Starting with Safety:

An Introduction for the

Academic Chemistry Laboratory
by Lois Wickstrom
ACS Video Courses
Starting with Safety:
An Introduction for the
Academic Chemistry
Laboratory
Teacher's Guide

by
Lois Wickstrom

American Chemical Society, Washington, DC

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Copyright © 1991 the American Chemical Society

All rights reserved.

ACS grants permission to make copies of the pages in this guide containing summary lab rules and
quizzes for distribution to students viewing the videotape. The ACS copyright notice at the bottom
of each page must appear on all copies. This consent does not extend to copying or transmission
by other means—graphic or electronic—for any other purpose, such as general distribution, for
advertising or promotional purposes, for creating a new collective work, for resale, or for
information storage and retrieval systems.

Printed in the United States of America

Manager, Media Courses: Cyrelle K. Gerson
Producer: Elizabeth J. Vaughn
Writer/Editor: Lauralyn Vaughn
Editorial Assistant: Keith C. Ivey
Production Assistant: Felicia Foxworth-Dixon
Program Assistant: Cheryl-Anne Juba

DISCLAIMER
The information presented in this program has been compiled by recognized authorities from
sources believed to be reliable and to represent the best opinions on the subject. It cannot be
assumed that all necessary warnings and precautionary measures are shown in the videotape or
contained in the accompanying supplementary material, and that other or additional information or
measures may not be required.
The information contained in this guide and the accompanying videotape does not purport to
specify minimal legal or American Chemical Society policy standards.
There are no warranties which extend beyond the above description. The American Chemical
Society does not warrant the merchantability or fitness of use of the information contained in this
manual and accompanying videotape. Nor does the American Chemical Society warrant the
accuracy or completeness of this information and the Society shall not be responsible for errors or
omissions of any kind, including but not limited to, omissions of warnings and precautionary
measures.
The American Chemical Society shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential
damages that may result from the use of this manual and accompanying videotape.

Education Division
American Chemical Society
1155 Sixteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
http://chemistry.org/education

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Preface
In 1964, when I took my first chemistry class, my school had no special dress code for the lab,
provided no goggles, and had no step stools. The students were not provided with any special
instruction in laboratory safety.

Times have changed. Awareness of the need for safety training in academic laboratories has
increased, and with it the need and demand for teaching tools has grown. Chemistry laboratories
have become safer. Most labs now routinely provide sterilized goggles and have a dress code that
includes requiring hard shoes with closed toes. Most teachers and instructors give their students
instruction in lab safety before they are allowed to work in the lab.

As the title suggests, this program is only a starting point for your students to begin learning about
laboratory safety.

Because accidents happen in even the safest labs, there are staged accidents in the videotape.
Seeing the results of improper practices will encourage your students to follow the lab rules and the
demonstrations of how to respond to accidents will make them aware of what to do in case of an
accident, before one occurs.

Chemistry lab is a great joy both to teach and to take because so many students find out for the first
time that science is real, and that it works in their own hands. Keeping students safe is an
important part of the enjoyment for both teacher and students.

This course is dedicated to learning, thinking, safety, and enjoyment.

Lois Wickstrom
Tampa, Florida
August, 1991

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v
How To Use This Program

This program is designed to be used as part of a standard high school or introductory college
chemistry curriculum. It covers eight major safety topics:
Handling Chemicals Safely
Bunsen Burner and Glassware Safety
Thermometer Safety
Glass Tubing Safety
Centrifuge Safety
Dressing for Safety
Behavior in the Laboratory
Emergency Equipment

You should show the entire video early in the school year. Before showing the video, you may
want to ask your students the following questions:
Why do you think laboratory experiments are critical to this course?
Do you expect to find any dangers in the laboratory?
What dangers do you expect to find in the laboratory?
What precautions might help protect you from these dangers?

These questions will help the students think about the lab and its inherent dangers. It will also
bring up some common myths and fallacies. After you have shown the video, discuss the
following questions with your students:
What safety precautions do you remember from the video?
Do you think every safety precaution shown in the video was necessary? Why or why not?
Did the video contain any surprises—perhaps a safety precaution you would not have
thought of?

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You may also want to assign one of the following essay topics as homework:
Describe a specific laboratory accident. Explain how you would handle the accident if you
were the teacher.
Describe how your life would be changed if you lost an eye as a result of a laboratory
accident. Are your rights being violated by the safety rules? Discuss why or why not.
Do you think the importance of studying chemistry justifies the safety risks? Discuss why
or why not.

Your students will not be able to remember every safety rule from one viewing. Therefore we also
suggest that you review pertinent parts of the video throughout the school year. For example,
review the section on glass tubing safety before your students use glass tubing for the first time.

