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Know where the
Safety equipment is located in the room
Know how to use each piece of safety equipment
Check your neighbors to see if they know how to use the equipment

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Check your equipment for damages before donning
Make certain to adhere to good laboratory dress

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Always wear eye protection and apron / lab coat
Do not remove any safety dress near the experiment area
Traditionally, full dress included:
• Full pants
• Long-sleeved shirt (buttoned)
• Closed-toe and heel shoes

Personal Protective Equipment
Many states require by law that students wear approved safety goggles or safety glasses when in the lab. This is an absolute "MUST"!
The following is not acceptable!

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Tie back long hair
No loose clothing
Keep chemicals/fumes/flames away from yourself
Light flames away from yourself
Never smell/taste any substance for identification
Keep a clear area – lab sheets, etc. on the desks/tables away from experiment area

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Avoid floppy garments; avoid things that dangle
These get tangled up in equipment or glassware and cause accidents
Avoid long, loose hair styles for the same reason.
When Bunsen burners are in use, long hair sometimes catches on fire
The Safety Code of most schools will not approve of open footware; so avoid sandals, thongs

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Fire Extinguishers
Fire Blanket
Eye-wash Fountain
First-Aid Kit

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Fire Extinguisher Operation
There are two main types of fire extinguishers, carbon dioxide dry chemical (powder)
Often, but not always, they carry different colors.
In this case the carbon dioxide extinguisher is red, and the dry-chemical (powder) extinguisher is yellow.
Read the tag to know which you will use. The tag also should show the date the extinguisher was last serviced.

Fire Extinguisher Operation
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Carbon dioxide extinguishers are good, general purpose extinguishers.
Dry-chemical (powder) are used for difficult cases, say certain types of electrical fires.
AVOID using a ANY extinguisher on a fellow human being.
Why?

Fire Extinguisher Operation
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USAGE:
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Locate the "KEY" (the round object)
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Twist the "KEY" to break the stiff Nylon retaining cord then pull "KEY" out
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Do not merely attempt to pull the key straight out, unless you are very strong.

Fire Extinguisher Operation
• Raise the nozzle in order to direct the stream of carbon dioxide
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The CO2 will cool the fire, and restrict oxygen
The fire, lacking oxygen, should go out.

Fire Extinguisher Operation
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Squeeze the handle to begin operation.

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Pull the blanket out of the wall holder.
Wrap it around the victim to smother the fire.

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If you get something from the lab in your eye—
GET IT OUT IMMEDIATELY!
Run some water through the eyewash fountain before you use it.
Retract your eyelid (hold it open);
Don’t squint—this restricts water access.
Run fresh water over your eye for several minutes. ( 20 minutes for acids or bases)
Go to the school nurse immediately afterward.

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Since we have a full time nurse, only band-aids are kept in the classroom
For more serious injuries the nurse or 911 will be called.

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• Not every school will have a fume hood available.
• If your school has a FUME HOOD—use the HOOD for reactions that give off vapors, especially smelly vapors.
• The draft of the HOOD will sweep away vapors so that the lab itself maintains reasonable air quality.

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Again, not every school will have one.
Shower should be used for dire EMERGENCY only!
If you (or a lab mate) is ON FIRE, position yourself
(or your lab mate) under the safety shower.
Pull the handle—a deluge of water will result.
Flames will be rapidly extinguished

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• The safety shower should also be used if you suffer a massive spill of a dangerous chemical on yourself, and need to get it off rapidly.
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However, in a high school laboratory, this will seldom be necessary.

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Sweep it up right away
Don’t track in it all period.

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• Place the broken glass in a "SHARP’S CONTAINER.
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This is a thick walled carton, that will be sealed and discarded as such.
• If such a container is not available, the trash can is an acceptable substitute
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• When a chemical is purchased, the supplier will send a
MSDS sheet.
• The MSDS sheet lists the known dangers of the chemical in question.
• Your school should keep a file of MSDS sheets.
• We have MSDS sheets attached to most chemicals

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FLAMMABILITY (RED) is the degree of susceptibility of materials to burning.
0 Will not burn
1 - Must be preheated to burn. Flash point above
200F.
2 - WARNING: Ignites with moderate heat. Flash point 100F-200F.
3 - HAZARDOUS: Ignites at room temperature.
Flash point 73F-99F.
4 - EXTREMELY DANGEROUS: Highly flammable liquids and explosive gases. Flash point below
73F.

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REACTIVITY (yellow) is the degree of susceptibility of materials to release energy.
0 - Normally stable at all temperatures. Not reactive with water.
1 - CAUTION: May become unstable when heated or mixed with water.
2 - HAZARDOUS: Normally unstable or may have violent chemical change when mixed with water.
3 - DANGEROUS: explodes with exposure to confined heat, shock, or when mixed with water.
4 - EXTREMELY DANGEROUS: Explodes at room temperature.

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HEALTH HAZARD (blue) is the degree of injury from burning materials.
0 - Creates no unusual hazard
1 - CAUTION: Causes irritation or minor injury..
2 - HAZARDOUS: Intense exposure may be harmful..
3 - EXTREMELY DANGEROUS: Avoid skin contact and inhalation.
4 - FATAL: Too dangerous to enter without specialized protective equipment.
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OTHER (white) indicates special warnings.
ACID – acid
ALK – alkali
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- radiation
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COR – corrosive
P – subject to polymerization when mixed with water
OXY – oxidizing chemicals
W - do not use water

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NO HORSEPLAY
• Don’t let someone else’s actions injure you or cause you discomfort
Teacher Authority Act
• Don’t put me in a position to choose between you and others

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In a laboratory setting, horseplay, even if good-natured, is absolutely unacceptable.
No pushing; no shoving.
Serious accidents all too often result involving the glassware or solutions in use.

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Exit the lab in an orderly manner.
Again: no running, no pushing, no shoving.

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DO WHAT YOUR TEACHER SAYS AS
SOON AS HE/SHE SAYS TO DO IT
• I’ve seen a lot more laboratory procedures than you have
• I’m not trying to rob you – I’m trying to help you