation is made static dissipative and fireproof to prevent sudden discharge. This workbench includes Shelves and metalwork.

Benefits of Adjustable height workbench

A sit-stand, Tables & Workstations may cost more than traditional workstation but considering the long term health benefits of employees now offices and industries should be equipped with adjustable desks. Standing between work hours will bring the following health benefits:

·         improves blood flow and burn calories

·         reduces lower back pain

·         improves energy level

·         increases metabolism

·         reduces risk of obesity

 

What are the best adjustable height workbenches?

Ergtron Workfit –D, ApexDesk Elite 71, Vertdesk VI, Stand up Crank Desk, S Standup Electric Desk have been chosen as the best models of sit-stand workstations in the year 2020.

Adjustable height workbenches help the employees to change their postures while working. Sitting at a stretch is unhealthy. Excessive sitting is evil. It brings health disorders. Getting up from chairs is compulsory to keep us healthy. In some organization employees are insisted on standing event majorly. Long standing also can bring health issue. So, sit and stand manner should be followed in workplaces. Setting up of height adjustable workbench may result in decrease of absentees in office and improvement in production because of user-friendly workstations.

A Guide Through 3 Variants of Vacuum Desiccator Cabinets

Vacuum Desiccator Cabinets are of utmost importance, especially in research or pharmaceutical purposes. If you run a laboratory, you should own high functioning desiccator cabinets. Their role is diverse in terms of researches, but to mention the prime one, they are used as a Desiccator or “drying chamber.” They are absolutely sealable enclosures brilliantly placed with desiccants or drying agents inside the chamber. Such drying agents such as Silica Gel, Diorite, Magnesium sulphate, etc. along with other materials, help the process of desiccation and prevent chemicals from reacting with moisture or water.

People from the field of research and development can stress on its necessity to avoid false results or errors while conducting experiments. It is the only safe way to work with hygroscopic or moisture-sensitive items if you want to end up with a satisfactory result. Even though you are aware of its basic uses and importance, many of you might not have prior knowledge before buying Vacuum Desiccator Cabinet. There is a wide array of them available in the market, and you might be searching how to choose the appropriate one for your lab.

Continue reading this article till the end to find out the popular variants of Vacuum Desiccator Cabinets and how to choose the best one based on your requirements.

1.      Clear Vacuum Desiccator Cabinets:

Products of this kind are of immense use primarily because of the construction of the cabinets. These are kept clear to increase the visibility of the interior. To achieve this, they are made up of clear acrylic (about ¼ inches thick). This type of construction facilitates usage and also prevents any mishaps from occurring. This is because the user can visualize and be alerted about anything going wrong inside. These Vacuum Desiccator Cabinets are absolutely dust and moisture-free.

To ensure complete airtight system, the gasketed doors are built with twist locking latches and hinges. It is composed of 2-3 clear trays (depending on the model), which are well perforated for proper air circulation. There are variants available based on the height, breadth and length, such as 12 x 12 x 12 inches, 7 x 7 x 10 inches, 9 x 9 x 16 inches, etc. The interior is so designed that there are no unwanted reactions between the available atmospheric humidity and hygroscopic chemicals.

2.      Amber Acrylic Vacuum Desiccator Cabinets:

On top of providing with an airtight enclosure for desiccation, cabinets of this kind ensure proper prevention of contamination. In other words, other than the basic features of a Vacuum Desiccator Cabinets, it has a few more add-ons to contribute to the valuable researches it is used in. These include the usage of a steady flow of nitrogen gas to reinforce the airtight condition. Often, when the doors of the cabinets are open, a considerable amount of humidity penetrates inside. If the chemicals are strong reactants, then there might be a chance of false or unwanted results. To avoid this, a good flow of N2 gas is applied.

Amber chambers are majorly helpful in preventing the harmful and strongly reactive ultraviolet rays from penetrating inside. Unlike the previous design, the locking systems are more secure and unlikely to be faulty in any case possible. They comprise of PVC gasketing. Moreover, they have a hygrometer installed to detect changes in the relative humidity after opening and closing the doors. They also have standardized and perforated shelves.

3.      Grande Vacuum Desiccator Cabinets:

Even though the designs as mentioned above are available in various sizes depending on the volume of the cabinet, certain laboratories require extra-large sized ones. This variant also provides fundamental features such as dust-free interior and minimal humidity. One of the add-ons, in this case, is the facility of holding up to many shelves or trays rather than 2 or 3. You can purchase extra shelves and place them 2-3 inches apart for keeping additional components inside the chamber.