The teacher’s guide is divided into sections that correspond to the topics covered in the video.
Each section includes a teacher’s introduction that summarizes the points made in the videotape.
This is followed by a list of the major safety rules that are presented in the video. You may use
these lists as handouts or post them in your lab or classroom. The guide also contains questions for
each section, which you may use as homework assignments or for class discussions; answers
follow the questions.

Following the section on emergency equipment is a checklist, “Demonstrating Safety Equipment”,

that will help you demonstrate the emergency equipment as well as other safety equipment to your
students.

The summary of rules listed in each section of this guide could serve as a starting point for
preparing your own list of chemistry laboratory rules. The information given under “Chemistry
Laboratory Rules” provides a very brief introduction to setting up a safety program.

You may make copies of the pages containing summary lab rules, questions, and quizzes to hand
out to students viewing the videotape, provided the copyright notice at the bottom of each page
appears on all copies and the copies are made only for use with the accompanying videotape of
Starting with Safety. You may not copy the volume as a whole, nor may you copy the videotape
itself.

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Table of Contents

Preface ............................................................................................................................................... iv

How To Use This Program ................................................................................................................ vi

Handling Chemicals Safely ................................................................................................................ 1

Bunsen Burner and Glassware Safety................................................................................................. 6

Thermometer Safety ......................................................................................................................... 11

Glass Tubing Safety.......................................................................................................................... 15

Centrifuge Safety .............................................................................................................................. 19

Dressing for Safety ........................................................................................................................... 23

Behavior in the Laboratory ............................................................................................................... 27

Emergency Equipment...................................................................................................................... 31

Demonstrating Safety Equipment..................................................................................................... 35

Chemistry Laboratory Rules............................................................................................................. 36

Safety Quiz ....................................................................................................................................... 37

Safety Quiz Answers ........................................................................................................................ 39

About the Author .............................................................................................................................. 40

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Handling Chemicals Safely
Teacher's Introduction

For students and others working in a laboratory, handling chemicals safely means following rules
designed to keep the chemicals from contacting their skin and eyes—or someone else’s. It also
means following rules to prevent inhaling or ingesting chemicals. This section of the videotape
illustrates several such rules.

Reading directions and mixing chemicals

You will probably tell the students to read the experiment instructions all the way through before
coming to lab. Before they begin an experiment, you should discuss the precautions that are unique
to that experiment.
When pouring or measuring out chemicals, the students should get into the habit of reading and
rereading the labels. They should check the name of the chemical, the concentration, and any
hazard warnings or precautionary measures listed.
They should only mix chemicals that you or the directions for the experiment tell them to mix.
With some chemicals, the order of mixing is also important. For example, if the students need to
dilute concentrated sulfuric or phosphoric acid, they should follow the rule of adding acid to water,
or “AA”—add acid. This decreases the danger of the mixture becoming hot enough to boil.

Transferring chemicals

Chemicals should be kept pure and uncontaminated. Reagents should only be poured out of their
original containers, never back in, even if there is excess left after an experiment is completed.
If a reagent comes in a large container, the students should transfer what they need to a smaller
container that can be controlled more easily, minimizing the chances of a large spill. For example,
if a liquid reagent comes in a one-gallon bottle, a small amount should first be transferred into a
beaker or other container with a large mouth. The liquid in the beaker can then be poured into
smaller containers or into containers with narrower necks, such as graduated cylinders or
volumetric flasks.
When pouring from a reagent bottle that has a coin-top stopper, the students should hold the top of
the stopper between their fingers rather than set it down on the bench. Students should get into the
habit of holding the bottle with their hand over the label when pouring out liquids. This will keep
drips from getting on the hand of the next student who picks up the bottle or from coming down on
the label and blurring it. Another transfer technique the students should learn is using a stirring rod
when pouring liquids to control and direct the flow of the liquid.
When using pipettes to measure and transfer liquids, the students should never use their mouths to
suck liquid into the pipette. Show them how to use pipette bulbs or other pipetting devices instead.

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Special precautions
Students should be instructed never to taste or touch a chemical to see what it is and never to smell
a chemical directly from the bottle or flask. If an experiment calls for smelling a chemical, show
the students how to waft the vapors toward their noses.
If the students are working with flammable or toxic volatile materials, they should use a fume hood.
Fully describing the proper use of chemical fume hoods is beyond the scope of this program. If
your students will be using a fume hood, you should give them complete instructions on how to use
the hood.

