Lab Safety

1. Lab Safety

2. Read and Follow Directions • Follow all written and verbal instructions carefully. • If you do not understand a direction or part of a procedure, ask the instructor before proceeding. • When first entering a lab, do not touch equipment or materials until you are instructed to do so. • Perform only those experiments authorized by the instructor. Never do anything in the lab that is not called for in the procedures or by your instructor. • In order to be prepared for lab, read all procedures thoroughly.

3. Never Work Alone • No student may work in the lab without an instructor present.

4. No Food or Beverages • Do not eat food, drink beverages, or chew gum in the lab. • Do not use lab glassware (beakers, etc) as containers for food or beverages.

5. Never Fool Around in the Lab • Horseplay, practical jokes, and pranks are dangerous and are prohibited. • You will be assigned a lab station at which to work. Do not wander around the room, distract other students, or interfere with the experiments of others.

6. Off Limits • Students are never permitted in the science storage rooms or preparation areas unless given specific permission by their instructor.

7. In case of a fire drill… • Turn off gas • Turn off fume hood • Turn off any electrical equipment

8. Know the location and how to use: • First aid kit • Eyewash station • Safety shower • Fire extinguisher • Fire blanket • Fire alarm • (Fire exits)

9. Be Clean and Tidy • Work areas should be kept clean and tidy. • Bring only your lab instructions, worksheets, and/or reports to the work area. Other materials (books, purses, backpacks, etc.) should be stored in the classroom area. • Clean your work space and equipment at the end of the lab and wash your hands.

10. Goggles and Aprons • Any time chemicals, heat, or glassware are used, students will wear goggles. • We will wear goggles for every lab. • Aprons should be worn for every lab.

11. Dress Properly for Lab • Long hair, dangling jewelry, and loose or baggy clothing are a hazard in the lab. Long hair must be tied back and dangling jewelry and loose or baggy clothing must be secured. • Shoes must completely cover the foot. No sandals allowed.

12. Knives and Sharp Instruments • Always carry with tips and points pointing down and away. • Always cut away from your body. • Never try to catch falling sharp instruments. • Grasp sharp instruments only by the handles.

13. Report Any Accident • Report any accident (spill, breakage, etc.) or injury (cut, burn, etc.) to the instructor immediately, not matter how trivial it may appear.

14. Broken Glass • Tell an instructor immediately so that he or she can help you thoroughly clean up. • Broken glass should not be picked up with bare hands. Use a brush and dustpan to clean up broken glass. • Broken glass should be placed in the designated glass disposal container rather than the trash can. • Examine glassware before each use. Never use chipped or cracked glassware. Never use dirty glassware.

15. Mercury Thermometers • When mercury thermometers are broken, mercury must not be touched. Notify the instructor immediately. • We do not have mercury thermometers here b/c mercury is a carcinogen.

16. Fume Hood • Always work in a well-ventilated area. Use the fume hood when working with volatile substances or poisonous vapors. • Never place your head in the fume hood.

17. Handling Chemicals • Do not touch, taste, or smell any chemicals unless specifically instructed to do so. • Never put your face near the mouth of a container that is holding chemicals. When testing for odors, use a wafting motion to direct the odors to your nose. • Never return unused chemicals to their original containers. • Check the label on chemical bottles twice before removing any of the contents. Take only as much chemical as you need.

18. Handling Chemicals continued • When transferring reagents (chemicals) from one container to another, hold the containers away from your body. • Avoid touching chemicals with your hands. Wash your hands immediately if chemicals come in contact with them. • Never remove chemicals or other materials from the lab.

19. Chemical Waste Disposal • Not all chemicals can be dumped down the sink when you are done – ask the instructor prior to dumping anything in the sink other than water.

20. Handling Acids • Acids must be handled with extreme care. When diluting acids, always add acid to the water (not water to the acid), swirl or stir the solution and be careful of the heat produced, particularly with sulfuric acid. • Take great care when transporting acids and other chemicals from one part of the lab to another. Hold them securely and walk carefully.

21. Handling Flammable Liquids • Handle flammable hazardous liquids over a pan to contain spills. Never dispense flammable liquids anywhere near an open flame or source of heat.

