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Chemistry Lab Safety Rules and Procedures

Why This Matters

Chemistry labs contain real hazards, including heat, glass, chemicals, and electrical equipment. Safety rules help you control those hazards before they become emergencies.

A small mistake can quickly grow. For example, a student leaves a backpack in the aisle. Another student steps around it while carrying a beaker, bumps the lab table, and causes a spill. Keeping aisles clear may seem simple, but it prevents a chain of problems.

Personal Protective Equipment

🥽 Chemical splash goggles

What: Wear approved chemical splash goggles whenever chemicals, heat, or glassware are being used.

Why: Goggles protect your eyes from splashes, flying particles, and broken glass. Regular glasses do not seal around your eyes.

🧪 Lab apron or coat

What: Wear the apron or lab coat assigned by your teacher and keep it fastened.

Why: It creates a protective layer between your clothing and small chemical splashes.

👟 Closed-toe, closed-heel shoes

What: Wear shoes that fully cover your feet. Sandals, slides, and open shoes are not allowed.

Why: Closed shoes protect your feet from spills, dropped glassware, and hot materials.

➰ Tied-back hair and secured clothing

What: Tie back long hair and secure loose sleeves, jewelry, hoodie strings, and other hanging items.

Why: Loose items can contact flames, chemicals, or equipment and can knock materials over.

Before, During, and After the Lab

Rule	Why It Exists	Common Way Students Break It
BEFORE THE LAB
Read the full procedure before touching materials.	You need to know the hazards, sequence, and emergency steps before beginning.	Starting immediately and asking what to do after materials are already mixed.
Listen to all teacher instructions and ask questions before starting.	Your teacher may give safety information that is not written in the procedure.	Talking during directions or assuming the lab is the same as a previous activity.
Locate the eyewash, safety shower, fire extinguisher, fire blanket, exits, and emergency shutoffs.	You must be able to respond quickly without searching during an emergency.	Ignoring the safety tour because you do not expect an accident.
Clear backpacks, food, drinks, and personal items from the lab area.	Clear workspaces reduce spills, contamination, and tripping hazards.	Placing a phone, water bottle, or backpack beside the experiment.
DURING THE LAB
Perform only the approved procedure.	Unplanned mixing or changes can create unknown reactions and hazards.	Adding extra chemicals to “see what happens.”
Never eat, drink, chew gum, or taste anything in the laboratory.	Food and drinks can become contaminated with chemicals.	Keeping a drink at the lab station or tasting a substance that looks harmless.
Never smell a chemical directly. Waft vapors gently toward your nose only when instructed.	Direct inhalation can expose you to a concentrated amount of vapor.	Putting your face over a container and sniffing.
Keep chemical containers labeled and use only the amount directed.	Labels prevent mix-ups, and small amounts reduce waste and risk.	Carrying an unlabeled cup or pouring much more than needed.
Never return unused chemicals to a stock bottle.	The unused chemical may be contaminated and could ruin the entire stock supply.	Pouring extra solution back because it looks clean.
Point heated test tubes away from yourself and everyone else.	Heated liquids can suddenly boil, splash, or eject material.	Looking into the tube or aiming it toward a lab partner.
Use tongs or heat-resistant tools for hot glassware.	Hot glass can look exactly like cool glass.	Touching glassware to check whether it is hot.
Keep flames and heat sources attended at all times.	An unattended heat source can ignite materials or overheat equipment.	Walking away from a lit burner.
Report every spill, injury, broken item, or unexpected result immediately.	Small incidents are easier and safer to manage when reported right away.	Trying to hide or clean up a spill without permission.
AFTER THE LAB
Dispose of chemicals and broken glass only as directed.	Some substances cannot safely go into the sink or regular trash.	Pouring leftovers down the drain without asking.
Turn off gas, water, electricity, and heat sources.	Shutting down equipment prevents leaks, burns, and damage.	Leaving a hot plate or faucet on.
Clean the work area and return equipment to its proper location.	A clean station protects the next person and prevents accidental contact.	Leaving wet glassware, residue, or equipment on the table.
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.	Your hands may have contacted small amounts of chemicals or contaminated surfaces.	Rinsing quickly with water or skipping handwashing.

