Laboratory Safety Manual
FCHS Laboratory & Safety Manual 1
Table of Contents
Safety Symbols ………………………………………………………………………………..….……. 3
Laboratory & Safety Guidelines ………………..................................................................... 4
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Emergencies - 4
Preventing Accidents - 4
Working in the Laboratory - 4
Laboratory Cleanup - 5
Safe Laboratory Techniques and Procedures………………………..……………………. 5
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Using Heat Sources - 5
Heating Objects/ Substances - 5
Using Electrical Appliances - 6
Working with Chemicals - 6
Chemical Spill - 7
Using Glassware - 7
Using Fume Hoods - 7
Working with Biological Samples - 8
Disposal of Lab Materials …………………………………………………………….……….…... 8
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Chemical Waste Disposal - 8
Biowaste - 8
Responding to Emergencies ……………………………………………………………………….8
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In Case of Injury - 8
In Case of Chemical Spills - 8
In Case of Fire - 9
Panic Busters ……………………………………………………………………..……………….…….9
Using Accident Response Equipment …………………………………………….………......9
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Eye Wash Station - 9
Safety Shower - 10
Fire Blanket - 10
Fire Extinguisher - 10
Safety Contract ………………………………………………………………………………….……11
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FCHS Laboratory & Safety Manual 3
Laboratory and Safety Guidelines
Emergencies
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Inform the instructor immediately of any mishap—fire, injury, glassware breakage,
chemical spills and so forth.
Know the location of the fire extinguisher, safety shower, eyewash, fire blanket, and
first-aid kit. Know how to use this equipment.
If chemicals come into contact with your eyes or skin, flush with large quantities of
water and notify your teacher immediately.
Preventing Accidents
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Do NOT wear clothing that is loose enough to catch on anything. Do NOT wear sandals
or open-toed shoes. Remove loose jewelry while doing lab work.
Wear protective safety gloves, goggles, and aprons (lab coats) at all times in the lab.
Do NOT wear contact lenses in the Laboratory.
Always wear safety goggles (not glasses) in the laboratory.
Wear goggles throughout the entire activity, cleanup, and hand washing.
Keep your hands away from your face while working in the laboratory.
Do NOT use hair spray, mousse, or other flammable hair products just before or during
laboratory work where an open flame is used (they can ignite easily).
Tie back long hair and loose clothing to keep them away from flames and equipment. If
a ‘shayla’ is to be worn, it must be securely and firmly fastened to the head.
Eating, drinking, chewing gum, applying makeup, and smoking are prohibited in the lab.
Do NOT inhale vapors or taste, touch, or smell any chemical or substance unless
instructed to do so by your teacher.
Working in the Laboratory
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Study all instructions before you begin a laboratory or field activity. Ask questions if you
do not understand any part of the experiment.
Work ONLY on activities assigned by your teacher. NEVER work alone in the laboratory.
Do NOT substitute other chemicals/substances for those listed in your activity.
Do NOT begin any activity until directed to do so by your teacher.
Do NOT handle any equipment without specific permission.
Remain in your own work area unless given permission by your teacher to leave it.
Do NOT point heated containers—test tubes, flasks, and so forth—at yourself or anyone
else.
Do NOT take any materials or chemicals out of the laboratory.
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Laboratory Cleanup
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Keep work, lab, and balance areas clean, limiting the amount of easily ignitable
materials.
Turn off all burners, water faucets before leaving the lab.
Carefully dispose of waste materials as instructed by your teacher.
With your goggles on, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after
each activity.
Safe Laboratory Techniques and Procedures
Using Heat Sources
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Use smooth surface hot- plates as a source when possible, especially if any flammable
liquid is involved.
Sparkers or strikers are recommended for lighting burners. WARNING: Matches tend to
litter the lab as well as pose a fire hazard if not properly handled.
SHOULD THE BUNSEN BURNER GO OUT, IMMEDIATELY TURN OFF THE GAS AT THE GAS
OUTLET VALVE. If you wish to turn off the burner, do so by turning off the gas at the gas
outlet valve first, then close the needle valve and barrel. Never reach over an exposed
flame.
Gas burners should be operated at sensibly low level.
Hot water baths should NOT be boiled unless absolutely necessary.
NEVER leave an open flame unattended. When a burner is not in use, turn it off.
Do NOT reach across an open flame.
Heating Objects/ Substances
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Use a hot plate, rather than a gas burner, when evaporating liquids.
Objects should NOT be held for an excessive period of time in a gas- burner flame.
