Verifying Safe State; Plasma - Agilent Technologies 700 Series User Manual

Safety Practices and Hazards

Verifying Safe State

The following general safety precautions must be observed during all phases of
operation, maintenance and service of this instrument.
To ensure continued safety of the instrument after maintenance or service
procedures verify the instrument is returned to a safe state for the user. This
includes running performance checks to verify the instruments safety systems are
functioning correctly. Check the general condition of the instrument during
operation for wear or signs of corrosion that are likely to inhibit function or safety.
Failure to comply with these precautions or with specific warnings elsewhere in
this manual violates safety standards of design, manufacture, and intended use of
the instrument. Agilent Technologies assumes no liability for the customer's
failure to comply with these requirements.

Plasma

The plasma is extremely hot (about 10,000 K) and radiates dangerous levels of
radio frequency (RF) and ultraviolet (UV) energy. The work coil operates at 1,500 V
RMS and about 40 MHz. Exposure to the RF and UV energy can cause severe skin
damage and cataracts of the eyes, while close contact with the operating plasma
can result in severe heat burns to the skin, and an electrical discharge that can
jump a considerable distance and may cause death, severe electric shock or sub-
surface skin burns.
The plasma must never be operated unless:
the torch compartment door is closed, with the locking lever fully latched; and

the space above the chimney is clear of objects.

The shielding around the torch compartment is designed to reduce UV, visible and
RF radiation to safe levels while still permitting easy access to, as well as
installation and viewing of, the torch. The spectrometer has an interlock system
that is designed to extinguish the plasma if either the mains supply fails or the
handle on the torch compartment door is opened. Do not attempt to bypass the
interlock system.
Before opening the torch compartment door, always extinguish the plasma by
pressing F4 on the keyboard or by clicking the 'Plasma Off' icon on the ICP Expert
II software toolbar.
8 Agilent 700 Series ICP Optical Emission Spectrometers User's Guide