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Gary participated in the classic hazardous chemical exposure. It is usually someone who is familiar with handling of chemicals, busy doing a task that has the substance in one or two steps of the procedure, HAS read the MSDS, DOESN'T have a new chemical handling SOP and is ALONE. Here are a few ideas that I have about messing with anything new, from personal experience.
It was knocked into my head more than I care to remember, before utilizing a new drug as a paramedic, to know it cold, and to have an algorithm (SOP) for using it, along with when NOT to use it. Use of any chemicals gives you a high chance of exposure to them and their byproducts much the same way as when I give you a shot of something I carry on the ambulance. So in my opinion, you should be just as careful as I am before I give you something. MSDS sheets are great, but they are made to cover the company's a**, not yours. There are a few more steps before you use a chemical. That is your chemical handling SOP. Most of us are used to pouring something we get from Home Depot into whatever is laying conveniently in the garage- dog water dish, old paint can, etc, and using it for whatever the purpose is on the label- paint stripper, lubricant, etc. Sorry, aviators are smarter than that, and should know this procedure.
Preparation. Read instructions for use of the product, read the MSDS, talk to somebody who has used the product before, and identify critical substances which SHOULD NOT be in contact with the substance used.
Checklist- have a clear checklist in your head on what you are doing from purchasing the product, to transporting it, to storing it, using it, first aid for it, and finally disposing of it.
Procedure. I know most are going to groan when I say this, but you shouldn't work alone when you are using chemicals. Being alone signifigantly increases your chances of having an exposure when working with HAZMAT. My flight instructor's son-in-law died at work when he was applying a chemical floor stripper in an improperly ventilated room. His partner was out getting coffee. Also, using chemicals is like driving, flying, or anything else- make sure you have a way out if something goes wrong- window, door, cell phone to call someone to help.
Dispose of the by-products. This is not always covered in the MSDS, because what you have after use of the product is NOT what is in the MSDS.
Safety the process, and safety the area. My wife has been pissed at me many times, because whenever I am welding/stripping/flying, I always shut things down 1/2 hour before I leave, even if I was supposed to leave 10 minutes ago. 30 minutes is a good round bit of time to look for welding sparks, put your hands on disposal cans to see if they are hot, etc. Sometimes this isn't enough, depending on what you are using. But take some time at the end of the procedure before you leave, to check everything.
Top this, Gary. When I was 19 years old, somebody handed me a trip flare during a field exercise. I had read about them in a field manual somewhere, and put it in one of my ammo pouches. After 10 days in the field, little sleep, we had an airlift to a location 75 miles from where I got the flare. I re-discovered that I had it, went to pull it out of the ammo pouch, to show the NCOIC that I had it, and it went off because it came out of it's holder and deployed like a grenade- it's basically a big chunk of magnesium. Burned my hand, flash blindness, and nearly burned down the WWII wooden barracks we were staying in. Then there was the time my WWII jeep caught fire in the hay barn... and floating down the canal on a raft I built from a pallet and two 55 gallon drums... Wrong side of the border, in a country not the biggest admirer of US troops... Been there, done that, don't want the tee shirt...
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