• Question: Are there many dangers in the field of work that you do?

    Asked by anon-227009 to Thibaut "Tibo", Georgia, Emily on 13 Nov 2019.
    • Photo: Georgia Orton

      Georgia Orton answered on 13 Nov 2019:

      There are definitely dangers in our field of work however we have very strict rules to protect us. For example, before I do anything in the laboratory I have to fill in a form to list all the dangers involved and what I would do if something goes wrong. When I am working I wear a lab coat, lab glasses and gloves. I never work in the lab without a ‘buddy’, someone to help if anything were to go wrong.
      I often work with organolithium reagents which set fire in air because they react with oxygen. I have to handle them under argon gas so they don’t set fire. I had to do lots of training in my degree before I was allowed to start using them.

    • Photo: Thibaut Deviese

      Thibaut Deviese answered on 13 Nov 2019:

      Hi Daniel,
      There is some danger because we are using electric drills to take samples and we use corrosive solvents such as hydrochloric acid but as we were our personal protective equipments and we follow the procedures, the risks are mitigated.

    • Photo: Emily Sparkes

      Emily Sparkes answered on 18 Nov 2019:

      There are quite a few dangers- mostly the chemicals that are in the lab. There are certain restrictions about late night working and having to have a lab buddy with you. Another danger is the giant magnet that’s in the basement- it’s kept cool in liquid nitrogen and if there is a fault with the containment and the liquid nitrogen escapes then you could die from oxygen depletion (luckily that’s localised to the basement and has never happened)

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