LABORATORY SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Remember at all times that the laboratory is a place for serious work. YOU are immediately responsible for your own safety.
2. Report all injuries to the teacher immediately, regardless of how minor they may appear to you.
3. Do only the experiments assigned or approved by your teacher. Unauthorized experiments are prohibited.
4. Always prepare for an experiment by reading the directions before you begin the lab. Ask about anything you don’t understand.
5. Know the location of all the safety equipment (fire blanket, eye wash station).
6. Avoid wearing jackets, clothing with loose-fitting sleeves or open-toed shoes when doing lab work. Your hair should be tied back as well.
7. Safety glasses must be worn for all experiments unless instructed otherwise by the teacher. Additional safety clothing (aprons etc.) may be provided for some labs.
8. Beware of what appears to be water on laboratory benches. It may be corrosive liquid. Do not sit on lab benches/desks.
9. Douse any spills of acids or bases with plenty of water, and wipe them up. If the eye is involved, irrigate it with plenty of water without interruption for about 10 minutes.
10. When you move about the lab, be alert and move slowly. Be prepared to stop quickly.
11. If you’ve been heating objects then bring the back of your hand close to the equipment to test if it’s still too hot.
12. All broken glass should be placed in the wastebasket designated for that purpose. Do not place any other waste (paper, chemicals) in these containers.
13. Do not handle/taste chemicals. No food or drinks are to be consumed in the science rooms.
14. Never breathe odours directly. Always waft odours towards your nose with your hand.
15. Never leave a bunsen burner flame unattended.
16. Never point a test tube being heated towards anyone. Hold it at an angle and heat it from the top down. Keep the flame moving back and forth along the test tube.
17. Return all equipment to its proper place at the end of the lab.
I have read the laboratory safety instructions. I understand that failure to follow these instructions and rules may result in the loss of lab privileges. All students must achieve 100 % on a multiple choice lab safety quiz, based on these instructions, before they will be allowed to work in the lab area.
Student signature: ______Date: ______
Parent signature: ______