Common Laboratory

Accidents
1. Cuts
Nature/Causes:
• Small cuts caused by broken glass (e.g. test tubes, or
glass tubing), tools (e.g. dissecting instruments, cork
borer or cutter) or sharp edges.

Notify the instructor of any cuts and know the location of

the first-aid kits and sharps containers!!
Avoiding Cuts
Safety Precautions:
• Be sure to handle sharp instruments (e.g. razor blades,
scalpels) with care and do not play with them.
• Unwanted razor blades and mounting needles should be
properly wrapped up before disposal.
• Glassware showing signs of cracking or those with broken
edges should not be used for experiments.
• Broken pieces of glass should be disposed of properly in a
metal or plastic container assigned for such purpose (referred
to as sharps container) and never into a general trash
container.
2. Heat burns/scalds
Nature/Causes:
• Carelessness in handling hot objects (e.g. tripods,
glassware, metal rods/plates, crucibles or combustion
spoons), hot liquids, Bunsen flame or lighted matches.

Notify the instructor of any burns/scalds and know the

location of the burn kits!!
Avoiding burns/scalds
Safety Precautions:
• Do not touch or hold hot objects with bare hands.
• Crucible tongs or heat-resistant gloves should be used when picking up
hot objects. Place them on a heat-resistant mat, not directly on the
bench, for cooling.
• Heat-resistant gloves should be worn when operating the autoclave.
• Burners, wire gauzes and tripods remain hot for some time after use.
They should also be handled with care.
• Turn off Bunsen burners that will not be used for some time.
• Arms or any parts of the body should not be stretched over lighted
burners.
• Long hair should be tied up and loose-fit clothing avoided.
• Do not apply ointments or any other chemicals to the injured area of heat
burn. Use the Burn Kit.
3. Chemical on skin
Nature/Causes:
• Spillage of chemicals during transfer or heating of chemical
liquids, washing up of apparatus containing chemical mixtures,
opening the container of chemical or breakage of glass
containers.
• Mischievous behavior or pouring chemicals to others.
• Incorrect techniques utilized.

Notify the instructor of any chemical spills and know

the location of the safety shower!!
Avoiding chemical on skin
Safety Precautions:
• Chemicals should always be handled with great care.
• Avoid direct skin contact when transferring chemicals.
• Protective gloves should be worn when chemicals are handled.
• Proper laboratory scupula should be used for handling chemical
solids.
• All chemicals should never be tasted.
• Wash hands after handling chemicals and before leaving the
laboratory.
• Do not fill substance to be heated in glassware as it can boil over.
Always keep mouth of glassware away from face and skin.
 4. Eye accidents
Causes/Nature:
• Chemical liquids or solids which splashed onto the eyes, giving rise to
slight irritation or discomfort.
• Unintentionally rubbing eyes with hands contaminated with chemicals.
• Looking at bright light through a magnifying glass or directly at UV
light.

Notify the instructor of any eye injuries and know the location
of the eye wash stations!!
Avoiding eye accidents
Safety Precautions:
• Eye injuries can be very damaging and therefore
accidents involving the eyes, medical advice should be
sought immediately and the cases reported to the
nurse as soon as possible.
• Always wear safety glasses during experiments.
• Wear safety glasses even when observing science
experiments demonstrated by the teacher and when
decontaminating lab benches or instrumentation.
5. Fire
Nature/Causes:
• Accidental ignition of flammable liquids (e.g. ethanol or
ethyl ethanoate).
• Ignition of gas coming out from defective burner.

Notify the instructor of any fires and know the location of the
safety shower and fire extinguishers!! Also, know the fire drill
procedure!!!
Avoiding Fires
Safety Precautions:
• For flammable chemicals, heating should always be
done using a hot water bath with no open flame nearby.
• The quantity of flammable chemicals used during
experiments should be kept to a minimum.
• Care should be taken when handling any flammable
chemicals or open flames.
How to Use the Fire Extinguishers
 Fire Drill Procedure
1. Exit in a quiet and orderly manner.
2. Stay together as a class.
3. Proceed to designated area between our building and
main building.
4. Line up alphabetically.
5. Instructor will take attendance.
6. Instructor will hold up green card if all students are
present and red card if not.
7. Remain in designated area until notified otherwise.
6. Inhalation of gases
Nature/Causes:
• Discomfort after inhaling a small amount of
gas/vapour (e.g. sulphur dioxide, bromine or ammonia)
from reaction mixtures.

Notify the instructor if any gases have been inhaled and

know the location of the chemical storage cabinet!!
Avoiding inhalation of gases
Safety Precautions:
• Experiments involving harmful gases/vapor should be done
on a small scale and inside a fume hood.
• Good ventilation of the laboratory should always be
maintained by opening the windows, switching on the
exhaust fans as appropriate. It is helpful to leave the fan of
the fume hoodd operating during the whole practical lesson
when these experiments are being done.
• When testing for the odor of a gas, fan the gas gently to the
nose but not smell it directly over the container.
• Asthmatics should not smell harmful or irritating
gases/vapor.
7. Electrical shock
Nature/Causes:
• Exposed or frayed wires.
• Liquids near receptacles or electrical instruments.

Notify the instructor of any electrical shocks and know the

emergency procedure for injuries (will be developed in our
Emergency Plan)!!
Avoiding electrical shock
Safety Precautions:
• If any wires are frayed or exposed on instrumentation,
notify instructor immediately for proper repair/disposal.
• Do not operate electrical instruments near water.
• Be careful of liquid spillage near receptacles.
• Make sure power cords are dry prior to plugging in.
8. Slips and falls
Nature/Causes:
• Liquids on the floor.
• Objects in the aisles.

Notify the instructor of any slips or falls and know the rules for
objects in the classroom!!
Avoiding slips and falls
Safety Precautions:
• Clean up any spills on the floor immediately.
• Keep all objects off of the floor and any bags in your
locker/cubby.
 Remember!!!
Biotechnology is fun but can be
dangerous so be sure to follow the
rules and be safe!!!