IF PARTICIPATION IN LAB IS PREVENTED DUE TO ANY SAFETY VIOLATION, A ZERO WILL BE EARNED FOR THAT LAB
Your safety and learning is of utmost importance and your cooperation is required at all times to make the laboratory experience as productive as possible. Keep in mind, these are general safety reminders, so, use your common sense and ask the teacher if a question ever arises.
General Safety Reminders For Lab
- Safety equipment will be worn by everyone in the lab room while any experiment is in progress. You may not participate in the experiment without it.
- Accidents do happen and your clothing is your skin’s protection. Old clothes might be preferable and NO shorts or short skirts will be allowed. Closed toed shoes are always required.
- NO chewing gum, eating, or drinking. Accidental ingestion of toxic chemicals may be hazardous to your health.
- Properly dispose of waste as instructed. Some wastes can be safely flushed down the sink or thrown away, but ask first.
- Know the location and operation of the fire extinguisher, eye wash, and safety shower.
Accidents
5. Place broken glass in the trash can. Do Not pick it up with your bare hands, use a broom and dust pan.
6. Always wash your hands before leaving the classroom and especially before using the restroom or eating.
- For major chemical contact, use the safety shower and disrobe while showering.
- Inhalation is the fastest way for chemicals to get into your body. In the case of accidental inhalation, medical attention is required, and the instructor must be immediately informed of the accident.
- For minor chemical spills
- on you, rinse the affected part of the skin. Inform the teacher for further follow-up instructions.
- on the lab table, rinse with appropriate solution. Inform the instructor for further follow-up instructions.
5. Place broken glass in the trash can. Do Not pick it up with your bare hands, use a broom and dust pan.
6. Always wash your hands before leaving the classroom and especially before using the restroom or eating.
Safety Equipment Use
Fire Extinguishers
Note: Never spray a person with a fire extinguisher. The chemicals in the fires extinguisher can be harmful!
Safety Shower and Eye Wash Station
The treatment for any chemicals which get on the body is to rinse the affected body area for 15 minutes under cold running water.
Broom and Dust Pan
Glassware usually winds up getting broken some time during the semester. When that happens, it is unsafe to pick up the broken glass with your hands. Instead, you should use a broom and dust pan to collect the broken pieces.
Fume Hood
The fume hood has sliding glass doors in front and in back. They are used to protect you from harmful fumes, gases and odors. The fume hood has a powerful fan, when turned on, it carries away any harmful fumes or smoke. Any experiment that produces noxious gases is performed within the hood.
Sink
While the sink is used for cleaning glassware and other tasks, it is also a part of the safety equipment.
The treatment for any chemicals which get on the body is to rinse the affected body area for 15 minutes under cold running water.
Fire Extinguishers
- Pull the pin
- aim to the side at first
- depress the handle
- sweep the spray from side to side across the BASE of the fire (where the fire meets the fuel) not just at the flames
- When the fire is out, clean up the area
Note: Never spray a person with a fire extinguisher. The chemicals in the fires extinguisher can be harmful!
Safety Shower and Eye Wash Station
The treatment for any chemicals which get on the body is to rinse the affected body area for 15 minutes under cold running water.
- If chemicals are splashed into your face they should not reach your eyes because you will be wearing safety goggles. If this sort of accident happens, leave your goggles on while you go to the eye wash station. There you should wash your face with the goggles still on until you are reasonably sure most of the chemical is gone from your face. Then remove the goggles and wash again.
- If chemicals get into your eyes, you should call out for help and head for the eye wash station. If you cannot see, someone will guide you. You must wash your eyes thoroughly by blinking continuously and rapidly while washing your eyes to aid the flushing action of the water.
- If chemicals get onto your body, you should quickly remove any contaminated clothing and rinse yourself off in a safety shower.
Broom and Dust Pan
Glassware usually winds up getting broken some time during the semester. When that happens, it is unsafe to pick up the broken glass with your hands. Instead, you should use a broom and dust pan to collect the broken pieces.
Fume Hood
The fume hood has sliding glass doors in front and in back. They are used to protect you from harmful fumes, gases and odors. The fume hood has a powerful fan, when turned on, it carries away any harmful fumes or smoke. Any experiment that produces noxious gases is performed within the hood.
Sink
While the sink is used for cleaning glassware and other tasks, it is also a part of the safety equipment.
The treatment for any chemicals which get on the body is to rinse the affected body area for 15 minutes under cold running water.
- If you get chemicals onto your hands or forearms, you must move quickly to the sink to rinse the chemicals off.
- If you notice a mysterious itch on your arm or hands which will not go away, assume that it is a chemical on your skin and wash with soap and plenty of water.
Dress Recommendations for Lab
- Wear comfortable shoes. Three hours of walking and standing on a hard tile floor can leave your feet very tired and sore if you wear uncomfortable shoes. Wear clothing you don't care too much about. Tiny splatters or droplets of chemical are very likely to get on your clothing. You might not even know that the droplets are there. But the chemical can stain your clothes or weaken the fibers of the clothing so that the next time you do the laundry your clothes will come out of the dryer with little, fuzzy holes in them.
- Come prepared to change clothes. If you do not want to spend the entire day dressed in your lab clothes, then put your lab clothes in your book bag. Before lab class begins, you can go to a nearby rest room and change from your regular clothes to your lab clothes. It is also a good idea to have some spare clothes in case of an emergency.
- Do not wear valuable jewelry while working in the lab. Chemicals, harmless to your body, may be capable of damaging jewelry. Take your jewelry off and store it in your purse or book bag before beginning any experiment.
Lab Station Clean-Up
Clean-up is important for the safety of others and for the preservation of equipment. Your lab station and equipment should be cleaned before you worry about the lab report.
What clean-up should be done after each lab?
Clean-up is important for the safety of others and for the preservation of equipment. Your lab station and equipment should be cleaned before you worry about the lab report.
What clean-up should be done after each lab?
- Dispose of chemicals as directed by your instructor.
- NEVER put unused chemicals back into their original container.
- Return chemical containers to the chemical table.
- Wash and dry all glassware.
- Clean hardware AND dry completely before storing. This is to prevent rusting.
- Clean and dry your lab table.