Always point the open end of a test tube away from yourself and others. WARNING:
some chemicals can boil out of the test tube violently and unexpectedly when being
heated.
Heat-generating chemicals should be mixed slowly.
NEVER heat chemicals in a closed container such as a corked test tube.
Do NOT use bare hands to pick up a container that has been heated or hand a heated
container to someone. Hold the back of your hand near the container and check for
heat. If you can feel heat, use a mitten or tongs to pick up the container.
Never reach across a hot apparatus to perform an experiment. The apparatus should be
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placed so that if hot liquids are spilled, they will fall on the laboratory table, not on a
person.
Limit the quantity of flammable and combustible chemicals in the work area to the
amount actually needed.
Using Electrical Appliances
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Make sure that all electrical cords are in a good condition, not frayed.
WARNING: Do NOT use any electrical equipment that needs repair.
Make sure that circuits are NOT overloaded.
Turn off all power sources when setting up circuits or repairing equipment.
Do NOT use metal articles such as rulers or metal pencils or writing pens, or wear metal
jewelry when working with electrical equipment.
NEVER connect, disconnect, or operate a piece of electrical equipment with wet hands
or while standing on a wet floor.
Use precautions to prevent spills on electric equipment or electrical outlets.
Working with Chemicals
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All chemicals in the laboratory are to be considered dangerous. Do not touch, taste, or
smell any chemical unless specifically instructed to do so. The proper technique for
smelling chemical fumes (when instructed to do so by the teacher) is to gently fan the
air above the chemical toward your face. Breathe normally.
Discard any glove with holes or cracks. WARNING: Chemicals can diffuse through a
glove, increasing exposure when the glove holds the chemical against the skin.
When removing gloves, peel the gloves off your hand, starting at the wrists and working
towards the fingers. Keep the outside surface of the gloves from touching the skin
during removal.
Use extra precautions with acids and bases. WARNING: always pour acid into water. Do
NOT pour water into acids.
Remember to wash an acid or base immediately from your skin.
Use a pipette bulb. NEVER pipette liquids using your mouth.
Read labels twice before using any chemical.
Do NOT pour extra chemicals back into the original containers. This causes
contamination of the chemicals and may cause incorrect results to occur in future
investigations.
NEVER use the same spatula to remove chemicals from two different containers. Each
container should have its own spatula.
Replace all stoppers and caps on the correct bottles as soon as you finish with them.
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Handle flammable hazardous liquids over a pan to contain spills. Never dispense
flammable liquids anywhere near an open flame or source of heat.
Never take chemicals or other materials from the laboratory area.
Chemical Spills
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Inform the instructor immediately.
Contain the spill and neutralize the chemical if necessary.
Remove the material with equipment made of plastic or polypropylene to prevent
reaction with any chemical that remains.
Place the material in plastic bags or containers and label appropriately.
For a major spill (e.g. breaking a liter bottle of hydrochloric acid): Inform the instructor
immediately to evacuate all students through the exits farthest from the spill.
Assist any person splashed with the chemical to the safety shower or eyewash station if
the spill affects the eyes.
Using Glassware
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WARNING: Glass cools slowly. Do NOT touch glass that has been heated unless sufficient
time has been allowed for cooling. Hold your hand over the glass to feel for heat
emanating from it before touching. Always place hot glass on a hot pad, never on a
metal or wooden desktop.
Always protect the hands with several layers of cloth when inserting glass tubing into or
removing it from rubber stoppers.
Always lubricate glass tubing or thermometers with glycerin or stopcock grease before
attempting to insert it in a stopper.
NEVER use glassware that is scratched or chipped.
Heat and cool glass slowly, do NOT set a hot beaker on a cold or damp counter.
NEVER eat or drink from laboratory glassware.
Using Fume Hoods
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Work as far inside the hood as possible.
Work with the sash in the lowest position possible. NEVER work with the sash higher
than chin level. The sash must be in a position to protect the head and upper body in
case of an explosion.
Close the sash when the hood exhaust system is not operating.
Keep the interior light on so that the working area has proper illumination.
Never store chemicals or materials in the hood.
Never place electrical appliances or items that may produce a spark in the fume hood.
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Working with Biological Samples
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Carefully remove specimens from preservative solutions- wearing gloves and using
tongs or forceps. WARNING: Formalin solutions are carcinogenic. Any specimen held in
formalin solution should be soaked in a water bath in a fume hood and then thoroughly
rinsed in running water for several minutes.
During dissection, do NOT hold the specimen in your hand. Cut down on the specimen,
NOT up towards your body.
