Safety First
What practices are followed to ensure safety in the laboratory?
Why?
Academic laboratory accidents are estimated to occur 10–50 times more frequently than chemical plant
accidents. Laboratory accidents often have unexpected outcomes that may result in permanent injury.
Dressing appropriately and following laboratory safety rules will reduce the incidence and severity of
accidents and help keep students safe.
1. Create a laboratory safety diagram in the space below by doing the following:
a. Sketch the outline of your laboratory room including all doors and windows
b. Mark and label the position of the following laboratory safety equipment.
1. Fire blanket 6. Chemical disposal area
2. Fire extinguisher 7. Broken glassware disposal
3. Safety shower 8. Chemical spill clean-up kit
4. Eyewash station 9. Location of goggles
5. Fume hood
10. Location of gloves
c. Locate and read the evacuation instructions that are posted in your laboratory. Describe how
you should evacuate in case of an accident.
d. Label the fire exits in the diagram and add the evacuation route to your picture (this should
be posted in your room).
Laboratory Safety Diagram
Fire exit
Safety shower
Fire blanket
Fume hood
eye wash station
chemical spill kit
fire
extinguisher
Gloves
goggles
glass disposal
2. Biohazard materials are disposed of in biohazard bags when you are finished working with them.
a. On the diagram above, label where the bags are generally located.
b. What color are the bags?
Safety First
Red or Yellow
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Model 1 – Laboratory Attire
This student is dressed inappropriately
for laboratory work.
This student is dressed appropriately
for laboratory work.
3. Look at the two students in the model above.
a. List at least three inappropriate items of dress for the student on the left.
1. Loose hair
2. Loose clothing.
3. Not toe covering shoes.
4. Jewelry
5. No safety goggles
b. List at least three appropriate items of dress for the student on the right.
1. Hair isn't loose
2. clothing is tucked away behind an apron/ lab coat
3. Toe covering shoes.
4. Safety goggles
5. No Jewelry
4. Why wear goggles while working with chemicals and glassware?
To prevent any type of chemicals/glass getting into your eyes
5. When working with a Bunsen burner what precautions should be taken with respect to your
clothing and hair?
You should tie back your hair if its long and not have an loose clothes to avoid any accidents
6. Why should one avoid wearing shorts or skirts while working with chemicals and with glassware?
Because if an accident were to occur where the glass explodes/breaks or the chemicals spill you don't want it to land on you potentially
causing injury
7. What type of shoes should a student wear while working with chemicals and with glassware?
Shoes that cover your entire foot to prevent injury
8. If an accident occurred in the laboratory, which of the two students in the model would have
protection provided by their clothing? Why?
#2 because her clothes cover her entire body unlike image 1 where she has her feet out, her hair out, her clothes are loose, and she wearing
shorts showing her legs.
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POGIL™ Activities for High School Chemistry
Model 2 – Scenes in the Lab
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2
3
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5
6
7
8
9
10
11
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9. Complete the table below using the pictures in Model 2.
Scene
Potential Concern
1
horseplay leads to distractions which could create injuries
Proper Safe Behavior
don't horseplay in the science room during a lab
2
Broken or chipped glassware
Clean up broken glass or chipped glassware with a dust
pan or broom.
3
Dancing in the lab could cause an accident
Don't dance or create a distraction during a lab to avoid
accidents
4
Keeping drinks and chemicals close together
You should keep your water/drink away from the lab area
to prevent drinking chemicals by accident
5
Bacteria growing in an open Petri dish—
could spread to other areas.
Cover the petri dish to avoid the bacteria to spread to other
areas
6
immediately clean up spilt liquid or chemicals to insure no
accidents happen
7
Spilt chemicals could cause someone to slip or someone
could accidentally touch it if not cleaned up
spilt chemicals on the floor could be brought to other
places and potentially touched by people if it comes into
contact with a surface
8
Dispose of waste in designated locations.
waste should be disposed of properly to avoid potential
thing happening
9
Hot plate turned on, could cause burns.
Unplug or turn off hotplate when not in use to prevent burns
10
Scissors or scalpel blades not put away could cause injury
to someone
Dispose of used scalpel blades in a sharps
container; put all scissors away when finished.
11
the scalpel is left unattended inside of the frog
make sure scalpel isn't left unattended and if it is in a safe
environment
12
The hand is bleeding and hasn't been treated which could
cause further injury
attend to the wound as soon as it happens and wear gloves
Safety First
clean up spilt chemicals to avoid people to coming in
contact with them
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Read This!
Communication with your teacher in the laboratory can also help prevent accidents or injuries to yourself
and others. For example, you should always tell your teacher if you spill something or are cut or injured
when performing an experiment. You should also alert your teacher if any equipment or glassware is
broken. Your teacher can provide Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), which contain safety information
about chemicals you may come in contact with in the laboratory. Chemicals should be disposed of safely,
as directed by your teacher. Do not dump chemicals into the sink or trash.
10. Suppose you spill a chemical on yourself:
a. What information can your teacher provide for you concerning that chemical?
How to properly treat the chemical that you spilt on yourself
b. Where is the information located?
the chemical label and the material safety data sheet
11. Why is it important to let your teacher know if you cut, burn or injure yourself when performing
an experiment? because your teacher can tell you how serious it is or isn't and take the measures needed to keep you safe
12. Why should you tell your teacher if any equipment or glassware is broken?
to make sure no one get hurt or slips on the broken glassware or equipment that is broken
13. Why should you never perform unauthorized experiments or ignore written directions for an
experiment? because you run the risk of causing an accident when you don't follow the directions because you don't know what you're
doing
14. Your teacher asks your group to create a list of ten rules that everyone must follow in the laboratory. What rules would your group include? After developing a list, send a representative from
your table to another group to compare responses.
1. No food or drinks should be present during the lab
2. The lab equipment should be handled carefully
3.No horseplay in the lab during
4.Follow all directions from procedures and don't do it your own way
5.Have hair tied back and loose clothes covered up
6.Dispose of waste properly
7.Clean your lab area properly after the lab is finished
8.don't leave lab equipment un attended
9.Don't smell the chemicals waft it over
10. always keep an eye on your lab
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POGIL™ Activities for High School Chemistry