LABORATORY SAFETY GUIDELINES

A major ingredient in both personal safety and equipment safety is your attitude and attention. Be
alert for possible hazards, and pay attention to the specific laboratory task at hand. Most accidents
are preventable, and students bear partial responsibility for protecting themselves, their laboratory
partners, and the equipment.

1. Come to the Laboratory dressed for work. You will be sent home to change if you are not
prepared.
a. No loose or baggy clothing, unbuttoned coats or sweaters, etc. Legs must be
covered.
b. Neckties fastened with a clip or (preferably) don't wear one.
c. No sandals or bare feet.
d. Reasonable hair length, or some containment for your hair.
2. Before beginning any experiment you should:
a. Locate all room exits.
b. Locate all safety equipment.
c. Determine how to shut down the equipment in case of any emergency.
d. Carefully inspect all laboratory equipment you will use for potential hazards.
e. Should you encounter any hazardous conditions during your inspection, DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO BEGIN THE EXPERIMENT. Notify the instructor immediately in
the event of any hazardous conditions or personal injury.
3. You are now ready to start the equipment and begin your observations as directed in the
laboratory write-up.
a. Keep alert for any developing safety hazards as exhibited by unusual noise, unusual
vibration, and unusual high or low temperature areas on the equipment, unusual
data trends, nonassigned personnel entering the testing area, smoke, flame, etc.
b. Shut down the equipment if any hazard develops, or if you think a hazard is
developing notify your instructor.
c. When you have completed your laboratory work, shut down the equipment and
leave it in a safe condition for the next users.
d. If the building fire alarm sounds, leave the building as soon as possible shutting
down only the equipment that you have started up.
e. When working with pure oxygen, treat it with great respect. It is flammable. Keep
all grease, oil, etc., away from the equipment. Make sure the oxygen bottle is
securely chained to something structurally sound.
4. In the event of a fire
a. If the fire is minor and you are not endangering your personal safety, shut down the
equipment and notify your instructor. Use the nearest fire extinguisher to put out
the flame.
b. If the fire continues to grow or threatens flammable liquids or bottled gas, leave the
room and close the door. Sound the building fire alarm. Report the exact location
of the fire to the telephone operator. Dial 2500 for Campus Police.
5. Safety Glasses
a. All students and instructors are required to wear safety glasses while participating
in or observing a Mechanical Engineering Laboratory course experiments
 necessitating them. You will be notified the week before they are required. Non-
prescription safety glasses are available for use in the Lab or may be purchased at
the Bookstore.
6. Other safety considerations:
a. Never operate any equipment unless at least two people are present.
b. Never operate any equipment without your instructor's prior knowledge.
c. Notify your instructor at the completion of any experiment.
d. Keep in mind that you are responsible for your personal safety, the safety of other
people, and the safety of the equipment.
e. Noise protection equipment is available for your use at any time you desire. See
your instructor for this equipment. It must be used in certain designated areas.
7. Laboratory conduct
a. No food or drinks are permitted in the laboratory.
b. No smoking is permitted in the laboratory.
c. Anything less than professional conduct and behavior will not be tolerated

By signing this document, you affirm:

• I have read the pages outlining the laboratory safety and conduct requirements for ME 3057
students. I understand them and agree to abide by them.
• I have read the rules regarding use of prior laboratory reports and understand that this
constitutes cheating. I will not look at any prior laboratory reports.
• I understand that all assignments submitted for this course must be entirely my own original
work, and that any copying of wording from previous laboratory reports, the laboratory
manual, published works, web pages or any other source constitutes plagiarism and will be
dealt with as a violation of the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code. This or any other
violation of the student honor code (see honor.gatech.edu) will be prosecuted through the
Office of Student Integrity.

By signing below, you are stating, "I agree to the lab safety guidelines."

Name__________________________________________________ Date___________________