Lab Safety
The Responsibility is YOURS!
General Rules:
• Horseplay will not be tolerated and may
result in a loss of lab privileges.
• You may not participate in the lab if your
pre-lab is not done, it is unsafe for you
to be in the lab if you are unprepared!
• ASK QUESTIONS if you are not sure of
what you are supposed to be doing.
• And, try to ask questions BEFORE the
lab, not after you’ve made a mistake.
Safety Goggles:
• Safety Goggles MUST be worn at all times
during lab experiments, especially those
involving chemicals, glassware, and heat.
– Contact lenses should not be worn in the lab.
Chemicals can get trapped under the contact
lenses and cause more damage than normal.
Eye Wash Station
• The eyewash station should only be used if
chemicals come in contact with your eyes.
• Contacts should not be worn during labs. If
you are wearing them and are involved in an
accident, they must be removed as soon as
possible, to prevent further harm from
chemicals trapped beneath them.
• Eyelids must be forcibly kept open and
washed for a minimum of 20 minutes.
Danger!
• Long hair must be
• Chemicals may get
tied back.
underneath rings and
watches and cause
• Long bangs must be
irritation.
clipped back.
• Dangling jewellery is
• Try not to use
a potential hazard.
hairspray on days that
we will be using
• You should not wear
bunsen burners.
jewelry in the lab.
Unacceptable Lab Clothing
• Skirts
• Shorts
• Open-toed
shoes
• Sandals
• Jackets
• Bulky shirts or
sweaters
• Floppy or loose
sleeves
Unacceptable Daily Lab Conduct
No
make-up
No lip-gloss
No hair-styling
No hand lotion
Remember, this is a
laboratory. There
could be chemicals
or other hazards on
your desks, chairs
or in the air around
you. Do you want to
“apply” those
chemicals to your
face, hands or hair?
When Accidents Happen:
1.REMAIN CALM!
This sounds like common sense, but when
accidents happen remaining calm is crucial!
2.Report ALL accidents
IMMEDIATELY, no
matter how small.
Broken Glass
• If glassware is broken, STOP where you
are and DON’T MOVE.
• Report breakage to your teacher, and
remain where you are until you are told
that you can move.
• YOUR TEACHER will clean up the
glass.
• If anyone is cut, report it to your teacher
immediately.
Any type of cut or scrape
• Even small cuts that do not bleed should be reported,
as there is the possibility of infection or contamination
by chemicals.
• Try not to come in contact with someone else’s blood.
If you do come into contact with someone else’s
blood – wash your hands with soap and water and
then report it.
• If someone is bleeding, or there is blood at a station
report it to the teacher, and the teacher will deal with
it.
• Turn off Bunsen burners, move away from the station
and remain seated in the classroom area until you
are told it is safe to return.
Chemical Spills
• You should treat ALL Chemical spills or wet
counter tops as DANGEROUS.
• Stop where you are and ask for direction from
your teacher before approaching spills on
benches or floors.
• In our classrooms, wash your hands
immediately if you spill or splash chemicals
on them, then inform your teacher.
• In the workplace, adding water to some
chemicals can cause more harm than good.
Make sure you know what you’re working
with so you know how to clean up spills!
Chemical Spills
• ALWAYS treat corrosive acids and bases with
care, they are the most potentially dangerous
chemicals used in our lab even when they
have been diluted.
• It is your teacher’s job, to clean up large
spills.
• However, little drips or splashes that you get
on your lab bench from your work should be
cleaned up by you or your partner
IMMEDIATELY.
Safety Shower
• The safety shower is used primarily when
large amounts of chemicals have been
splashed onto the skin or clothing.
• The safety shower may be used in the case
of a body on fire, but a fire blanket should be
used if possible.
• IF the safety shower should ever be used, the
person affected will need to remove all
clothing including shoes and jewellery. As
such, all other persons should evacuate the
room – to get help, and to allow for privacy.
FIRE
• Bunsen burners
• Be aware when they’re in use, the flame can be
very hard to see. Pay close attention and be
extremely careful.
• Paper
• This type of fire is caused by carelessness and
can easily be prevented.
