Laboratory Hazards & Risks - And How You Can Avoid Them

Routine laboratory work can make common hazards fade into the background. During solvent preparation, HPLC/UHPLC setup, or movement between fume hoods and shared spaces, it’s easy to overlook risks that affect both safety and productivity. Understanding lab hazards, chemical, biological, and physical, and knowing how to manage them is essential for meeting OSHA expectations and keeping your team protected. This guide refreshes core safety concepts and highlights simple, high-impact practices to reduce incidents and maintain a safer research environment.

Major Laboratory Hazards

Laboratories face three primary hazard categories: chemical, biological, and physical. Each appears daily in research workflows, often in routine tasks where risks are underestimated.

Chemical Hazards

Chemical hazards in laboratories include solvents, disinfectants, cleaning agents, compressed gases, anesthetics, and specialty reagents used in analytical workflows. These hazards can cause harm during use, but improper storage remains one of the most overlooked risks, especially in chromatography labs.

Common HPLC/UHPLC mobile-phase components, including volatile solvents (acetonitrile, methanol, hexane/heptane, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane) and acidic modifiers (for example TFA), can contribute to airborne exposure when bottles are improperly closed. Covering solvent bottles with paraffin film or aluminum foil does not provide a reliable vapor-tight seal, leading to unnecessary chemical exposure and elevated background air contamination.

For compliance and safety:

• Use purpose-built mobile phase safety caps to maintain a sealed system.
• Ensure waste containers use closed, purpose-built caps that provide pressure equalization and vapor control.
• Store solvents away from heat sources and ensure secondary containment.

These simple steps drastically reduce chemical vapors in HPLC rooms and help maintain OSHA-aligned chemical hygiene practices.

Biological Hazards

Biological hazards span microbes, recombinant DNA organisms, viral vectors, and biological agents introduced into experimental animals. Contamination often occurs without visible signs, making biological risks easy to underestimate.

Biological materials are typically governed by a combination of biosafety guidelines, institutional oversight (e.g., biosafety committees), and country-specific regulations for higher-risk organisms/toxins (including select agent or equivalent frameworks). Always follow your institution’s biosafety program and national requirements.

Physical Hazards

Physical hazards are the most prevalent and often the most underestimated in busy labs. These include:

Maintaining neutral posture during pipetting, chromatography setup, and microscopy reduces strain injuries. Reinforcing simple housekeeping principles, clear walkways, tiered stacking, dry floors, prevents most slips, trips, and falls.

• Electrical risks: improperly grounded equipment, extension cord misuse.
• Ergonomic strain: pipetting, microscopy, fume hood or biosafety cabinet work.
• Pressurized system risks (HPLC/UHPLC): leaks or fitting failures that can drip or spray mobile phase during setup, troubleshooting, or maintenance.
• Repetitive motions and awkward postures: extended arm reach, poor elbow support, leaning over instruments.
• Sharp objects: needles, broken glass, microtome blades.

Preventive Measures to Minimize Laboratory Risks

Once hazards are identified, applying thoughtful, high-level safety measures creates a safer, more consistent work environment. The following prevention strategies align with the hazard categories discussed above.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Essentials

Core PPE includes:

• Safety goggles or face shields.
• Lab coats and protective clothing.
• Nitrile or chemical-resistant gloves.
• Closed-toe footwear.
• Heat- or cut-resistant gloves when needed.

PPE serves as a critical personal barrier against spills, aerosols, vapors, and cuts but must be used alongside engineering and administrative controls.

Engineering Controls

Engineering controls reduce hazards at the source:

• Fume hoods for hazardous chemicals.
• Biosafety cabinets for biological materials.
• Solvent safety caps for HPLC/UHPLC systems.
• Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs) in wet locations.
• Adequate room ventilation and airflow monitoring.

Purpose-built controls provide reliable, OSHA-supported protection for workers.

Safe Work Practices

Consistent, well-established work behaviors prevent most laboratory incidents. Key practices include:

• Maintaining accurate chemical labels and current inventories.
• Keeping work areas organized and uncluttered.
• Transporting solvents only in sealed, compatible containers with secondary containment.
• Avoiding working alone during high-risk procedures.
• Disposing of sharps immediately in approved containers.
• Following SOPs for equipment operation, sample handling, and decontamination.

