The Rules of Lab Safety
Halton District School Board
2016
Find these…
You are responsible
for your safety
and the safety of those
around you.
Failure to act in a safe and responsible
manner will result in the removal of all
science lab privileges.
Professor Glickman, the lab practical joker, deftly places a single drop
of hydrochloric acid on the back of Professor Bingham's neck.
--Gary Larson, the Far Side
1. Never participate in any
form of horseplay in the
laboratory. Be aware of
others in the lab.
General Safety Precautions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
No student should be in the lab or preparation
room unsupervised.
Be prepared for your lab. READ your procedure
for any safety precautions.
Do not eat or drink in the lab.
Your food may pick up harmful
chemicals.
Never taste or directly smell chemicals.
Do not sit on the lab benches.
If designing your own experiment, you must first
have your procedure approved by your teacher.
Handling Chemicals
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
All chemicals in the laboratory are to be
considered dangerous. DO NOT allow
chemicals to come into contact with skin or
eyes.
Check the label on all chemical bottles twice
before removing any of the contents. Take
.
only as much chemical as you need.
Never return unused chemicals to their original container.
Dispose of chemicals as instructed by your teacher.
Never remove chemicals or other materials from the
laboratory area
Look for WHMIS or HHPS symbols on containers.
Hazardous Household Product
Symbols
CORROSIVE
EXPLOSIVE
Eats or wears
away other
materials.
Explodes or
gives off deadly
vapours.
FLAMMABLE
POISONOUS
Ignites if
exposed to heat
or sparks.
May cause
sickness or death if
swallowed.
Danger, Warning, Caution!
WHMIS
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System
Compressed
gas
Flammable and
combustible material
Oxidizing
material
Materials causing
immediate and
serious toxic effects
Materials causing
other toxic
effects
Biohazardous
infectious material
Corrosive
material
Dangerously reactive
material
GHS –
The New
System
Handling Glassware
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do not use dirty or chipped glassware.
Clean drips off the sides of beakers and flasks
for the safety of the next student
Broken glass must be reported to the teacher
who will give instructions for clean up and
disposal. There is a designated glass disposal
container.
Do not tightly stopper a flask where gas is
being created. It could explode.
Clean and return all glassware at the end of
the lab.
Heating Substances
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Never leave a heat source
unattended.
Tie back long hair
Do not wear loose or baggy clothing
Hot glass does not look hot! Handle recently
heated glassware with tongs.
Do not immerse hot glassware in cold
water. The glassware may shatter.
Never look into a container that is being
heated.
Safety
Equipment
1.
2.
3.
Safety goggles must be worn for all experiments.
Contact lenses should not be worn: use
prescription glasses with goggles instead.
Goggles must always be worn when heat or
corrosive chemicals are used.
Know the locations of all safety equipment in the
lab: fire extinguishers, eye wash station, first aid
box, fire exits and fire alarms.
Handling Electrical
Equipment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Keep water and wet hands away from electrical
cords, plugs and sockets.
Do NOT insert any materials into electrical
outlets.
Do NOT have flammable materials near electrical
sources.
Always pull electric cords from sockets by the
plug and not the cord.
Make sure electrical cords are not placed where
someone could trip over them.
Do not cut open batteries since their contents
can be corrosive and poisonous.
Accidents & Injuries
Respond to emergencies
sensibly and immediately!
1.
2.
3.
4.
Tell a teacher if someone requires assistance.
If chemicals are spilled on skin or splashed in
the eye, rinse immediately at the eye wash
station for at least 30 minutes.
If you break something or spill something,
immediately inform your teacher. Do NOT
handle broken glass.
If a fire starts, inform a staff member
immediately. STOP … DROP…ROLL
When the lab is done . .
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Dispose of chemicals and materials only as
instructed by your teacher.
Clean all glassware and materials and put
everything away according to instructions.
Wipe lab benches.
Sinks should be cleaned and should not contain
any solid material.
Wash your hands and return your goggles.
IF YOU’RE NOT
SURE ABOUT
SOMETHING…
Ask your TEACHER!!!!