Practice for Lab Safety Quiz

Which of the following are you allowed to do in the lab area?

• Eat a snack

• Chew some gum

• Put on chapstick/ lip gloss /lip stick

• None of the above

• All of the above

Answer explanation

Some chemicals are toxic and it is extremely important that none of these chemicals go into your mouth or eyes! Therefore no food, drink, gum, candy, make up, etc are allowed in the lab area.

Your partner comes back to the lab station with WAY too much of a chemical

• Take it back to the fume hood and return it to the original container

• Dispose of it properly at the end of the lab and try not to take so much next time

• Store it in a beaker for next time

Answer explanation

Once the chemical leaves the fume hood where I store the bottles for today's labs, it might become contaminated. If you put that back into the bottle, now the entire bottle is ruined. I would rather have you through out all of the excess chemical that you grabbed, instead of the ENTIRE BOTTLE.

Tags

NGSS.HS-ETS1-3

When do you need to wear goggles?

• Heating anything

• Using liquids

• Using powdered or granulated chemicals

• All of the above

• None of the above

Answer explanation

There is a small chance that heated glassware, especially if it has a chip or a crack, can break. Liquids can boil or splash. Powders can get into your eyes. Therefore we wear goggles whenever we have a lab involving these.

What should you do with your backpack/purse/lunch during a lab?

• Leave them at your desk so they don’t get contaminated

• Put them under your lab table

• Store them at one end of the lab table

Answer explanation

Please keep your lab area clean and uncluttered. Anything that you bring into the lab might get contaminated, so please leave backpacks, purses, lunch bags, etc at your desk in the classroom area.

How should you look at what’s happening in a test tube, especially one that is being heated?

• Look through the clear sides of the test tube, being careful to point it away from everyone

• Look directly in it

• Point it at your partner and have them look in it

Answer explanation

Liquids or solids that are being heated can pop or splatter. If you are looking directly into the test tube when this happens, the chemical can get into your eyes and/or burn you. Never look into a test tube; always look through the sides.

Carol had her safety goggles on her forehead. Ms Hirshfield told her to put them on correctly. She did, and when Ms Hirshfield went to help another group, Carol put them back on her forehead. What will happen?

• She will receive another warning and get in trouble the third time

• Carol will lose 10 points from her lab grade

• Carol will be told to sit down and will receive a non-recoverable 0 for the lab.

• Ms Hirshfield will keep telling her to put her goggles on.

Answer explanation

I'm not saying you will do this, but it is fairly common for students to put their goggles on properly when I am looking, and then immediately take them back off when I go help another group. I care about your safety. If it takes you getting mad at me in order to keep you safe, I'm fine with that. Remember that you can take a goggle break in the classroom area anytime that you need to.

How do you dispose of a chemical after class?

• All chemicals are safe to go into the trash

• All chemicals are safe to go down the drain

• Follow the teacher’s instructions for that particular chemical

Answer explanation

Most chemicals that we use can go down the drain or in the garbage, but some can not. I will tell you before any lab that uses these chemicals and tell you the proper disposal procedures for those chemicals. When in doubt, please ask.

How should you smell a chemical?

• Hold it close to your nose and smell deeply

• Use your hand to waft a small amount of the fumes towards your nose

• Put your nose directly over the container and take a small sniff.

Answer explanation

Some chemicals have dangerous fumes. Others smell really awful. You don't want a nosefull of either one. Use your hand to waft the scent towards your nose.

How can you tell if glassware is hot?

• Touch it

• If it's not glowing, it's not hot

• Hot glass looks exactly like cold glass; if glass is heated during a lab, always use tongs even if you think the glass is cold

Answer explanation

Glass doesn't glow until it is almost 1000 degrees F! Glass that is 300 degrees F is plenty hot enough to burn you but it looks exactly the same as cold glass. If there is any chance that the glass might hot, use tongs.

What should you do if you break some glassware?

• Let the teacher know

• You better hide because you're in trouble!

• Put it in a pile until after the lab

Answer explanation

You will not get in trouble for broken glass. Please let me know so that I can clean it up with you.