Lab Safety Rules

General Rules and Regulations:

It is necessary for everyone working in the lab to observe safety rules and regulations of each
laboratory. Below are general safety guidelines applicable to most laboratories:
1. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
 Lab coats or disposable aprons should be worn in the lab to protect you and your clothing from
contamination. Lab coats should not be worn outside the laboratory.

 Lab footwear should consist of normal closed shoes to protect all areas of the foot from possible
puncture from sharp objects or broken glass and from contamination from corrosive reagents or
infectious materials.

 Gloves should be worn for handling chemicals, blood and specimens.

 Protective eyewear such as goggles and masks may need to be worn when contact with hazardous
aerosols, caustic chemicals or reagents.

2. Eating, drinking, smoking, applying cosmetics and handling contact lenses are prohibited in areas
where specimens are handled.

3. Smoking is prohibited in all laboratory areas.

4. Food and drink should not be stored in refrigerators, freezers, cabinets or on shelves where
chemicals, blood or other potentially infectious materials are stored.

5. Long hair, ties, scarves and earrings should be secured.

6. Never mouth pipette, mechanical pipetting devices must be used for pipetting all liquids.
7. Frequent hand washing is an important safety precaution, which should be practiced before and
after every experiment.

8. Label all storage areas appropriately and keep all chemicals in properly labelled containers.

9. Note expiry dates on chemicals.

10. Always return reagents to their proper place in the laboratory immediately after use.

11. Always return the cap to the proper bottle and ensure that it is secured on the bottle.

12. Never return unused chemicals to a reagent bottle. Doing so might result in the contamination of
the reagent.

13. When heating or carrying out reactions in a test tube, never point the mouth of the tube at your
neighbor or yourself.

14. Never taste a chemical; never smell a chemical unless instructed to do so. If instructed to smell a
chemical, fan vapors toward your nose and inhale cautiously.

15. Work in a fume hood when handling toxic and fume producing chemicals.

16. Handle and store glassware carefully so as not to damage it or yourself.

17. When inserting glass tubing into rubber stoppers, corks or when placing rubber tubing on glass
hose connections protect hands with a heavy glove and lubricate tubing or stopper.

18. When dealing with broken glass wear hand protection when picking up the pieces. Use a broom
to sweep small pieces into a dustpan and store glass pieces in a designated bin for broken glass.

19. Paper, broken glass, stoppers, rubber tubing, etc., are to be kept out of sinks at all times to
minimize the possibility of clogged drains. Such items are to be kept away from areas where they
might fall into sinks or drains.
20. Do not work with flammable solvents/chemicals near open flames (e.g. a gas burner) at the same
time in the same laboratory.

21. Warning signs should be posted to alert attentions in the work area when unusual hazards, such as
radiation, laser operations, dangerous chemicals, biological hazards, or other special hazards exist.

22. Before leaving the laboratory electrical equipments should be turned off and gas burners
extinguished. No tap water should be left running.

Hazard Symbols