Waste disposal and cleaning up

Clean glassware and equipment is an essential part of the chemistry laboratory. The students
should inspect their glassware before using it to make sure that it’s clean, and they should
thoroughly wash all glassware when they are finished using it. The students should also clean up
their work area, wiping up puddles or powders, and wash their hands before leaving the lab.
Excess reagents left over from experiments, other chemicals used or reacted during experiments,
waste paper, broken glassware, and other waste should be disposed of in the appropriate containers.
Students should never return unused chemicals to the original reagent bottles, as this practice can
result in contamination of the reagent in the bottle. You should show the students the various waste
containers in your laboratory and make sure they know what types of waste should go in each one.
Also let students know which chemicals may be disposed of down the drain and which may not.

Accidents and spills

The practices covered in this section are intended to minimize exposure to harmful chemicals.
Accidents can still happen. Students should inform you immediately if an accident occurs.
One way to minimize problems with small spills and also make it easier for students to keep their
work areas clean is to provide them with work trays in which they can set up their experiments.
Another technique is to make sure that they set bottles out of the way when they are finished with
them to ensure that the bottles do not get knocked to the floor. If there is a large spill or a spill of a
particularly corrosive chemical, you should clean it up using an appropriate absorbent material or
spill kit.

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Handling Chemicals Safely
Summary Lab Rules
Work with small containers.
Mix chemicals only when your teacher says to.
Read and reread chemical labels.
Read instructions all the way through first.
Use a work tray if your lab has them.
Move carefully and deliberately when handling chemicals.
Add concentrated sulfuric or phosphoric acid to water.
Hold coin-top stoppers between your fingers while pouring.
Hold bottles with your hand over the label.
Replace stoppers immediately.
Keep chemicals away from your face.
Work with harmful volatile chemicals under a hood.
Keep chemicals as pure and uncontaminated as possible.
Draw out chemicals with a pipette filler—never by mouth.
Notify your teacher to clean up spills.
Put waste in the proper container.
Clean up when finished.

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Handling Chemicals Safely
Questions
1. When you read the label on a chemical container, what are the three most important pieces
of information?
2. How many times should you read this information before you open the container?
3. Is it important to be exact when preparing a chemical reaction? Explain.
4. What should you do with leftover chemicals after an experiment? What should you do with
the products of an experiment?
5. How can you draw small volumes of liquids into a pipette safely?
6. Why is it important to read instructions all the way through before beginning an
experiment?
7. When you need to carry chemicals from one place to another in the lab, what size container
is the safest to use?
8. If you spill a liquid chemical, what should you do?
9. Should you add acid to water, or water to acid?

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Handling Chemicals Safely
Answers
1. The chemical name, the concentration, and the hazard warnings. Remember, chemicals can
have similar names, such as sulfide and sulfite. Also, if the experiment calls for 1 molar
concentration, do not pick 0.1 molar or 10 molar concentrations. The hazard warnings
include special precautions to take in handling a specific chemical.
2. At least twice. Be absolutely sure you have the right chemical in the correct concentration.
3. Yes. A chemical laboratory is not like a kitchen. Using approximate measures or adding
ingredients in the wrong order can be dangerous. Be sure to weigh or measure each
chemical accurately and precisely. Then add it to the experimental reaction exactly as you
were instructed.
4. Throw leftover chemicals away in the proper waste container. Never return them to the
original container, as other chemicals or dirt from the laboratory may have made your
portion impure. If you return it to the original container, you risk contaminating the entire
container. Products of experiments should also be thrown away in the proper waste
container. Your teacher will tell you which chemicals go into which containers.
5. Always use a pipetter or pipetting bulb to draw up the amount you need. Practice with
water before you try to measure a chemical. Never mouth-pipette.
6. Reading instructions all the way through will help you prepare for all safety needs and
budget your time. You will clearly understand what you are supposed to be doing, and you
will recognize if something is going wrong.
7. The smallest container that will do the job. If possible, use an unbreakable container. For
example, carry powders in a plastic cup rather than a glass beaker.
8. Notify your teacher immediately.
9. Always pour acid into water. Remember “AA”—add acid.

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Bunsen Burner and Glassware Safety
Teacher's Introduction

The Bunsen burner is the main heat source in most introductory chemistry laboratories. Because it
produces an open flame that burns at a high temperature, there is always the danger of an accident.
The procedures demonstrated in this section show students how to use the Bunsen burner properly.
This section also covers the extra care that glassware requires when heated. Students tend to forget
that hot glass looks the same as cool glass. They may not be aware that glassware that has cracks
or stars can break open when stressed by heat.

Choosing a heat source

Because the Bunsen burner has an open flame, it should never be used to heat volatile organic
liquids that give off flammable vapors. These substances should be heated in a heating mantle or
on a steam bath in a fume hood. However, for many of the chemicals used in beginning chemistry
courses, the Bunsen burner is an ideal heat source.

