Laboratory Quality Management and Chemical Safety Infrastructure

Vocabulary flashcards covering core topics in chemical laboratory technology, quality management systems, Philippine environmental laws, safety infrastructure, emergency response, and hazardous waste controls.

Quality Management System (QMS)

A structured framework of policies, processes, and procedures designed to ensure laboratory services consistently meet regulatory standards and customer expectations.

ISO/IEC 17025

An international standard for testing and calibration laboratories that specifies requirements to ensure technical competence, operational credibility, and reliable test results.

Impartiality

The presence of objectivity in laboratory activities, ensuring that operations and test results remain free from bias, financial conflict of interest, or undue external influence.

Quality Assurance (QA)

A proactive, process-oriented system of planned activities focused on preventing defects by designing and improving laboratory systems before work is conducted.

Quality Control (QC)

A reactive, product-oriented set of operational techniques used during or after testing to monitor, detect, and correct errors in analytical results.

Method Validation

The process of demonstrating that a new, non-standard, or modified analytical method is fit for its intended purpose by evaluating parameters such as accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and linearity.

Method Verification

The confirmation that a previously validated standard method performs as expected under specific laboratory conditions using targeted performance checks.

Levey-Jennings Control Chart

A graphical internal quality control tool used to plot analytical test results over time to identify trends, shifts, or statistical outliers.

Blank Samples

Quality control samples containing all reagents except the analyte of interest, used to detect baseline interference or extraneous contamination.

Republic Act No. 10657

The Chemistry Profession Act of $2015$, a Philippine law regulating chemistry practice and mandating that chemical laboratories operate under the supervision of licensed chemists.

Republic Act No. 6969

The Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of $1990$, which regulates the importation, handling, storage, and disposal of hazardous waste in the Philippines under DENR-EMB.

Fume Hood

A primary safety ventilation enclosure designed to draw airborne toxic fumes, vapors, and dusts away from the user and exhaust them safely outside.

Fume Hood Sash

The movable transparent glass window on a fume hood that controls interior airflow patterns and acts as a protective physical shield.

Fume Hood Airfoil

An aerodynamic structure located along the bottom front edge of a fume hood that smooths incoming air movement and reduces interior turbulence.

ANSI Z358.1-2014 Flushing Standard

The standard emergency protocol specifying a minimum continuous flushing duration of at least $15\,\text{minutes}$ for emergency eyewash stations.

Class A Fire

A fire classification under Republic Act No. $9514$ involving ordinary solid combustibles such as wood, paper, cloth, rubber, and plastics.

Class B Fire

A fire classification involving flammable or combustible liquids and gases, including gasoline, oil, paint, alcohol, and LPG.

Class C Fire

A fire classification involving energized electrical systems and equipment such as appliances, wiring, and circuit breakers.

Class D Fire

A fire classification involving reactive combustible metals such as magnesium, titanium, potassium, and sodium.

Class K Fire

A fire classification (also designated as Class F) involving commercial cooking media such as vegetable oils and animal fats.

Fire Triangle

A model illustrating the three essential components needed to initiate and sustain combustion: heat, fuel, and oxygen.

Globally Harmonized System (GHS)

An international system for standardizing chemical hazard communication using unified pictograms, signal words, hazard statements, and precautionary statements.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

A standardized $16$-section document providing comprehensive safety data on chemical hazards, exposure controls, physical properties, handling, and emergency measures.

NFPA Hazard Signal

A color-coded fire diamond evaluating health (blue), flammability (red), instability/reactivity (yellow), and special hazards (white) on a scale from $0$ to $4$.

Flash Point

The minimum temperature at which a liquid emits sufficient vapor to form an ignitable mixture in air; defined by RCRA regulations as below $60\,^{\circ}\text{C}$ ($140\,^{\circ}\text{F}$) for ignitable waste.

Corrosive Hazardous Waste

A hazardous waste category defined by extreme acidity ($\text{pH} \le 2$) or extreme alkalinity ($\text{pH} \ge 12.5$) capable of destroying living tissue or corroding materials.

DAO Yellow Label

A mandatory yellow placard measuring at least $20\,\text{cm} \times 30\,\text{cm}$ required in the Philippines to convey waste classification, chemical composition, physical state, and generator details.

Bunghole Drum

A specialized hazardous waste storage drum equipped with small opening caps (bungs), designed primarily for holding liquid waste.

Hierarchy of Controls

A prioritized system for addressing workplace hazards, ordered from most to least effective: Elimination, Substitution, Engineering Controls, Administrative Controls, and PPE.

Desiccator Cabinet

An enclosed laboratory storage cabinet designed to maintain a low-humidity environment for preserving hygroscopic chemicals and moisture-sensitive instruments.