• You should only have the lab procedure and
data collection sheet at your station.
• If a paper fire occurs, push the paper
into the sink and turn on the water.
FIRE
• Clothing and Hair fires are the most
dangerous in a lab…
– Don’t Panic!
– If you are on fire - STAY where you are,
“STOP DROP & ROLL!”
– If your partner is on fire – GET THE FIRE
BLANKET, your teacher will be coming to
help you!
– If the fire is not at your lab station – STAY
AWAY!
Fire Blanket
• Should be used to extinguish clothing, or a
person that is on fire, nothing else.
• NEVER wrap a standing student in a fire
blanket. Doing so would create a
“chimney effect” bringing the fire to the
student’s head.
Fire Extinguisher
• Your teacher is the only person officially
authorized to use a fire extinguisher.
• Fire extinguishers should NEVER be used on
people unless as a last resort!
• Fire extinguishers are classified according to the
type of fire they are designed to extinguish:
Fire Extinguishers
• To use a fire extinguisher, you must
be 5-8 ft from the fire.
• PAS S
– P – PULL the pin
– A – Aim the hose at the base of the
fire
– S – Squeeze the handle
– S – Sweep the hose back and forth
Lab Station Maintenance and
Clean-Up
1. BEFORE you start your lab, you
should wash and dry your station
counter-top.
2. Keep your station clean and organized
during your lab. You should label and
know what is in every container!
3. Know how and where to dispose
chemicals and other lab materials, as
directed by your teacher.
Lab Station Maintenance and
Clean-Up
4.
NEVER put unused chemicals back in
their original container.
5. Wash and dry all glassware, and store it
properly.
6. Clean all hardware (balances, etc.), but DO
NOT WASH it, and store it properly.
7. If hardware gets wet, dry it immediately to
prevent rusting. If it is defective, do NOT
use it, report it to your teacher.
Lab Station Maintenance and
Clean-Up
8. Hot plates should be CAREFULLY
moved to the center of your bench to
cool.
9. BEFORE YOU LEAVE your station,
you must:
1. Ensure that all equipment is put away.
2. Wash and dry your station counter-top.
3. Do NOT leave until you and your partners
are ready to go. Never leave someone at
a lab bench alone – even if the bell rings.
MSDS
Material Safety Data Sheets
• These are data sheets that tell you the
chemical and safety properties of the
various chemicals we will use in the lab.
• You must look up MSDS information for
the safety section of your Pre-Lab in
order to:
– Know how to use the chemicals safely.
– Know what to do if there is a spill or
accident.
– Be able to do the lab.
MSDS Diamond
• The MSDS information is put into a shorthand form for quick and easy reference on
labels and posters.
• You also see MSDS Diamonds on transport
vehicles and containers.
•
•
•
•
Red: Flammability
Yellow: Reactivity
White: Specific Hazard
Blue: Health Hazard
M
S
D
S
D
I
A
M
O
N
D
MSDS Diamond
• Test your Knowledge by writing in your
notes what you think this MSDS
Diamond is telling you about a
chemical:
MSDS Diamond
• Answers:
– Red: Flammability
• A 4 in the flammability diamond = VERY Flammable
– Yellow: Reactivity
• A 2 in the reactivity diamond = Reacts Violently with
Water
– White: Specific Hazard
• No Water in specific hazard diamond = Don’t use water,
this also corresponds with the Reactivity diamond
– Blue: Health Hazard
• A 1 in the health hazard diamond = slightly hazardous to
your health
MSDS Diamond
• Test your Knowledge by writing in your
notes what you think this MSDS
Diamond is telling you about a
chemical:
MSDS Diamond
• Answers:
– Red: Flammability
• A 2 in the flammability diamond = there is a moderate
chance of the chemical catching fire
– Yellow: Reactivity
• A 0 in the reactivity diamond = The chemical is stable
– White: Specific Hazard
• OX in specific hazard diamond = the chemical is an
oxidizer, which means that it can act as a fuel to cause
reactions if mixed with other chemicals.
– Blue: Health Hazard
• A 1 in the health hazard diamond = slightly hazardous to
your health