Safe Lab Practices

• Safe Laboratory Practices

  • Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) must be worn at all times in the laboratory
  • Contact lenses should not be worn in the laboratory; special goggles are required for contact lens wearers who have no regular glasses
  • Perform only the assigned experiments. Never work alone in the laboratory
  • Read experimental procedures at least twice before beginning an experiment
  • Strictly follow all the steps in a given procedure. Never undertake any short cuts
  • Obtain all the necessary reagents and materials before starting an experiment
  • Record all data, calculations and results in an approved laboratory notebook
  • Keep work areas clean and uncluttered
  • Report any accident to your laboratory instructor
  • Use white mantle when viewing end points during titration
  • Never open any reagent bottle without reading first the label. Note any special warnings on the reagents or materials to be handled
  • Label all reagents properly by indicating its concentration and the date of preparation
  • Do not taste anything in the laboratory. Do not eat, drink or smoke in the laboratory
  • Shoes must be worn in the laboratory. Sandals do not give adequate protection
  • Hair must be tied back so it does not fall into flames or chemicals
  • Exercise great care in noting the odor of gases. Fan the gas towards your nose with your hand
  • Do not mouth suction in filling pipette with chemical reagents. Use a pipet or suction bulb
  • Do not force glass tubing or thermometers into rubber stoppers. Protect your hands with a towel or hand saver during this operation. Do not force rubber tubing, bulbs or stoppers off glass apparatus
  • Heat test tubes containing liquid gently so the contents will not splatter. Be careful of your neighbor when heating test tubes. Do not put your face directly over a vessel, which you are hitting
  • Mercury spills are dangerous because of the poisonous vapors. If you spill mercury or break a thermometer, ask your instructor for assistance in cleaning up all the residual drops of mercury
  • Note the location of the eyewashes. If you get a chemical in your eye or on your face, wash with flowing water from the eyewash. If contact lenses are worn, they must be removed during washing
  • Learn where the safety shower, fire extinguishers and fire blankets are. Use the shower if your clothing catches fire or you spill a large amount of chemical on yourself. In case of fire or accident call the lab instructor at once
  • You must go to the school clinic for the treatment of cuts, burns, or accidents involving the inhalation of fumes. Know the location of the clinic
• Handling of Reagents

  • Stock bottles or reagents should always be covered either by a glass or rubber stopper to avoid contamination
  • To remove the stopper from a reagent bottle, hold the stopper with the first portion between the index and middle finger and with the plug projecting from the back of the hand. Stoppers are placed with the flat top inverted on the glasswatch
  • Liquids are transferred quantitatively into another container with the use of pipet or with the aid of a stirring rod firmly against the side tip of the vessel
  • Excess reagents should be flushed down with plenty of water and should never be returned to the reagent bottle
  • Solids are spooned out with a perfectly clean and dry spatula to avoid contamination. The mouth of the reagent bottle should be tilted slightly downward to give a fine flow of the chemical
  • Acid solutions are prepared by pouring acid to water; alkaline solutions are prepared by pouring the alkali to water