Laboratory SafetyGuidelines
Prepare Properly Where a lab apron when working with harmful chemicals. Wear safety goggles when working with chemicals or heating substances.
Adult Supervision Never conduct experiments without adult supervision and if you are injured notify the teacher immediately.
Special Equipment Be familiar with the location of the following equipment: A. Fire extinguisher B. Fire blanket C. Emergency shower D. Eye-wash station
Spills… Notify your teacher immediately if anything spills. Spills need to be cleaned up quickly and correctly.
Food/Drinks Never eat or drink in the lab
Clean Working Area Wash your hands thoroughly after handling chemicals, cultures, plants, or animals.
DANGER! Pull long hair back. Roll long sleeves up when working with fire.
Electrical Cords Be sure that electrical cords are not in a place where someone can trip over them and when working with electricity make sure your hands are dry.
Clean Up Be sure that all laboratory surfaces, equipment, and tools are cleaned after you finish with them and dispose properly of all chemicals.
Heat! Turn off hot plates and burners when not in use. Turn off microscopes when not in use.
Heating Substances When heating a substance, always point the test tube away from you and other people. When heating over a burner (flame), gently move the test tube over the hottest part of the flame. Use tongs or hot pads when handling hot equipment. Use a test tube holder when heating substances in a test tube.
Broken Glassware Do not use chipped or broken glassware. Discard broken glass according to your teacher’s instructions.
ACID…… If you get acid on your skin or in your eyes, rinse with cool water for 15 minutes.
Odor To test the order of fumes, waft the fumes toward your nose. DO NOT INHALE!
Burns If you burn your skin, run cool water over the affected area.
HORSEPLAY “Horseplay” in the lab is not tolerated under ANY circumstances. It can lead to chemical spills, accidental fires, and broken equipment. Never throw anything and not wrestling, punching or shoving in the lab even if you’re just “playing”. Those types of behaviors will result in your removal from the lab and you will earn a zero for that lab. You may also be excluded from future labs due to inappropriate behavior!
A Scientist’s Equipment Thermometer
Beaker Not
Flask Graduated Cylinder
Test Tube and Test Tube Rack
Test Tube Clamp & Ringstand
Test Tube Holder
Test Tube Brush
Bunsen Burner
Hot Plate
Funnel
Dropping Pipet, (Medicine Dropper, Eye Dropper)
Beaker Tongs
Double Balance Beam
Triple Balance Beam
Wire Gauze
Petri Dish