Safety Precautions

Think Safety!

Always think safety when mixing chemistry by use eye protection, rubber gloves and protective clothing in a well ventilated area. Like many other chemicals used industry and in the home, photographic solution and chemicals should be handled with care and respect to avoid injury and detrimental health problems. The acids, alkalis, reduction and oxidizing agents in photographic solutions and chemicals many cause skin irritation and injury upon repeated or prolonged contact, particularly developer solutions and developing agents which can cause allergic skin reactions. CPAC furnished Material Safety Sheets (SDS) with the following information:


Precautions

The following precautions should be followed:

  1. Appropriate clothing, eye protection and respiratory equipment should be worn whenever photographic chemicals or processing solutions are mixed, poured or otherwise handled.  Detailed information can be found on the Material Safety Sheet(SDS). Wash gloves with and acidic soap before removing them to avoid inadvertent contact.
  2. If solutions come in contact with the skin, flush the affected areas with plenty of water. Use a non-alkaline hand cleanser to help minimize the possibility of an allergic skin reaction.
  3. If chemicals are splashed into eyes, immediately flush them with plenty of water (minimum of 15 minutes) and seek medical attention immediately. Provide a face and eye wash station in each chemical mixing area. All employees should be trained in accordance with OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard.
  4. After use, punch a hole in the bottom of all plastic bottles and cubitainers so they will not be used as water containers.
  5. Proper ventilation is needed since some solutions may emit irritating fumes. In the chemical mix area, the ventilation system should exhaust 3 cubic meters or 105 cubic feet of air per minute, with a velocity of 70 to 75 feet (21 to 24 meters) per minute.
  6. The processing area should have an exhaust duct above or around each processor, venting outside the building and away from fresh air intakes. There should be 10 to filtered fresh air changes per hour in the processing and mixing area to minimize the build-up of irritating vapors.