Risk Assessment and Getting to know the equipment
Risk Assessment
Where to start? It is difficult to answer in a general way. One suggestion is NOT to try to overview it all in one go, but divide it into smaller issues e.g.
-
Is the building suitable for the activity?
-
Is the room of a sufficient size and the layout suitable?
-
Are you wearing appropriate attire?
-
Is there a risk of electrical shock?
-
Are chemicals involved?
-
Do the chemicals pose a risk?
-
And so on.
The list can be very long. Making a risk assessment might be an iterative process and have to be seen in connection with the task below on getting to know the equipment.
According to the order No. 1793 from the Danish Working Environment Authority it appears that a Chemical Risk Assessment must be prepared in connection with work with hazardous chemicals and materials. A complete risk assessment must be prepared, including e.g. the hazardous properties of the chemical substances as well as the degree, frequency, duration of exposure.
Link to Risk Assessment Form.
The risk of the chemical substances involved is evaluated based on the information available in the database www.kemibrug.dk.
It is always in your own interest that a complete and sufficient risk assessment is available before you start an experiment. If you are unsure whether that is the case you should always consult your supervisor or your teacher.
Getting to know the equipment
How to get to know a piece of equipment that you have not been working with before can be approached in many ways. However, as with the risk assessment, a divide and conquer strategy will always work.
Getting to know from others that have used the equipment before is an obvious choice. However, on this course you should take on the challenge and try to figure it out yourself within the team using the material below.
Here is a short video introducing the chromatographic system you are going to use
How to purify using ÄKTA start and UNICORN
The equipment comes with cue cards and manuals available here:
System cue cards
Operation manual in English
Operation manual in Danish
UNICORN start user manual
For information on the chromatography system and the individual components please consult the ÄKTA™ Laboratory-scale Chromatography Systems Instrument Management Handbook Chapter 2, 3, 6, 7 and 8.
Furthermore, you will need the description and protocol for the experiment you are about to perform. Find it here.