Lab Safety

​Lab Safety

Year 7

​General Rules:

1. Always follow teacher instructions

2. Wear appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment)

3. Understand the experiment and complete Risk Assessment

4. Know where the lab safety components are

5. Report all accidents, spills, breaks, and injuries immediately to the teacher

6. Never ingest or inhale anything in the lab

7. Experiments are not the time to play around

8. Clean yourself and your equipment well after use

​PPE

• Lab coat and safety goggles are required for most pracs

• Use when glassware, heat, or chemicals are being used

• Gloves are sometimes needed for certain experiments

• Long hair must be tied back

​Understand the experiment

• Read and comprehend the experiment's aim before starting

• Read the entire method, so you know what you need and what you are doing

• This prevents any misunderstanding or errors

• Also makes the experiment easier and more enjoyable!

• Completing the Risk Assessment is essential for ensuring a safe and informed experiment

​Lab Safety Components

• Fire extinguisher and blanket

• Chemical shower

• Eye wash station

• Fume hood

​No ingesting or inhaling

• Nothing must be consumed in the lab - even if it is regularly something you may consume (i.e. water, sugar, ice etc.)

• If you need to smell something, you must waft

​Cleaning!

• Important to put away equipment where you found it

• Clean all glassware properly and leave to dry

• Wipe down lab bench

• We will always have 5 minutes tidy time at the end of a prac

Multiple Choice

If you do not understand a direction or part of a lab procedure, you should

• figure it out as you do the lab
• try several methods until something works
• ask the instructor before proceeding
• skip it and go on to the next part

Multiple Choice

After completing an experiment, all chemical wastes should be

• left at your lab station for the next class
• disposed of according to your instructor's directions
• dumped in the sink
• taken home

Multiple Choice

You have been injured in the laboratory (cut, burn, etc.).  First you should

• visit the school nurse after class
• see a doctor after school
• tell your teacher immediately
• apply first aid yourself

Multiple Choice

When gathering glassware and equipment for an experiment, you should

• read all directions carefully to know what equipment is necessary
• examine all glassware to check for chips or cracks
• clean any glassware that appears dirty
• all of the above

Multiple Choice

Broken glass should be picked up by the student and placed in the trash.

• True
• False

Multiple Choice

Work areas should be kept clean and tidy.

• True
• False

Multiple Choice

When is it OK to eat or drink in the lab?

• Always
• Never

Multiple Choice

Which of the following items is necessary in a laboratory for safety purposes?

• Triple-beam balance
• Metric ruler
• Computer Monitor
• Fire extinguisher

Multiple Choice

What is the CORRECT procedure for students to follow if a chemical is spilled?

• Stand back and advise the teacher of the spill.
• Run screaming out of the room.
• Splash large amounts of water onto the spill.
• Immediately ask to go to the restroom.

Multiple Choice

When should you look over the experiment instructions? 

• After starting the lab
• When your teacher tells you to
• Before starting the lab
• It doesn't really matter.  Instructions are silly!

Multiple Choice

Report any accident or injury to the teacher _______________, no matter how small it may appear

• at the end of the period
• immediately
• eventually
• after you get the situation under control

​More to come!

We will be doing loads of experiments this year, and each has their own specific safety concerns. We will do risk assessments for each relevant experiment.