Using the Bunsen burner

There are several types of Bunsen burners, but they all have the same basic parts. Most burners
have a valve at the bottom to control the flow of gas. Air inlets control the amount of oxygen in the
flame. A wing top can be placed on the burner to spread the flame out.
The gas for the burner usually comes from an outlet on the lab bench and is carried to the burner by
a rubber hose. When using a Bunsen burner, the students should begin by checking the hose for
cracks. Cracked hoses should be replaced. The students should make sure that the hose fits
securely on both the gas outlet and the similar fitting on the burner. The gas valve at the bottom of
the burner should be open.
The burner can be lit with a striker or a match. When lighting a burner with a match, the students
should strike the match away from themselves. They should turn on the gas after the match is
burning and light the gas from the side, so that the match is not blown out.
If a burner is properly adjusted, the flame is blue with a lighter inner cone. The tip of the cone is
the hottest part of the flame. If the flame is yellow, more oxygen is needed, and the burner should
be adjusted to let in more air. If the flame is too large or too small, its height can be adjusted using
the gas valve at the bottom of the burner.
If the flame begins to sputter or flare, or if it goes out, the student should turn off the gas
immediately. The gas should also be turned off if the student smells gas, even when the burner
appears to be working properly.

Heating glassware and handling hot glassware

Before heating any glassware the students should check it for stars or cracks. Flawed glassware
should be discarded in the appropriate container. Of course, closed containers should never be
heated. The pressure that builds up from the gas in a closed container can burst it.
Flat-bottomed containers are normally heated on a wire screen on a ring stand. Erlenmeyer flasks
and other narrow-necked containers should be secured to the stand with a clamp.

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Test tubes can be heated in a water bath, which transfers heat slowly and evenly to the test tube and
helps keep it from boiling over. Test tubes can also be heated over an open flame, particularly if
the experiment requires a heating temperature higher than 100 ºC. When heating a test tube
directly over the flame, the students should hold the test tube at an angle and move it back and forth
over the flame to distribute the heat evenly. They must be careful to aim the test tube away from
neighbors—in case it boils and erupts.
The students will need beaker tongs or hot mitts to hold hot glassware. Remind them that the wire
screens and rings stands used to hold the glassware will also be hot. Since the students cannot tell
if the equipment is hot by looking at it, they should handle all equipment that may have been heated
as if it were hot.

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Bunsen Burner and Glassware Safety
Summary Lab Rules
Heat volatile organics in a heating mantle or steam bath in a hood—not over a Bunsen
burner.
Check the gas hose for cracks.
Make sure the hose fits securely on the gas valve and Bunsen burner fittings.
Stand back from the burner while lighting it.
Strike matches away from you.
Turn on the gas after lighting the match.
Turn the gas off immediately if the flame sputters, flares, or goes out, or if you smell gas.
Check glassware for stars or cracks.
Clamp narrow-necked containers to the ring stand.
Move test tubes back and forth through the flame at an angle while heating.
Don’t heat closed containers.
Hold hot glassware in beaker tongs or hot mitts.

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Bunsen Burner and Glassware Safety
Questions

1. Before hooking a Bunsen burner to the gas line, what should you look for?
2. How quickly should you turn on the gas?
3. When you use a striker, where should you stand?
4. If your flame sputters or goes out, what should you do?
5. If you smell gas in the room, what should you do?
6. Is it safe to heat a sealed container? Explain.
7. Is it safe to work near heated objects?
8. Is it safe to use glassware that has cracks or stars? Explain.
9. How can you safely carry a heated object?
10. Is it safe to heat flammable chemicals (e.g., gasoline) with a Bunsen burner?

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Bunsen Burner and Glassware Safety
Answers
1. Check to make sure there are no cracks in the hose.
2. Turn the gas on slowly.
3. Stand an arm’s length away from the burner.
4. TURN OFF THE GAS!
5. TURN OFF THE GAS! Also check other gas lines to make sure they are off.
6. No. Heat only open containers. Pressure building up in a closed container can cause it to
burst.
7. No. Do not work near heated objects. Move your notebook away from heated objects
before you write in it. Move your beaker away from heated objects before you add
anything to it.
8. No. The glass might break. Heat stresses the glass, which is already weak at the cracked or
starred point and increases its chance of breaking.
9. If you must carry a heated object, protect your hands with hot mitts, or use beaker tongs.
10. No. Flammable chemicals should be heated with a heating mantle or steam bath in a fume
hood. They catch fire easily and should never be kept near a working Bunsen burner, let
alone heated with one.

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Thermometer Safety
Teacher's Introduction
The thermometer is one of the most important and widely used pieces of laboratory equipment.
Because thermometers are usually made of glass, they must be handled properly. This section
shows how to handle a laboratory thermometer.

