Laboratory Safety

Why is Lab Safety Important?

• Lab safety rules and

symbols are needed
so that students do
not injure
themselves or their
classmates.
Lab Safety Rules
 Lab Safety Rules
1-Wear protective clothing .
 Protective clothes
o Gloves are essential.

o Lab coats are

required.

o Safety glasses
( goggles) may be
required to avoid
splashes.
 Lab Safety Rules
2-Laboratory personnel should not wear sandals
 Lab Safety Rules
Do NOT Wear:

• Jewelry

• Loose or Baggy clothing

 Lab Safety Rules
3-Avoid touching objects (e.g., pencils, cell phones,
door handles) while wearing gloves.
4-Pencils, labels, or any other materials should never be
placed in your mouth.
5-Caution must be taken when using gas burners. Be
sure gas burners are turned off when finished.
 Lab Safety Rules
6-Long hair must be tied back or covered to minimize
fire hazard or contamination of experiments.
 Lab Safety Rules
7- Do not eat food or drink water in the lab.
do not use lab glassware as food or water containers.
 Lab Safety Rules
8- Protect your hands safety:
- wash hands after every lab.
- Handle glassware, sharp tools and heated containers carefully.
 Lab Safety Rules
9 electrical safety:
- unplug electrical equipment after use.
- keep all electrical cords and wires away from water .
 Lab Safety Rules
10- Chemical safety:
-never touch, taste or smell a chemical unless instructed to do
so.
- never mix chemicals unless instructed to do so.
-keep lids on chemical containers when not in use.
 Lab Safety Rules
11 Do not take any cultures out of the
lab for any reason.
• All cultures should be handled as
potentially pathogenic.
• Liquid cultures must always be
kept in a test tube rack.
 Lab Safety Rules
12- Do not engage in practical jokes or horseplay in the
lab.
 Lab Safety Rules
13-Keep nonessential books and clothing far away from
your work area.
 Lab Safety Rules
14-Wipe the bench tops down with disinfectant both before you
begin your work and after you have completed your work.
 Lab Safety Rules
15- Dispose of waste products according to instructions.
 Lab Safety Rules
16-Report all accidents, no matter how minor, to
your supervisor!!
Lab Safety Equipment
 Lab Safety Equipment
• Safety shower

• Eye wash
 Lab Safety Equipment

• Fire Blanket

• Fire Extinguisher
Lab Safety Symbols
 Lab Safety Symbols
• They alert about the possible dangers in the lab.
Electrical Equipment

Always do a visual check on

electrical equipment before use,
looking for obvious wear or
defects
All portable electrical
equipment must have a current
“PAT test” sticker
NEVER use defective equipment
General Tidiness

Keep your workplace tidy

Clear up waste, deal with
washing up and put things away
as you finish with them
Make sure everything is safe
before you leave things
unattended
A tidy laboratory avoids
accidents to everyone
X
Laboratory Equipment

Never use any laboratory

equipment unless you are
trained & have been
authorised to do so
As well as injuring yourself
you may cause very costly
damage
First Aid

All laboratory workers should

undergo simple first aid training
For ALL chemical splashes, wash with
plenty of water for 10 minutes
Control bleeding with direct pressure,
avoiding any foreign bodies such as
glass

Report all accidents to your

supervisor or departmental safety
officer
Protecting your health

If you have an allergy to lab

materials or suffer from a
medical condition which
may affect you in the
laboratory (eg diabetes or
epilepsy), ensure that your
supervisor knows
 First Aid
Injury: Burns
To Do: Immediately flush with cold
water until burning sensation is
lessened.

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 First Aid

Injury: Cuts, bruises

To Do: Do not touch an open wound
without safety gloves. Pressing
directly on minor cuts will stop
bleeding in a few minutes. Apply
cold compress to bruises to
reduce swelling.

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 First Aid
Injury: The eyes
To Do: Flush eyes immediately with
plenty of water for several
minutes. If a foreign object is
lodged in the eye, do not allow
the eye to be rubbed.

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 GENERAL LABORATORY RULES AND
PRECAUTIONS
FOR ELECTRICAL SAFETY
1. There must be at least two (2) people in the laboratory while
working on live circuits or chemical processing.

2. Shoes must be worn at all times.

3. Remove all loose conductive jewelry and trinkets, including rings,

which may come in contact with exposed circuits. (Do not wear long
loose ties, scarves, or other loose clothing around machines.)

4. Consider all circuits to be "hot" unless proven otherwise.

5. When making measurements, form the habit of using only one

hand at a time. No part of a live circuit should be touched by the bare
hand.
6. Keep the body, or any part of it, out of the circuit. Where
interconnecting wires and cables are involved, they should be
arranged so people will not trip over them.

7. Be as neat a possible. Keep the work area and workbench

clear of items not used in the experiment.

8. Always check to see that the power switch is OFF before

plugging into the outlet. Also, turn instrument or equipment
OFF before unplugging from the outlet.

9. When unplugging a power cord, pull on the plug, not on the

cable.

10. When disassembling a circuit, first remove the source of

power.
11. No ungrounded electrical or electronic apparatus is to be used in
the laboratory unless it is double insulated or battery operated.

12. Keep fluids, chemicals, and beat away from instruments and
circuits.

13. Report any damages to equipment, hazards, and potential hazards

to the laboratory instructor.