These habits promote situational awareness and significantly reduce preventable mistakes and near misses.

OSHA Requirements for Chemical Safety

Two OSHA standards form the foundation of chemical safety in laboratory environments:

• Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200): Requires a written hazard communication program, container labeling, Safety Data Sheets, and employee information/training for hazardous chemicals in the workplace.
• OSHA Laboratory Standard (29 CFR 1910.1450): Applies to laboratory-scale use and requires a Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) with SOPs, control measures, training, and provisions for particularly hazardous substances.

Safe Chemical Handling Practices

• Seal all solvent containers properly; do not rely on paraffin film.
• Use secondary containment for flammables.
• Store incompatible reagents separately.
• Keep container labels clear and current.
• Train new staff to recognize early signs of exposure.

These practices align with OSHA expectations and enhance overall laboratory safety.

Safe Chemical Handling Practices

• Seal all solvent containers properly; do not rely on paraffin film.
• Use secondary containment for flammables.
• Store incompatible reagents separately.
• Keep container labels clear and current.
• Train new staff to recognize early signs of exposure.

These practices align with OSHA expectations and enhance overall laboratory safety.

Building and Maintaining a Strong Lab Safety Culture

• Conduct brief, regular safety refreshers.
• Encourage staff to report concerns or near misses.
• Promote ongoing safety communication and leadership modeling.
• Keep SOPs updated and accessible.
• Reinforce restricted mobile phone use in labs.
• Recognize teams that consistently demonstrate safe practices.

A well-developed safety culture becomes the most reliable long-term mechanism for reducing hazards and supporting reproducible, high-quality science.

Phenomenex takes potential chemical hazards in our customer’s labs seriously. We want to make sure that all lab workers are safe. So, we have developed SecurityCAP LC Solvent Safety Products to better ensure the safety of those in the lab. The SecurityCAP mobile phase and solvent waste safety caps prevent dangerous vapors and gases from leaving HPLC/UHPLC solvent reservoirs as well as prevent mobile phases contaminations. Over time, solvent vapors can have a negative impact on the health of all employees and visitors in the lab. When lab safety and dependable results are a priority, you need SecurityCAPs!

To learn more about SecurityCAPs and how they can help improve the safety of you and your fellow colleagues, check it out here: www.phenomenex.com/securityCAP

FAQs

What are the most common hazards encountered in laboratories?

Laboratories routinely present chemical, biological, physical, and ergonomic hazards. These can include exposure to corrosive or toxic chemicals, flammable solvents, infectious materials, sharp objects, pressurized systems, and repetitive-motion tasks. Understanding these risks is the first step in designing safer workflows.

How can I reduce exposure to chemical vapors in HPLC/UHPLC labs?

Use fume hoods for tasks that create vapor exposure, such as solvent pouring, mobile-phase mixing, sample prep with volatile solvents, and waste transfer. Keep LC reservoirs and waste collection closed with purpose-built caps, inspect fittings for leaks, and route waste lines into a closed container rather than relying on foil or Parafilm. Good room ventilation and secondary containment also reduce incidental exposure and spill risk.

What PPE is mandatory in most research laboratories?

Most labs require a lab coat, safety goggles or protective eyewear, and appropriate gloves. Closed-toe shoes are standard, and additional PPEs, such as face shields, chemical-resistant aprons, or respiratory protection, may be required for specific high-risk procedures.

How do I minimize ergonomic strain during repetitive lab tasks?

Adjust bench height when possible, keep frequently used tools within easy reach, and use supportive seating for long pipetting or microscope sessions. Incorporate micro-breaks, alternate tasks to avoid overuse of the same muscle groups, and use ergonomic-design tools (e.g., low-force pipettes).

Is it okay to cover solvent or waste bottles with Parafilm or aluminum foil?

No. Parafilm or foil may look “sealed,” but it does not provide a reliable vapor-tight closure for LC solvent or waste containers. Use a closed cap designed for tubing connections (and vapor control where required) rather than improvised coverings.

What’s the safest way to collect HPLC waste from multiple instruments?

Collect LC waste in a closed, compatible container with a fitted cap for the waste lines, and keep it in secondary containment (spill tray) to limit spill spread. Avoid placing waste bottles on the floor or in walkways where they can be kicked or tripped over. Monitor fill level to prevent overflow.