Improper practices that lead to thermometer breakage

One common misconception is that lab thermometers have to be shaken down like medical
thermometers. Students shaking the thermometers may hit them on the bench and break them. Let
your students know that shaking is unnecessary, because the liquid in lab thermometers can move
freely up and down on its own in response to the temperature.
Some students may try to place the thermometer tip directly in a Bunsen burner flame. The
temperature of this flame is around 600 ºC. That is above the range of laboratory thermometers and
will quickly vaporize the liquid inside and break the thermometer. A thermometer should never be
placed directly in a flame.

Choosing and handling a thermometer

Most laboratory experiments are conducted at temperatures from –20 to 120 ºC. For that range,
either a mercury or an alcohol thermometer is suitable. All thermometers should be treated
carefully. When not in use the thermometer should be set away from the edge of the bench on a
wire screen or towel so it will not roll off.

Cleaning up broken thermometers

When a thermometer breaks, the students should notify you, so that you can clean it up and dispose
of if properly. Glass fragments can be swept up and discarded in the broken glass container. If any
alcohol escapes from the glass, it can be wiped up with a paper towel.
Cleaning up a broken mercury thermometer is more difficult. The mercury must be cleaned up
with a mercury cleanup kit or special sponge. The kit and broken glass should be disposed of in the
proper waste container.

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Thermometer Safety
Summary Lab Rules
Don’t shake thermometers.
Use thermometers only in the range they’re suited for.
Lay thermometers down on a towel or wire screen to cool, away from the edge of the bench.
Let your teacher clean up broken thermometers.

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Thermometer Safety
Questions
1. Thermometers contain either alcohol or mercury to indicate temperature. Which substance
(mercury or alcohol) creates toxic vapors when exposed to air?
2. If you break a mercury thermometer, what is the safe way to clean it up?
3. Before choosing a thermometer for a specific job, what should you know?

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Thermometer Safety
Answers
1. Both, although mercury is more toxic.
2. Tell your teacher. Your teacher should have a mercury cleanup kit, which must be used
according to the instructions. The mercury is disposed of with the cleanup kit. Broken
glass should be placed in the proper container.
3. You should know the thermometer’s range, which is printed on it, and the approximate
temperature you will be measuring (for example, water boils at 100 ºC). Be sure the
thermometer is designed for the temperature range you will be measuring. If not, obtain
one for the proper range.

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Glass Tubing Safety
Teacher's Introduction
Cuts from broken glass tubing are one of the most common injuries in the lab. Students will often
injure themselves when they use too much force to push a piece of glass tubing through the hole of
a stopper. The videotape demonstrates two techniques to avoid injuries from glass tubing.
One way to avoid an accident is to use an inserter. The inserter consists of a handle with a hollow
metal shaft that has a pointed, removable Teflon tip on the end. As shown on the tape, after the tip
is lubricated with glycerin, the inserter can be easily pushed through the hole in the rubber stopper.
The glass tubing is inserted through the metal shaft of the inserter, and the inserter is then removed
from the stopper, leaving the tubing in the stopper. The inserter can also be used to remove the
tubing from the stopper.
If your lab does not have inserters, the students can insert tubing by lubricating it with glycerin or
another glass lubricant and protecting their hands with leather gloves.
In either case, you should remind the students to wash the lubricant off the glass and stopper before
using them in an experiment.
The same techniques may be used to insert thermometers into rubber stoppers.

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Glass Tubing Safety
Summary Lab Rules

Use an inserter to place glass tubing in a stopper or remove it.

Or, lubricate the tubing and protect your hands with leather gloves.

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Glass Tubing Safety
Questions

1. What is one of the most common causes of injury in the laboratory?

2. Describe how to use an inserter.
3. If you do not have an inserter, how should you insert glass tubing into a rubber stopper?
How can you protect your hands?
4. What is the safe way to insert a thermometer into a stopper?

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Glass Tubing Safety
Answers
1. Cuts from broken glass tubing, which often occur when students try to force the tubing
through a hole in a rubber stopper.
2. Dip the Teflon tip in a lubricant (e.g., glycerin). Then push it through the stopper, remove
the tip, and slide the tubing through the hollow inserter shaft. Remove the inserter from the
stopper, leaving the tubing in the stopper. Wash the lubricant off the tubing and stopper
before using them. Replace the Teflon tip in the inserter.
3. Lubricate the tubing before inserting it through the stopper. Protect your hands with leather
gloves.
4. Put glycerin on the thermometer, use an inserter or leather gloves, and gently slide the
thermometer into the stopper.

