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0.3: Safety Dos and Don'ts

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    537506
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    SAFETY REGULATIONS FOR CHEMISTRY LABORATORIES

    DO THE FOLLOWING whenever you are in the laboratory:

    1. Wear approved eye protection at all times. If you get a chemical in your eye, wash the eye with flowing water from the eye wash station for at least 15 minutes. Forcibly hold the eye open for effective washing.

    2. Dress appropriately for lab. Wear clothing that will protect your skin. Pants, skirts, or dresses extend to the ankle with no skin showing. Sleeveless shirts and bare midriffs are not permitted. Shoes must cover the entire foot. Sandals, open shoes, or crocs are not permitted. Confine long hair.

    3. Place backpacks in an area where they will be out of the way and do not present a tripping hazard or block access to emergency equipment (safety showers, fire extinguishers) or exits.

    4. In case of fire or accident, call the instructor at once. Know the location of the fire extinguishers, fire blanket, eyewash stations, safety shower, and first aid kit, and know how to use them. If your clothing catches fire, immediately DROP to the floor and ROLL over to smother the flames. Never use a fire extinguisher of any type on a person; instead use a fire blanket to smother the flames.

    5. Immediately report any injury, no matter how minor, to the instructor.

    6. If a fire alarm sounds, turn off any gas valve or water that is in use. Collect your valuables and calmly exit the building by the nearest exit. Meet in the assembly area designated by your instructor and remain there until the instructor has determined that everyone is out of the building.

    7. Be extremely careful lighting or using a gas burner. Never leave a burner unattended.

    8. Carefully read labels on reagent bottles twice before using. Using the wrong chemical may have serious consequences. Consider all chemicals to be hazardous. Protective gloves will be provided for those experiments that require them. Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are available for all chemicals.

    9. Clean up any spilled materials immediately. Notify the instructor to obtain any special instructions for cleaning.

    10. Avoid breathing any fumes. Use the snorkel hoods at the lab stations or the fume hoods for any experiments that will generate fumes.

    11. Follow the procedures for disposal of chemical wastes as given in the laboratory manual or by the instructor.

    12. If any chemical contacts your skin, immediately wash it off with plenty of running water. The safety shower should be used only if a large area of your body is exposed to a corrosive or toxic chemical. Immediately remove any contaminated clothing.

    13. Clean up broken glassware immediately and dispose of the glass in a container marked “BROKEN GLASS ONLY.” NEVER use glassware that is broken, cracked, or chipped.

    14. When you are finished in the laboratory, thoroughly clean your work area with a sponge. Check to be certain that the gas and water are turned off and that all of your equipment is put away. Wash your hands thoroughly before leaving the laboratory.

    DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING when you are in the laboratory:

    1. Do not eat, drink, smoke, or engage in horseplay.

    2. Do not work in a laboratory unless an instructor is present. Never perform any unauthorized experiment.

    3. Do not insert your spatula or pipet directly into a reagent bottle because it may result in contamination.

    4. Do not allow papers to accumulate in your work area; they are a fire hazard.

    5. Do not point a test tube containing a reacting mixture toward yourself or another person.

    6. Do not add water to concentrated acids because the mixture may become extremely hot. Always add the acid slowly to water with constant stirring.

    7. Do not remove chemicals from the laboratory.

    8. Do not allow visitors.

    9. Do not use cell phones.

    10. Do not place calculators or computers where chemicals might be spilled on them.


    0.3: Safety Dos and Don'ts is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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