Preventing injuries from glass ampoule shards

It is important to be aware of the risks that come with using glass ampoule in your lab. With careful planning and precaution, you can reduce the chance of injury from broken shards. It can be challenging to identify a broken ampoule when the contents are clear, but as soon as you see tiny glass shards on your workspace, always assume that it has already been shattered and take precautions accordingly! The following tips will help prevent injuries from glass ampoules:

Place a plastic bag over the ampoule before breaking it

This will catch the shards, preventing them from flying all over your lab. You can also use a shield to protect yourself and others in the area. Make sure it is made of an appropriate material: for example, glass ampoules should be broken with a steel rod that extends beyond both ends of the container because these shards will be less likely to fly out and cause injuries.

Before breaking the ampoule, place it on a rigid surface that can support your weight without shattering it into pieces of its own (e.g., steel table). This way, you won't have to worry about cosmetic shards flying in all directions if the bag or shield does not capture them.

Wear gloves and eye protection

There are two reasons for this: first, you don't want shards to get in your eyes, and second, any minor cuts on your hands will make it easier for glass ampoule shards to penetrate if they should fly out. If the person is breaking open the ampoule is wearing gloves, then the shards won't get under the gloves to injure their skin.

Hold the ampule with one hand while you break it with the other

This will help you keep control of the broken shards and prevent them from flying up into your face.
Holding it with two hands might seem like a good idea, but it's actually more dangerous because if one hand slips, then there is less chance that any shard would be caught by the other hand or arm and instead fly out.

Use a blunt object to break the ampoule

A broken medical ampoule is less dangerous because there will be fewer pieces of glass flying out. The best blunt object to use for this purpose is a hammer or mallet. If you don't have one, then try using the heel of your shoe, as long as it's not too pointy so that it can easily shatter the glass.

Break off any shards that remain

After you break off the shards that remain, then use a wet cloth to clean up any double tipped residue. This will help prevent possible injuries from coming into contact with the residue and keeping your workplace safe. If an ampoule is broken without being caught by anything or if it has been dropped on hard flooring such as concrete, broken glass may be all around. At this point, you'll need to use a brush or broom and sweep up the broken glass.

Conclusion

Pharmaceutical ampoules are breakable and can cause major injury if they're not handled with care. This is especially true when an ampoule has been dropped on a hard flooring surface such as concrete or if the ampoule has been broken by someone but not caught in time. In this case, it's important to use a brush or broom and sweep up all of the shards that are on the floor. If you follow these steps, then it will be much easier to prevent injuries from glass ampoules.