GENERAL LAB SAFETY RULES
AND GUIDELINES
1. Prepare for an experiment.
2. Wear comfortable protective clothing.
❖ Read & understand the experiment before entering the lab.
❖Wear personal protective equipment.
❖ Discuss & plan the experiment with your team.
❖Hair tied back.
3. Be responsible in the lab.
❖No loose or baggy clothing.
❖ Never enter lab without your teacher.
❖Wear close-toed, flat-soled shoes.
❖ Keep hands away from face, body, and mouth.
❖ Wash hands & any lab instruments to be used before & after any lab activity.
❖ Don’t test, touch, or smell anything unknown unless instructed to do so.
❖ Don’t leave any experiment unattended.
4. Ask questions.
❖ If you don’t understand directions or a procedure
❖ If you don’t know how to use equipment
5. Be smart. Follow instructions carefully.
6. Use chemicals, electrical equipment & glasswares properly.
❖ Consult MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet).
❖ Read labels on chemical containers TWICE.
❖ Label all containers into which you put materials.
❖Take only what you need. Do not return any unused chemicals to the bottle.
❖ Never point the open end of a heated test tube toward
yourself or anyone else.
❖ Dispose of chemicals only as directed by your teacher. Don’t throw them into the sink.
❖ Drift fumes toward your nose by waving your hand
over the mouth of the container if directed to smell a
chemical.
❖ Don’t store together incompatible chemicals.
❖ Keep flame & flammable chemicals at least 6 m apart.
❖ Keep electrical equipment away from water.
❖ Always pour acid into water; never pour water into acid!
❖ Don’t use your mouth to draw liquids into a pipette; use a pipette bulb.
7. Never fool around in the lab.
8. Keep work areas clean.
9. No food/drinks in the lab.
10. Always report accidents to the teacher or lab personnel. 11. Never work alone.
12. Never perform unauthorized experiments.
13. Know appropriate procedures for emergencies, including the location & operation of all emergency equipment.