Co-polyester doors and panels are present to enhance the visualization of the interior. Acrylic and perforated shelves with built-in stops for preventing accidents during loading or unloading the shelves. However, the presence of stops on the shelves does not make their removal difficult. In this case, door hinges are present on one of the sides and not on the front.

Excited to buy your variant of Vacuum Desiccator Cabinet?

Now that you have a clear image of the three significant variants of the product, you must have decided by now which one to opt for.

Based on your preferences and requirements, buy accordingly and make sure to maintain it properly. Since these are used regularly for experimental purposes, and they need extra care and maintenance.

A Guide Through 3 Different Classes of Laminar Flow Hoods

Laminar Flow Hoods are highly essential for almost all Research and Medical laboratories across the world. It helps to maintain a clean and sterile environment or a chamber of such kind in which you can do your microbial, fungal, or virus-related works without any hint of contamination. This is the greatest invention which prevents all kinds of contaminations as well. Some microbes can be harmful to humans with which you might have to work in the lab as the purpose of your research. These include several viral pathogens, parasites, and so on. The laminar flow systems contain the spread of these microbes entirely in them. Hence, they have an immense role to promote a sanitary environment by ensuring a constant airflow and filtration of microbes.   

Laminar flows provide unidirectional airflow with a constant all the time. This enables the lab environment to remain hygienic as the hood filters the air with its revolutionary HEPA filter technology. 

To know more about Laminar Flow Hoods, you need to understand the working mechanism of the machine. A basic laminar flow system is composed of a filtration pad that gets rid of the particles of different sizes, a HEPA, or the High-Efficiency Particulate Air filter and a fan for sucking the air up. All these elements work in sync and get rid of the contaminating components and/or germs from the air.  

The whole process starts with the actions of the fan. First the air is drawn by the fan which is pulled by the filter pads that in turn traps the bigger particles like dust and spores instantly. After the air becomes dust and spores free, the HEPA filter comes to do the job. The HEPA gets rid of the finer and finest particles like microbes, virus particles, and fungal spores too; hence making the air free from all the contaminants. 

These airflow systems also come with UV-systems which ensures you the maximum sanitization standards and enables you to perform all your intricate research experiments without worrying about contamination. 

Now, there are two different types of laminar flow systems available in the market depending on your requirements or application needs. So, you need to decide from these two types of Laminar Flow Hoods;

Vertical Laminar Flow Hoods

In Vertical Laminar Flow Hoods the air enters from the apex of the system which gets delivered to the air holes in the basal portion of the chamber. The filter is placed right at the top of the workspace to protect the lab workers and other components of the lab from any unwanted mishaps. It is best suitable for those laboratories which work on biological and medical samples.   

Horizontal Laminar Flow Hoods  

Horizontal Laminar Flow systems on the other hand flow the air from the frontal side to the backside of the device. In this case, the contaminated air is pulled into the device through the backside of the workspace, and the clean particle-free air is released through the frontal side. Here, the filter is mounted on the workbench directly and hence requires some more space horizontally compared to the previous device. This is designed to completely protect the components which are inside the workspace but does not guarantee complete security and safety for the workers of the lab.   

Based on their working principle and level of protection offered, laminar hoods can be divided into three different classes. Read the next part of the article to know the different classes of Laminar Flow Hoods.

Class I Laminar Flow Hoods

Class, I laminar airflow systems have a simple design that is similar to chemical fume hoods which can be seen in chemistry labs. They offer complete protection to both the lab environment and the workers in the lab. Although it does not provide complete protection from the contaminants associated with the lab. 

Class II Laminar Flow Hoods

This class of laminar flow system provides complete protection against hazardous contaminating substances. Hence, it provides complete protection to the workers and lab samples as well. These can be used in those labs which actively work on bacterial and viral contaminants and hazardous components. 

Class III Laminar Flow Hoods

Class III laminar flow hoods are used in those laboratories which require the highest safety standards. These offer great protection from highly infectious viral particles and parasites as it provides an airtight environment inside the workspace. 

Planning to buy your variant of Laminar Flow Hood?

So, we have provided you the details regarding the different classes of laminar airflow systems and we assume that you have a complete idea for which you want to opt for.

Always remember to give priority to the safety and security standards of the laboratory. After buying your laminar airflow make sure to maintain it regularly and take care of all the possible chances of hazards concerning the machine.