Glassware Safety

Evacuated glassware

When glassware under vacuum breaks, the implosion may spray glass pieces around. So, any glass Dewar vessels or evacuated flasks must be covered with strong sticky tape, plastic netting or be metal shrouded.

Glassware under pressure is even more dangerous and should only be used with total containment.

Broken glass and empty bottles

Broken glass or used disposable pipettes and other items, may be put only in waste bins labelled Sharps – this is for the safety of cleaning staff who empty waste bins.

Before they leave your laboratory it is vital that all bottles for disposal are treated in the following way:-

Any sodium residues in bottles must be carefully destroyed and the bottles washed with water;
All bottles should be completely emptied of solvents and chemicals then washed and dried to the extent that there is no residual odour from them;
Cleaned bottles can be put unstoppered into the waste bins.

Glassware for repairs

All glassware sent to the glassblower for repairs must be thoroughly cleaned first. For perfluorinated grease like Krytox, use ethyl acetate to degrease followed by soaking in a base bath.
For the silicone or hydrocarbon grease like Apiezon, use pentane for degreasing.

Examples of bad practices

Sharps should be disposed in proper sharps bin, not with common rubbish.

Sharps should be disposed in proper sharps bin, not with common rubbish.