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Centrifuge Safety
Teacher's Introduction
Some laboratories use centrifuges to separate solids from liquids in test tubes. This section covers
the basic safety precautions for centrifuge use.
The centrifuge uses centrifugal force from spinning to separate solids from liquids. As the tubes in
the centrifuge spin, the denser solids move to the bottom of the tubes, while most of the less dense
liquid stays on top.
Students should be instructed to balance the load in a centrifuge. If they have only one sample to
spin, they should place another tube opposite it containing an equal amount of water. When the test
tubes inside are not evenly distributed, the centrifuge is unbalanced. It vibrates like a washing
machine with an unbalanced load. If there is enough vibration, it can fall off the bench top.
When they are finished spinning the test tubes, the students should turn off the centrifuge and let it
stop on its own. The students should never stop the centrifuge with their hands.

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Centrifuge Safety
Summary Lab Rules
Place equally filled test tubes in a centrifuge to balance it.
Don’t try to stop the spinning with your hand.

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Centrifuge Safety
Questions
1. If you have just one sample that needs to be centrifuged, what must you do before turning
the centrifuge on? Describe.
2. If the centrifuge starts to vibrate or move across the countertop, what should you do?
3. How should you stop a spinning centrifuge?

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Centrifuge Safety
Answers
1. Balance the centrifuge. Before you place your sample in the centrifuge, fill another test
tube with an equal amount of water. Place the test tubes in opposite positions in the
centrifuge to balance each other.
2. Turn it off. It is unbalanced.
3. Turn it off and allow it to come to a stop on its own. Never try to stop a centrifuge with
your hands.

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Dressing for Safety
Teacher's Introduction
A safe lab session starts with proper clothes. The students should wear clothing that protects them
from chemicals and flames and, at the same time, stays out of their way. This section shows what
kind of clothing should be worn and what should be avoided. It also introduces several items of
personal protective equipment.

Clothing and personal items

Clothing for lab should be made of sturdy cotton or wool. Sleeves should fit fairly closely, but not
so tightly they restrict movement. The students should wear long pants or skirts to protect their
legs from splashes or broken glass if something is dropped. Leather shoes with closed toes are best
to protect the feet. Students should wear older clothes, in case any chemicals are spilled on them.
Clothing for lab should not be made of fuzzy or filmy fabrics that can catch fire easily. Synthetics,
such as polyester, are also undesirable because they melt when they burn and can stick to the skin.
Clothing should not have very loose sleeves that can drag through puddles or knock things over.
Shoes made of cloth or other woven material should not be worn in lab because they can absorb
spills and hold harmful chemicals against the skin, and sandals offer no protection against spills.
Long, loose hair should be tied back to keep it out of the student’s way and away from equipment
and fires. Students should remove rings and watches before coming into the lab. Jewelry could
trap corrosive chemicals against the skin or be damaged by the chemicals. Students should also
remove contact lenses before coming to lab. The lenses might trap chemical vapors against the
eyes, and they could be difficult to remove in case of an accidental splash to the eyes.

Personal protective equipment

Introductory labs typically have three items of personal protective equipment: lab aprons, safety
goggles, and various kinds of chemical-resistant gloves. Some laboratories are also equipped with
lab coats and face shields. The students should always wear a lab apron (or coat) and safety
goggles. When gloves are needed for protection from a corrosive or reactive chemical, you should
provide the students with the right kind of glove for the particular chemical hazard.

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Dressing for Safety
Summary Lab Rules
Don’t wear extremely loose clothing.
Fabrics should be sturdy and natural.
Wear older clothes and cover them with a lab apron.
Wear long pants or a long skirt to cover your legs.
Wear closed leather shoes to protect your feet.
Tie up long hair.
Remove rings and watches.
Take out contact lenses.
Cover your eyes with goggles with side shields.
Protect your hands with the right kind of gloves.

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Dressing for Safety
Questions
1. What types of shoes are appropriate for the lab?
2. Describe the type of clothing you should wear on days when you will be working in the lab.
3. How should you protect your eyes from chemicals and glass shards?
4. Why is it important to remove rings, watches, and contact lenses before working in the lab?
5. How can you protect your hands when working with corrosive chemicals?

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Dressing for Safety
Answers
1. Hard shoes with tops and closed toes.
2. Clothing should be sturdy and made of natural fabrics. It should not be extremely loose.
Wear long pants or a long skirt to cover legs. Also wear older clothing and cover it with a
lab apron. It would be a shame to ruin new clothes in an accident.
3. Protect your eyes with safety goggles.
4. Rings and watches can trap corrosive chemicals against your skin. Chemicals can also
damage your jewelry. Contact lenses can trap chemical vapors against your eyes. If this
happens, your eyelids might go into spasms that make it impossible to remove the lenses
and wash out the chemical.
5. Cover your hands with gloves. Your teacher will provide gloves that are appropriate for the
chemical you are using.

