To prepare yourself to work safely in the laboratory, read the following safety
rules. Then read them a second time. Make sure you understand and follow each
rule. Ask your teacher to explain any rules you do not understand.
Dress Code
1. To protect yourself from injuring your
eyes, wear safety goggles whenever you
work with chemicals, glassware, heat
sources such as burners, or any substance
that might get into your eyes. If you wear
contact lenses, notify your teacher.
2. Wear a lab apron or coat whenever
you work with corrosive chemicals or
substances that can stain.
3. Remove or tie back any article of clothing
or jewelry that can hang down and touch
chemicals, flames, or equipment. Roll up
or secure long sleeves. Never wear open
shoes or sandals.
General Precautions
4. Read all directions for an experiment
several times before beginning the
activity. Carefully follow all written and oral
instructions. If you are in doubt about any
part of the experiment, ask your teacher
for assistance.
5. Never perform activities that are not
assigned or authorized by your teacher.
Never handle any equipment unless you
have specific permission.
6. Never eat or drink in the laboratory.
7. Keep work areas clean and uncluttered.
Bring only notebooks, lab manuals,
or written lab procedures to the work
area. All other items should be left in a
designated area.
8. Do not engage in horseplay.
First Aid
9. Report all accidents, injuries, or fires to
your teacher, no matter how minor.
10. Learn what to do in cases of specific
accidents, such as getting acid in your
eyes or on your skin. (Rinse acids from
your body with plenty of water.)
11. Be aware of the location of the first-aid
kit, but do not use it unless instructed by
your teacher. In case of injury, your teacher
should administer first aid. Your teacher
may also send you to the school nurse or
call a physician.
12. Know the location of the emergency
equipment such as the fire extinguisher
and fire blanket.
13. Know the location of the nearest
telephone and whom to contact in an
emergency.
Heating and Fire Safety
14. Never use a heat source, such as a candle,
burner, or hot plate, without wearing
safety goggles.
15. Never heat anything unless instructed to
do so. A chemical that is harmless when
cool may be dangerous when heated.
16. Never use a flame or spark near a
combustible chemical or material.
17. Never reach across a flame.
18. Before using a laboratory burner, make
sure you know proper procedures for
lighting and adjusting the burner, as
demonstrated by your teacher. Do not
touch the burner. It may be hot. Never
leave a lighted burner unattended. Turn
off the burner when it is not in use.
19. Chemicals can splash or boil out of
a heated test tube. When heating a
substance in a test tube, make sure that
the mouth of the tube is not pointed at
you or anyone else.
20. Never heat a liquid in a closed container.
The expanding gases produced may
shatter the container.
21. Before picking up a container t...