Disposal of Lab Materials
Chemical Waste Disposal
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Nonhazardous chemical wastes that are soluble in water may be emptied into the sink.
Substances that are hazardous or insoluble in water must be placed in a container
labeled for waste disposal. Always ask your instructor if you are unsure.
Biowaste
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Microbiology cultures are never disposed of without autoclaving first.
Preserved specimens are disposed of according to local regulations.
Responding to Emergencies
In Case of Injury
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Report the situation to the teacher and let him help the injured person.
There is always a possibility of infection. For this reason you should report any cut or
scrape, even if there is no visible blood.
Do not come into contact with another person’s blood.
If there is blood at any lab station, everyone is to turn off all burners and stay out of the
lab until told it is safe to return to the lab.
In Case of Chemical Spills
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Depending on the chemical spilled, we might just have to clean it up or we might have a
more dangerous situation.
The most potentially dangerous chemicals used in our lab are corrosive acids and bases.
Even though you will be using chemicals that have been diluted, you should always treat
acids and bases with care.
You are to treat all spills as DANGEROUS.
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Remember that broken glass often occurs along with chemical spills.
Stay where you are and inform your instructor immediately.
Follow the procedure mentioned on page 6.
In Case of Fire
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Bunsen burners: if a malfunction occurs, turn off the burner and notify your teacher.
When you are not actively heating something – turn the burner off.
Someone in your group must always be watching the flame (the watcher of the flame!)
If a paper fire occurs, push the paper into the lab sink and turn on the water.
Clothing or Hair: Don’t panic: If you are involved, stay where you are – help is coming.
Your partners should get the fire blanket. Everyone else should stay away.
The teacher is the only authorized person to use the fire extinguisher.
Panic Busters
What do I do when…
… a fire occurs? In the event of a fire, alert the teacher and leave the laboratory immediately.
… my clothes are on fire? Stop-Drop-Roll! Stop immediately, drop to the floor, and roll.
… my lab partner’s clothes or hair are on fire? Grab the nearest fire blanket and use it to
extinguish the flames; inform your instructor.
… I spill a chemical on my body? Rinse the affected area for at least 15 minutes. Inform your
instructor.
… I spill a chemical on the floor? Keep your classmates away from the area, and alert your
instructor immediately.
Using Accident Response Equipment
Eye Wash Station
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The station should only be used if chemicals come in contact with the eyes.
Eyelids have to be forcibly opened to ensure effective washing behind the eyelid.
Be sure to wash from the nose out to the ear. This will avoid washing chemicals back
into the eye or into an unaffected eye.
Flood eyes and eyelids with water for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Contacts should not be worn during labs. If you are wearing them when involved with
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an accident, remove them as soon as possible to rinse eyes of any harmful chemicals.
After the teacher determines that the eyes are completely flushed, both of the victim’s
eyes should be covered with a clean or sterile gauze.
Safety Shower
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It provides an effective means of treatment in the event that large amounts of
chemicals are spilled or splashed onto the skin or clothing.
As long as the handle is pulled down, the safety shower will supply a continuous stream
of water to cover the entire body.
Individuals should remove clothing, including shoes and jewelry, while under an
operating shower.
Fire Blanket
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Fire blankets are not the best means to extinguish a fire. They may be used to
extinguish clothing that is burning, but should never be used on any other type of fire.
Fire blankets are a good means to keep shock victims warm or to cover large chemical
spills.
Fire Extinguisher
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Fire extinguishers are classified according to a particular fire type and are given the
same letter and symbol classification as that of the fire.
o Type A – combustible wood, cloth, paper, rubber, and plastics.
o Type B - flammable liquids, oil, grease, and paint thinners.
o Type C - energized electrical equipment
o Type D - combustible metals (Mg, Ti, Na, Li, K)
Multipurpose Extinguishers are effective against types A, B, and C fires
To effectively operate an extinguisher, think P-A-S-S
o P --pull the pin
o A-- aim the hose at the base of the fire
o S – squeeze the handle
o S – sweep the hose back and forth
Never use water on a Type B fire. These liquids float on water and, thus, water can
spread the burning liquid. Water makes hot grease splatter, and can result in burns.
Cover the burning grease with sand, baking soda, or with the metal lid of the frying pan.
Never use water on a Type C fire. Water can cause a severe electric shock.
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Student Safety Contract
Read the Student Safety Contract below. Fill in your name in the first blank. Then fill in the
date, sign it, and return it to your instructor.
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