The JCHAS Editor’s Spotlight for the March / April 2019 issue of the Journal of Chemical Health and Safety is shining on:
Catching up with Runaway Hot Plates, by Joseph M. Pickel, Mark Mathews, and Kimberly Brown
In recent years, there have been numerous reports of “runaway hot plates”. This is to say, hot plates that heat uncontrollably regardless of the temperature setting or whether the controls are in the off position. Some of these events have resulted in injuries to laboratory personnel and damage to research facilities. Investigations into the cause of several of these events have determined that failure of a non-mechanical switch, a “triac”, in the hot plate can result in the circuit failing open, causing uncontrolled heating. The number of events in recent years has led to greater awareness of the issue; however, in spite of this, devices utilizing this technology continue to be sold and used in research laboratories without additional controls to ensure their safety.
You can download the paper here:
Other articles in this issue of JCHAS include:
An evaluation of engineered nanomaterial safety data sheets for safety and health information post implementation of the revised hazard communication standard
Laura Hodson, Adrienne Eastlake, Richard Herbers
Evaluation of emissions and exposures at workplaces using desktop 3-dimensional printers
A.B. Stefaniak, A.R. Johnson, S. du Preez, D.R. Hammond, J.R. Wells, J.E. Ham, R.F. LeBouf, K.W. Menchaca, S.B. Martin, M.G. Duling, L.N. Bowers, A.K. Knepp, F.C. Su, D.J. de Beer, J.L. du Plessis
A retrospective analysis of compensable injuries in university research laboratories and the possible prevention of future incidents
Abha Gosavi, Markus Schaufele, Michael Blayney
Safe plunge freezing
Robert C. Klein, Brent Lewchik, Simon White