LABORATORY SAFETY RULES

1. ALWAYS wear safety goggles when you are in the lab, unless otherwise directed by the instructor.

2. Other clothing rules:

a. You must wear closed toe shoes (not sandals). Your feet are the most vulnerable part of your body to chemicals spills, after your hands and arms.

b. Do not wear contact lenses in the lab. Even though you are wearing goggles, certain chemicals have fumes which can damage lenses and cause permanent damage to your eyes. If you must wear contact lenses and do not have glasses, you may receive special parent authorization to wear contact lenses.

c. Do not wear ties or long necklaces that may knock items over, get caught, or contact harmful chemicals.

d. Long hair must be tied back.

e. Do not sit on the lab tables. Chemical residue may be transferred to your clothes from where it can spread to other objects and people.

3. Read all labels before dispensing any chemical. Be careful to use the proper technique for whatever chemical you are using.

4. No food or drink, including gum, is allowed in the lab.

5. Walk, don’t run. Keep your arms from swinging widely to avoid spills.

6. Never taste chemicals. Even if you think it’s just water or table salt, you never completely know with what you are dealing.

Never put anything from the lab in your mouth.

7. Never touch chemicals with your bare hands. See #6 for reason.

8. Wash your hands before and after every lab.

9. Be careful around hot plates, Bunsen burners and any other heat sources.

10. Never pick up a hot beaker, test tube or flask with your bare hands. Always use tongs or a test tube holder.

ll. Bunsen burner rules:

a. Make sure the hose leading to your Bunsen burner is securely connected to the gas jet.

b. Do not open the gas jet until you are ready to light the flame. When the handle points along the jet, the jet is open and flammable gas is flowing. When the handle points across the jet (to either side) the jet is closed and no gas is flowing.

c. Right after opening the jet, light the burner using a striker or long safely match. Do not use ordinary match.

d. Adjust the dials at the bottom of the burner until you get a “double cone” flame, with dark blue at the center and a dimmer ring around it. This is the hottest possible flame.

e. Never leave your lab station while a Bunsen burner is lit.

f. When heating a test tube in a flame, always use a test tube holder. Point the end of the test tube up and angled (60 degree) away from you and anyone else. Keep the bottom of the test tube about ½ inch from the tip of the burner.

g. If anything happens, remove the test tube from the flame and turn the gas jet off.

12. Electrical equipment rules:

a. Do not use electrical equipment if the cord, plug, or wires are frayed or twisted. Never use electrical equipment if bare wired are showing. Notify the teacher if you see this.

b. Be sure your hands are dry before handling electrical equipment. Also make sure the area under and around the equipment (plugged in or not) is dry.

c. Do not let unused electrical cords dangle from the table, wrap them.

d. Before leaving the lab, make sure all electrical equipment is turned off and unplugged.

13. Certain chemicals should only be used under the fume hood. You will be told about these chemicals before you use them.

14. If you are instructed to smell a chemical, never place your nose next to the substance. Hold the substance at half-arm’s length and waft the fumes toward your nose.

15. Always work with at least one partner. If your partner is absent, join another group for the day. One team member must be appointed the safety specialist, this person must always be at the lab station to make sure all safety rules are being followed. One team member will be the material specialist; this person will walk around the lab to obtain chemicals and equipment.

16. If there is a fire drill while we are in the lab, immediately turn off all gas jet and electrical unites and unplug all electrical units. Then walk calmly out of the building.

IN CASE SOMETHING HAPPENS:

17. In all emergencies, have your partner notify the teacher immediately. Turn off all gas jets and electrical equipment.

18. If you spill a chemical on the floor or lab table, check with the teacher before wiping it up. Acids and bases should be neutralized before being wiped.

19. If you spill a chemical on your skin, walk to the nearest faucet and wash it off with cold water for at least five minutes. Have your partner notify the teacher.

20. If you spill a chemical on your clothes, wash it off under the faucet for at least five minutes. Have your partner notify the teacher. If it will not fit under the sink and this is a true emergency, stand under the safety shower and rinse there. Remove the affected clothing while you are under the shower, we have a lab coat you can wear in an emergency.

21. If you get a chemical in your eyes, walk to the eyewash station and turn it on. Lower your head to place your eyes in the stream, and hold your eyelids open with your fingers. Roll eyes by looking up, down, left, right continuously for fifteen minutes. Have your partner notify the teacher.

22. In case of fire:

a. If you or your clothes catch on fire, stop, drop, and roll. Have your partner get the fire safety blanket for you and wrap this blanket around you to put out the fire. Have someone notify the teacher

b. If a chemical in a beaker or flask catches fire, simply take a book or other large object and place it atop the beaker. With no fresh oxygen, the fire will soon die out. Have your partner notify the teacher.

c. If a spilled chemical catches fire on the lab table, remove all items from the vicinity of the fire. Smother the fire with sand or use the fire extinguisher if the fire is too big. Have your partner notify the teacher.

23. Glassware:

a. If you accidentally touch hot glassware and burn your skin, run it under cold water for five minutes. Have your partner notify the teacher.

b. If you break glassware, notify the teacher first, and then use the broom and dustpan to sweep up the glassware. Dispose of the glassware in the metal “broken glass” container. Do not dispose of glass in the regular trash.

24. Even if there is no emergency, notify the teacher when an accident occurs. A near miss means there is a dangerous

situation, and an emergency waiting to happen.

AFTER THE LAB:

25. In general, you dispose of liquids in the sink. First turn on the cold water, and then slowly add the unwanted chemical so it is

flushed down the drain. Solids may be placed in a plastic-lined metal trash can.

26. Never place chemicals back the container. This causes contamination, which will not only affect the results of future groups, it may cause

violent reactions later on.

27. Some chemicals must be disposed of in special ways. You will receive specific disposal instructions before every lab.

I have reviewed these rules and am able to follow these expectations: ____________________________________________(student signature)

My child is able to follow these expectations: _______________________________________________________________(parent signature)