⚠ Emergency Procedures

Do not handle an emergency alone. Your first step is always to alert your teacher.

⚠ Chemical spill

Tell your teacher immediately.
Keep other students away from the spill.
Do not touch, wipe, or neutralize it unless instructed.
Follow the teacher’s cleanup and evacuation directions.

⚠ Burn

Tell your teacher immediately.
Move away from the heat source.
Cool a minor thermal burn under cool running water as directed.
Do not apply creams, ice, or chemicals unless instructed by trained personnel.

⚠ Broken glass

Tell your teacher immediately.
Keep your hands away from the glass.
Warn nearby students and remain clear of the area.
Use a brush and dustpan only if your teacher directs you.
Place glass in the designated broken-glass container, never regular trash.

⚠ Fire

Tell your teacher immediately.
Turn off gas or heat only if instructed and safe to do so.
Move away from the fire and follow evacuation directions.
If clothing catches fire, stop, drop, and roll, or use the safety shower as directed.
Do not use a fire extinguisher unless you are trained and instructed.

⚠ Chemical on skin

Tell your teacher immediately.
Rinse the affected area with large amounts of water.
Use the safety shower for a large spill as directed.
Remove contaminated clothing or jewelry while rinsing if instructed.
Continue rinsing for at least 15 minutes or as directed by the safety information.

⚠ Chemical in eyes

Tell your teacher immediately.
Go directly to the eyewash station.
Hold your eyelids open and flush continuously with water.
Remove contact lenses if they come out easily while rinsing.
Rinse for at least 15 minutes or as directed by the safety information.

GHS Hazard Symbol Reference

GHS stands for the Globally Harmonized System. These labels communicate chemical hazards. Each pictogram normally appears as a black symbol inside a red diamond.

Symbol Name and Description	What It Means	Where You Might See It
🔥 Flame symbol	Flammable material that can ignite easily.	Alcohol-based fuels or some organic solvents.
⭕ Flame over circle symbol	Oxidizer that can cause or intensify a fire.	Concentrated hydrogen peroxide or certain nitrate compounds.
💥 Exploding bomb symbol	Explosive, highly reactive, or unstable material.	Special demonstrations or restricted chemical storage areas.
🗜 Gas cylinder symbol	Gas stored under pressure.	Compressed oxygen, carbon dioxide, or nitrogen cylinders.
🧪 Corrosion symbol Test tubes dripping onto a hand and metal.	Can cause severe skin burns, eye damage, or metal corrosion.	Strong acids and strong bases.
☠ Skull and crossbones symbol	Acute toxicity; even a small exposure may be dangerous.	Certain restricted toxic chemicals or prepared laboratory reagents.
❗ Exclamation mark symbol	Irritant or harmful substance that may affect skin, eyes, or breathing.	Dilute cleaning chemicals or some laboratory solutions.
♙ Health hazard symbol Person silhouette with a starburst on the chest.	May cause serious long-term health effects, respiratory sensitization, or organ damage.	Certain solvents, formaldehyde solutions, or restricted reagents.
🌳 Environmental hazard symbol Dead tree and fish.	Hazardous to aquatic life or the environment.	Solutions containing certain metal ions or pesticides.

✓ Safety Contract Summary

Initial each statement to show that you understand and agree to follow it.

_____	I will wear goggles and all required PPE from the start of the lab until my teacher says it is safe to remove them.
_____	I will read the procedure and listen to all instructions before beginning.
_____	I will perform only teacher-approved procedures and use only the assigned materials.
_____	I will never eat, drink, taste chemicals, or smell chemicals directly.
_____	I will keep my work area and aisles clear of unnecessary items.
_____	I will point heated test tubes away from myself and others and treat hot glass as if it is hot.
_____	I will never return unused chemicals to their original stock containers.
_____	I will tell my teacher immediately about every spill, injury, breakage, or unexpected event.
_____	I will dispose of chemicals and broken glass only as directed.
_____	I will clean my station, shut down equipment, and wash my hands before leaving.

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Chemistry Lab Safety Rules and Procedures