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Copyright © American Chemical Society 1991
Behavior in the Laboratory
Teacher's Introduction
Your students need to develop a healthy respect for the laboratory—accidents can and do happen,
and unfortunately, immature behavior is often a cause. This section reviews the rules that will lead
students to develop safe laboratory behavior.
Students need to develop a mature attitude and behavior when working in lab. This means no
fooling around, running, pushing, or wrestling. They should keep personal items stored out of
aisles and off bench tops. If they need to get equipment or bottles from high shelves or read
burettes above eye level, they should use a step stool.
You should forbid eating, drinking, and applying makeup in the lab.

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Behavior in the Laboratory
Summary Lab Rules
Don’t fool around in lab.
Keep aisles clear of personal belongings.
Stand on a step stool when you have to reach.
Keep makeup in your purse.
Keep food and drinks outside.

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Behavior in the Laboratory
Questions
1. Is the laboratory a safe place to eat, drink, or put on makeup? Why or why not?
2. What is a safe way to read a burette that is above your eye level?
3. Where should you keep personal belongings that you bring to the lab?

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Behavior in the Laboratory
Answers
1. No. The laboratory contains many chemicals that can damage your body. You and your
classmates will be working with these chemicals as you study chemistry in the laboratory.
It is inevitable that chemicals will spill, or be blown around. These chemicals could be
spilled or blown onto your food or makeup. If you then eat chemically contaminated food,
you will be eating the chemicals. If you apply chemical-splashed makeup, you will be
applying dangerous chemicals to your skin.
2. Lower the burette to eye level; if you can’t do that, stand on a step stool.
3. In a cabinet or cubbyhole, out of the aisle and off the countertop.

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Emergency Equipment
Teacher's Introduction
In spite of safety precautions, accidents sometimes occur. That is why well-equipped laboratories
have emergency equipment—such as first aid kits, fire extinguishers, safety showers, and eyewash
fountains. You should point out to your students where each of these pieces of equipment is
located in your laboratory and demonstrate how it works. This section introduces the students to
how and when to use this equipment. If there is an injury, make sure the student gets medical
attention, after appropriate first aid measures have been applied.

Cuts
Small cuts can be washed in the sink to remove any chemical traces. You and the student should
make sure there are no pieces of glass in the cut before you apply a bandage, and then the student
should get medical attention.

Splashes and spills

If a chemical splashes in a student’s eyes, he or she should immediately wash them in an eyewash
fountain. The injured student, a classmate, or you should make sure the student’s eyes are held
open and continuously moved left, right, up, and down so the water can wash them thoroughly.
The student should not be wearing contact lenses, but if he or she is, get them out as soon as
possible. Washing should continue for at least 15 minutes, and then the student should get
immediate medical attention.
Non-corrosive chemical splashes on bare skin should be rinsed off in the lab sink with plenty of
water. Larger spills of corrosive materials require a lot more water. Have the student head for the
safety shower immediately, remove all of his or her clothing, and stay under the shower for at least
fifteen minutes. In the meantime, you should clear other students out of the room. Do not let
modesty make the injury worse. The student should get immediate medical attention after
showering.

Fires
You should have training in how and when to use a fire extinguisher. Make sure the students turn
off their Bunsen burners whenever there is an accidental or uncontrolled fire. Small fires can be
put out by covering them. Larger fires, requiring a fire extinguisher, should be put out by you or
someone else trained to use an extinguisher. If the fire is too large to control, clear the lab as
quickly as possible and call the fire department when you are outside. They will need to know
what chemicals are involved.
Be sure your students know the evacuation route from the lab and the location of the nearest fire
alarm.
The best way to put out clothing fires is in a safety shower. Keep in mind that you may need to
direct the victim to the shower and hold him or her there until the fire is extinguished. If the
shower is not close by, follow the rule: “Stop, drop, and roll”. This means that you force the victim
down to the floor and roll him or her over. Body weight puts out some of the fire. Remaining
flames can be extinguished by carefully dropping a fire blanket over the body, making sure to keep
flames away from the victim’s face. Anyone who has been burned must get immediate medical
attention.
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Emergency Equipment
Summary Lab Rules
Clean and dry the skin around a cut before a bandage is applied.
Rinse chemicals from your eyes in the eyewash fountain.
Rinse chemicals from your hands and arms with water in the sink.
Remove your clothes on the way to the safety shower to rinse large spills from your body.
Extinguish small fires in containers by covering them.
Let your teacher use an extinguisher to put out larger fires.
Put out clothing fires in the safety shower.
If there’s no other way to put out a clothing fire, use a fire blanket carefully to keep flames
away from the face and neck.

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Emergency Equipment
Questions
1. Name the pieces of safety equipment in your laboratory. Do you know where they are and
how to use them?
2. How do you extinguish a small fire in a container? What should you do if you have a larger
fire?
3. How do you put out a clothing fire?

