CAMBRIDGE INTERNATIONAL AS & A LEVEL PHYSICS: PRACTICAL TEACHER’S GUIDE

Safety
Working safely in a physics laboratory is an essential aspect of learning which characterises practical work. It
is the duty of the school to make it clear to learners just what is expected of them when they are working in a
laboratory.
Many safety issues in a physics laboratory concern the prevention of damage to the equipment rather than to
the learner.

Working with water
Using a liquid-in-glass thermometer
Loading thin materials such as wires
Connecting electrical components
Toppling retort stands
Rolling objects such as cylinders
Dry cells such as 1.5 V batteries
Using sharp blades or pins
Table S.1
Place all the apparatus in a tray so that any spillage does not
affect paperwork. If working with hot or boiling water, use tongs
to handle containers such as beakers.
Place the thermometer securely on the bench, when not in use,
so that it does not roll off the bench. If a thermometer breaks,
inform the teacher immediately. Do not touch either the broken
glass or the liquid from inside the thermometer.
Wear safety goggles in case of fracture of the wire. Beware of
falling weights when the wire fractures and place a cushion or
similar object on the floor.
Do not exceed the recommended voltage for the component,
for example, a 6 V lamp.
If a stand is moving or in danger of toppling, secure it to the
bench using a G-clamp.
Place a suitable object such as a box to collect the object so that
it does not fall to the floor or affect somebody else’s experiment.
Do not connect the terminals of the cell to each other with a wire.
Tape over sharp edges; keep points of pins downwards, away
from eyes.

Cambridge International AS & A Level Physics – Jones, Field, Hewlett & Styles
1 © Cambridge University Press 2020