SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR WORK
IN THE MEDICAL CHEMISTRY LAB
I. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
1. A student is only allowed to work after listening to the safety instructions and signing in the
registration book: a student must know the character of possible accidents and be able to provide
first-aid.
2. A student must know:
- Location of water and gas taps;
- location of electrical switches;
- location of fire extinguishers;
- location of the first-aid kit;
and be able to use them properly in an emergency situation.
3. In the lab it is not allowed:
- to be without a lab coat;
- to disturb others by unnecessary talking and walking round;
- to eat and drink;
- to work in the absence of the teacher or technician;
- to do things not related to the laboratory work;
- to carry out experiments not included in the teaching plan;
- to use damaged equipment and unfamiliar substances.
II. REQUIREMENTS BEFORE THE WORK
- to understand the task which is going to be carried out;
- to know properties of the reagents to be used and properties of the reaction products, and
to know how to handle them safely;
- to know how to work properly and safely with the equipment and glassware required for
that particular laboratory work;
- the lab bench, on which you are going to do the experiment, must be clean and in order,
without unnecessary equipment, glassware or personal belongings.
III. REQUIREMENTS DURING THE WORK
1. Avoid noisy behaviour, keep everything clean and tidy.
2. During laboratory work it is not allowed:
- to leave working electrical equipment and burning gas burners unattended;
- to leave the laboratory without teacher’s permission;
- to work with damaged equipment or glassware;
- to work with unknown substances;
- to remove reagents from the places they have to stay;
- to overload the lab bench with books, unnecessary reagents, glassware, etc.;
- to leave gas burners and electrical equipment switched on when they are not needed;
3. Carefully follow the description of the laboratory work
4. When working with concentrated acids, bases, flammable substances or reagents with unpleasant
odour, all the work must be done under a fume hood.
5. When heating over a flame, a test tube has to be inclined at an angle of 45 and pointed away
from the working person and other students.
6. Spilt reagents and broken glassware have to be cleaned immediately with appropriate precautions
and under supervision of the technician.
IV. REQUIREMENTS AFTER THE WORK.
- turn off equipment, water and gas taps;
- wash the glassware and clean the work surface;
- place all the equipment, reagents and glassware in appropriate places.
V. FIRST-AID.
1. First-aid to the injured person has to be immediate and correct. All people present in the room
must be ready to help.
2. If chemical compound gets on the face, eyes, hands or clothes, they have to be washed
immediately with large amounts of water.
3. Every accident must be reported to the teacher.
4. In the case of more serious injuries, intoxications or burns, an ambulance must be called
immediately.
5. In the case of electric shock, the power must be turned off immediately. If the victim is
unconscious, cardiac massage and artificial respiration should be started right away.