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Emergency Equipment
Answers
1. Safety shower, eyewash fountain, fire extinguisher, fire blanket, and first aid kit. If you
don’t know where these are and how to use them, ask your teacher.
2. Cover a small fire in a container to extinguish it. Notify your teacher immediately if you
have a larger fire.
3. Put out clothing fires in a safety shower. If the shower is not close by, “stop, drop, and
roll”; then use a fire blanket carefully to extinguish any remaining flames.

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Demonstrating Safety Equipment
Students must know the location of each piece of safety equipment in the lab. You should walk
students to each piece of equipment and demonstrate its use. The following list will help you
demonstrate the safety equipment.
SAFETY SHOWER. Activate the shower. Use a large container to catch the water. Make
sure you know how to shut off the water.
WORK TRAY. Spill water on the tray, and show that the spill is contained.
EYEWASH. Push the bar or lever on the eyewash fountain.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER. Stress that only you may use the fire extinguisher. Briefly
demonstrate how to use it. Be sure to get it recharged.
FIRE BLANKET. Pull the fire blanket out of its box, and demonstrate dropping it on top of
a prone body.
FUME HOOD. Light incense or a smoke candle inside the fume hood. Have a student
lower the glass door and turn on the fan. Watch as the smoke is drawn away from the
classroom.
FIRST AID KIT. Have a student open the first aid cabinet and remove a box of bandages.
Open the box to make sure there are bandages in it, and show the contents to the class.
Then return the bandages to the cabinet.

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Chemistry Laboratory Rules
Your school system or academic department may already have a list of rules that apply to all labs
within its jurisdiction. Many schools and colleges compile a written list of rules, which students
and their parents or guardians must sign to acknowledge that they have read and understood the
rules and agree to abide by them. You can use the summary lists of rules from this guide to start
putting together your own list of laboratory rules. Before you use such a written document, your
list of rules and the agreement that you are asking students to sign should be reviewed by the
administrator to whom you are responsible, other members of your department, your institution’s
attorney, or all these individuals. In any case, students who refuse to follow the rules should not be
allowed to work in the lab.

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Safety Quiz
Fill in the blank.

1. Pour chemicals from large reagent bottles into _____________________

_____________________ before measuring.
2. Read and _____________________ a chemical label before using the chemical.
3. When diluting an acid, always add _____________________ to _____________________.
4. Work with volatile chemicals under a _____________________ _____________________.
5. Use a _____________________ or _____________________ to draw liquid into a pipette.
6. Strike matches _____________________ _____________________ your body.
7. Move test tubes back and forth at an _____________________ while heating.
8. Hold hot glassware with _____________________ or _____________________
_____________________.
9. When inserting lubricated glass tubing into a stopper, protect your hands with
_____________________ _____________________.
10. Always protect your eyes with _____________________ _____________________ when
working in the laboratory.
11. Stand on a _____________________ _____________________ if you need to reach.
12. Rinse chemicals from your eyes in an _____________________ _____________________.
13. _____________________ clothing on the way to the safety shower.
14. Extinguish small fires in containers by _____________________ them.
15. Put out clothing fires in a _____________________ _____________________.

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Safety Quiz
True or False

1. _____ Hold bottles with your hand over the label while pouring.
2. _____ Immediately wipe up any spills.
3. _____ When lighting a Bunsen burner, first turn on the gas, then strike your match.
4. _____ Check glassware for stars and cracks.
5. _____ Shake laboratory thermometers down before use.
6. _____ Carefully scoop up mercury from a broken thermometer with a piece of paper.
7. _____ If you don’t have an inserter, lubricate glass tubing before inserting it through a
stopper.
8. _____ Balance a centrifuge by placing test tubes containing equal masses opposite each
other.
9. _____ Wear closed leather shoes to protect your feet.
10. _____ Remove rings and watches before working in the laboratory.

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Safety Quiz Answers
Fill in the blank.

1. smaller containers 9. leather gloves

2. reread 10. safety goggles

3. acid, water 11. step stool

4. fume hood 12. eyewash fountain

5. pipetter, bulb 13. Remove

6. away from 14. covering

7. angle 15. safety shower

8. tongs, hot mitts

True or False

1. T 6. F (Use cleanup kit.)

2. F (Notify teacher.) 7. T

3. F (Strike match first.) 8. T

4. T 9. T

5. F (Never shake thermometers.) 10. T

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About the Author
LOIS WICKSTROM is a former high school and university chemistry teacher. She is the creator
of the It’s Chemical video series that teaches chemistry for the junior high level using common
materials in neighborhood situations. She also writes science fiction, and has two published
children’s books, Oliver and Ladybugs for Loretta. Her current project is a new textbook on
historical perspectives of chemistry.

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 Education Division
American Chemical Society
1155 Sixteenth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036