22. Electrical Equipment • Report damaged electrical equipment immediately. Look for things such as frayed cords, exposed wires, and loose connections. Do not use damaged electrical equipment. • When removing an electrical plug from its socket, grasp the plug, not the cord. Hands must be completely dry before touching and electrical switch, plug or outlet.

23. Hot Glassware • Do not immerse hot glassware in cold water; it may shatter. • Hot and cold glass have the same visual appearance. Determine if an object is hot by bringing the back of your hand close to it prior to grasping it. • Heated metals and glass remain very hot for a long time. They should be set aside to cool and picked up with caution. Use tongs or heat-protective gloves if necessary.

24. Heating Substances • Never look into a container that is being heated. • Do not point the open end of a test tube being heated at yourself or anyone else.

25. Heating Substances continued • Exercise extreme caution when using a Bunsen burner or hot plate. Take care that hair, clothing and hands are a safe distance from the flame at all times. Do not put any substance into the flame or on the hot plate unless specifically instructed to do so. • Never reach over an open flame. • Never leave a lit burner or anything that is being heated or is visibly reacting unattended. • Always turn the Bunsen burner or hot plate off when not in use.

26. First Aid: Shock • People who are suffering from any severe injury may be in a state of shock. • A person in shock is usually pale and faint. The person may be sweating, be cold, have moist skin, and have a weak but rapid pulse. • Shock is a serious medical condition. Do not allow a person in shock to walk anywhere – even to the nurse’s office. • While emergency help is being summoned, place the victim face up in a horizontal position with the feet raised about 30 centimeters. Loosen any clothing and keep them warm.

27. First Aid: Chemicals in eyes or on skin • Getting any kind of chemical into the eyes is undesirable, but certain chemicals are especially harmful. They can destroy the eyesight in a matter of seconds. • Because you will be wearing safety glasses at all times in the lab, the likelihood of this kind of accident is remote. • However, if it does happen, flush your eyes with water immediately. Do not attempt to go to the nurse’s office before flushing your eyes. • It is important that flushing with water be continued for a prolonged time – about 15 minutes. While flushing is continued, the school nurse should be informed.

28. First Aid: Clothing or Hair on Fire • A person whose clothing or hair catches on fire will often run around hysterically in an unsuccessful effort to get away from the fire. This only provides the fire with more oxygen and makes it burn faster. • For clothing fires, throw yourself to the ground and roll around to extinguish the flames. • For hair fires, use a fire blanket to smother the flames. • Notify the nurse immediately.

29. First Aid: Bleeding from a cut • Most cuts that occur in the science lab are minor. For minor cuts, apply pressure to the wound with a sterile gauze, and take the victim to the school nurse. • If the victim is bleeding badly, raise the bleeding part, if possible, and apply pressure to the wound with a piece of sterile gauze. • While first aid is being given, someone else should notify the school nurse. • One must avoid direct contact with a victim’s blood by providing a barrier (such as wearing surgical gloves). • All materials contaminated with the victim’s blood must be disposed of in a separate container. • If direct contact with a victim’s blood occurs, then the affected area should be thoroughly washed and rinsed with an appropriate disinfectant.

30. First Aid: Chemicals in the mouth • Many chemicals are poisonous to varying degrees. • Any chemical taken into the mouth should be spat out and the mouth rinsed thoroughly with water. Note the name of the chemical and notify the nurse immediately. • If the victim swallows a chemical, note the name of the chemical and notify the nurse immediately. If necessary, the nurse will contact the Poison Control Center, a hospital emergency room, or a physician.

31. First Aid: Acids or Bases Spilled on Skin • Flush the skin with water for 15 minutes. Take the victim to the school nurse.

32. First Aid: Breathing Smoke or Chemical Fumes • All experiments that give off smoke or gases should be conducted in a well-ventilated fume hood. • If smoke or chemical fumes are present in the lab, all persons should leave the lab. Make certain that all doors to the lab are closed after the last person has left. • Since smoke rises, stay low while evacuating a smoke-filled room. • Notify the nurse immediately. • Ventilate the room before going back to work.