Middle School Science Lab Safety Guidelines

1. Independence Middle School Science Safety

2. General Safety Rules • Listen to, or read, instructions carefully before attempting to do anything in the lab area. • Always listen, or read, carefully all the teacher’s instructions. • Immediately notify your teacher if any spills, cuts, or accidents occur. • Never “horse around” or play practical jokes in the laboratory. • Science supply/storage areas are off limits to all students.

3. General Safety Rules • Keep your work area uncluttered. Take to the lab station only what is necessary. • During lab work, keep your hands away from your face. • Never put anything into your mouth during a lab experiment (this includes gum). • After handling chemicals, always wash your hands with soap and water. • Nothing should be removed from the lab areas without written consent from the teacher.

4. General Safety Rules • Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from chemicals, heated materials, or things that might be able to shatter (this means goggles on your face, not your neck or head). • Know the location, and how to use,the fire extinguisher, fire blanket, and eyewash station. • Keep long hair tied back . • Remove jewelry from your hands, wrists, and neck. • Don’t let long sleeves dangle in your work area. • Avoid wearing open toed shoes during lab period. • Clean up your lab area, and equipment, at the end of the laboratory period.

5. Glass Safety • Chipped or cracked glassware should not be used. • When pouring liquids into glassware, make sure the container you are pouring into is resting on a table at least 6 inches from the edge. • If a piece of glassware gets broken, do not try to clean it up by yourself. Let the teacher know! • Do not place hot glassware in water. Rapid cooling may make it shatter. • When mercury thermometers are broken, mercury must not be touched. Notify the instructor immediately.

6. Chemical Safety • Consider ALL chemicals used in the science room to be dangerous. • Never mix chemicals together unless you are told to do so (and then only in the manner specified). • Never taste any chemicals (or use utensils to hold or store food and drink). • Do not put your nose over a chemical container and inhale the fumes, waft the fumes toward your nose with one hand. • Chemical spills on skin or clothing should be rinsed with large amounts of water.

7. Chemical Safety • Never pour water into a concentrated acid. Acid should be poured slowly into water. • Follow the instructions of your teacher when disposing of all chemicals. • Chemicals, liquid or solid, should not be rinsed down the drain unless instructed by the teacher. • Wash your hands after handling hazardous chemicals. • Never return unused chemicals to the storage container without the teacher’s permission. • All spills must be cleaned up appropriately (notify your teacher immediately).

8. Heating Safety • Let burners and hotplates cool down before touching them. Test to see if they are cool enough by bringing the back of your hand close to, not touching, them. • Use tongs and/or protective gloves to handle hot objects. • Heat glassware by placing it on a wire gauze platform on a ring stand. Do not hold it in yourhand. • Never reach across an open flame or burner. • Always point the top ends of test tubes that are being heated away from people • Never look inside an open container while it is heating and never heat a closed container.

9. Heating Safety • The only type of glassware that may safely be heated is either Kimax or Pyrex. • Only glassware that is thoroughly dry should be heated. • When heating a test tube, use tongs and move it around slowly over the flame to distribute the heat evenly. • Never leave a burner or hotplate unattended. • All used matches should go into a glass container until they have cooled; never into a trash can.

10. Electrical Safety • Never poke anything into electrical outlets. • Never use equipment with frayed wires. • Unplug cords by pulling the plug and not the cord. • Do not use electrical equipment around water. • Be sure your hands and your lab area are dry before using electrical equipment.

11. Electrical Safety • Electrical cords should be used where no one can trip on them or get caught in them. • Unplug all electrical equipment at the end of the lab period.

12. Safety While Dissecting • Disposable gloves should be worn when working with animal specimens. • Use scalpels, scissors and other sharp instruments only as instructed. When cutting with a scalpel or knife ALWAYS cut away from your body. Always carry with tips and points pointing down and away. Never try to catch falling sharp instruments. • Wash your hands after working with animal specimens.