LABORATORY SAFETY PROCEDURES
1. Never work in the laboratory alone
2. Goggles must be worn in the laboratory anytime ANYONE is doing an
experiment.
3. Food and beverages are not allowed. Do not chew gum or wear contact
lenses.
4. Protect your bare skin. Sandals, flip-flops and open-toed shoes are not
allowed. Long pants and sleeves are recommended. You may wish to wear an
apron or lab coat. Restrain loose clothing, jewelry and loose hair.
5. Dispose of all chemicals in waste containers. DO NOT pour chemicals down the
sink.
6. Always wash off skin if a chemical has come into contact with it. If it acids or
base, make a paste of Baking soda and wash with running water. If the eyes
are splashed, immediately wash the eyes for at last two minutes in the
eyewash station. If the area of contact is large, use the safety shower. Always
wash your hands before leaving the laboratory.
7. Report all injuries to the instructor. Report spills to the Chemistry stockroom.
8. Know the location of the safety showers, eyewash stations, fire extinguishers,
and emergency exists. First-aid kit is in NS 510 (Chemistry stockroom).
9. Read the label carefully before taking anything from a bottle. Do not take
reagent bottles from the shelf or cart to your own work area. Do not take
large excesses, and do not return excess chemicals to reagent bottle, or you
may contaminate those in the bottle
10.Never place chemical directly on the balance pans. Never pour liquid into a
container while on the pan.
11.Clean the laboratory area when you are done. Immediately clean up any spills.
Acids and base spills should be neutralized with sodium bicarbonate (baking
soda) then dilute with water.
12.When done with your experiment, return all equipment to your drawer or the
cart or cabinet where it was found.
13.Use the fume hood for any substance which gives off noxious vapors such as
NO2, particularly when advised to do so by your instructor. Only use
flammable liquids in the hood, and do not heat any flammable liquid with an
open flame.
14.Always consult proper documentation before working with any chemical.
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are available in the NS 510 (Chemistry
stockroom).
15.Do not pour chemicals from a large container such as a regent bottle into a
small container such as a test tube, volumetric flask, or graduated cylinder.
Instead pour into a wide-mouthed container such as a beaker.
16.Hot glass looks like cold glass. Allow heated objects time to cool before
touching. Use crucible tongs or test tube holders when appropriate.
Immediately ask for assistant from the Chemistry Stockroom.
17.Never pipet a liquid by mouth. Use a pipet bulb instead.
18.Avoid burns by lighting burners properly. Make sure the gas was not left on
before beginning. Light the match away from the burner once the gas is
turned on. Slowly move the match to just over the side of the barrel top,
keeping your hands away from the flame. Watch loose clothing and hair –
keep them away from the flame.
19.When heating chemicals in a test tube, do so slowly and carefully. Do not
point the mouth of the test tube toward your face or toward anyone else.
Never apply the direct heat of a flame to heavy glassware such as volumetric
flasks, burets, graduated cylinders, bottles, mortars, pestles, or
thermometers.
20.Never taste a chemical or solution. Do not directly smell any substance in the
lab; gently waft the vapors toward your nose, without having the container
directly beneath it.
21.When diluting acids always pour the acid into water. NEVER pour waster into
concentrated acid. A lot of heat is generated by doing so and can be explosive.
22.Do not insert your own pipets, droppers, or spatulas into reagent bottles. In
order to avoid contamination of materials, pour them from the bottles. When
pouring solid chemicals, rotate the bottle to control the rate of flow from the
bottle. Do not tap or pound. If chemicals are spilled on the outside of a bottle
while pouring, wash the bottle off. If chemicals are spilled on the reagent
bench, clean the bench immediately.