Safety Precautions Inside the Laboratory

The safety precautions below are classified into several parts based on the category.

General Safety rules in the laboratory

1. Be mindful of the safety signs and fire alarm. In case of an emergency, make sure you
strictly follow safety and escape instructions.
2. Make sure you know your building’s evacuation procedures.
3. Know your laboratory equipment’s storage area and place of designation, especially
those needed in times of emergency like:
4. First aid kits
5. Eyewash stations
6. Safety showers
7. Fire extinguishers
8. Memorize emergency phone numbers as it is seemingly beneficial during an
emergency.
9. Appropriate warning signs must be placed and emphasized when working in a
laboratory filled with hazardous materials like radioisotopes, lasers, biohazards, and
carcinogens.
10. Avoid using open flames in the laboratory unless permitted by a qualified supervisor.
11. Familiarize the laboratory’s settings, especially the location of fire alarms and exits.
12. When doing a fire drill, see to it that electrical equipment is turned off and all
containers are closed.
13. Make sure that the laboratory is well-ventilated, especially if you are working on
something.
14. A big NO when inside the laboratory – eating, drinking, and chewing gums.
15. Laboratory apparatus such as glassware should be used for laboratory activities alone.
Do not use it as a food container.
16. When using glass lab equipment, you should always check for any signs of chipping
or the presence of cracks. Inform your lab supervisor should there be any damage to
the equipment.
17. Use only equipment you are trained to handle. If you don’t know how to use it, then
don’t use it to avoid any problems.
18. Report to the lab technician if any laboratory tools and equipment are not functioning
properly. Do not attempt to do a repair on your own.
19. If you are in-charge to close the lab, do your part in making sure that all ignition
sources are closed and doors are locked.
20. As much as possible, avoid working alone in the lab.
21. Make sure you complete the experiment. If it needs to be left for some time, see to it
that there is someone looking after it. Do not leave your experiment unattended.
22. When working with solutions or any glassware, make sure that it is within your eye
level. Do not lift it above your eye level to avoid the solution from dripping. Do not
smell or taste chemicals as they can be extremely hazardous.
23. Follow proper lab waste disposal procedures.
24. Any incidents that resulted in broken equipment, tools, and injuries should be reported
no matter how minor it is.
25. If you sustained an injury, ask for help immediately.
 26. If the chemicals you are working with splashes into your eyes or skin, immediately
flush with running water for at least 20 minutes.
27. Inform your supervisor the soonest time possible if you notice any unsafe conditions.

Housekeeping safety rules

1. Keep your work area clean at all times.

2. Make emergency stations accessible and unobstructed, specifically emergency
showers, eyewash stations, exit areas, and fire extinguishers.
3. Work areas are designated for materials and tools used for lab-related works.
4. When storing items on the cabinet, the heavy materials should be placed at the bottom
while the light materials should be stored on top.
5. Keep solids away from the lab sink.
6. Equipment that needs ventilation (airflow) must be kept clear to avoid overheating.

Laboratory Dress Code

There are clothing materials that must be worn inside the laboratory and there are those that
need not be worn such as shorts and skirts. When going inside the laboratory, make sure that
the following is carefully observed:

1. Hair that is chin-length or longer must be tied back.

2. Keep loose clothing and dangling jewellery secure. As much as possible, do not wear
them in the laboratory.
3. Use proper footwear. Do not wear sandals or open-toed shoes. The footwear should
completely cover the foot.
4. Wearing the proper clothing is a must. Do not wear shorts or skirts.
5. Remove acrylic nails when working with fire or things that could ignite fire such as
lighted splints, matches, and Bunsen burners.

Personal Protection Safety Measures

It pertains to what lab personnel should wear to protect themselves from lab hazards and to
observe proper hygiene, and avoid contamination.

1. Wear face shields and safety glasses when working with hazardous materials,
chemicals, heat, and glassware.
2. Gloves should be worn when handling toxic or hazardous agents.
3. A smock or lab coat is worn when performing laboratory experiments.
4. Wash your hands before entering and after leaving the lab using clean water and soap.
5. When working with chemicals and performing experiments in general, you should
refrain from touching your eyes, mouth, face, and other sensitive areas of the body.

Safety Rules when Handling Chemicals

Chemicals are one of the must-have items in the laboratory. Safety rules in handling
chemicals in the laboratory have to be followed to avoid spills and chemical-related
accidents.

1. All chemicals in the lab setting must be treated as dangerous.

2. Make sure that chemicals will not come in contact with your skin.
 3. Chemicals should be labeled correctly: name, concentration, date received, and the
name of the person responsible for it.
4. Read the label a few times before pouring the content from a chemical bottle.
5. Take only the chemical you need.
6. Unused chemicals should not be put back in the original container.
7. Chemicals and other laboratory solutions and materials should not be taken away
from the lab.
8. Chemicals should not be mixed in the sink drain.
9. The fume hood is the designated place for chemicals tagged as volatile or flammable.
10. In the case of chemical spills, it should be cleaned immediately.
11. Observe proper chemical waste disposal.

Chemistry Laboratory Safety Rules

1. Check the materials you are going to use and be aware of the hazards they bring.
2. Exercise extreme caution when refluxing, distilling, and transferring highly volatile
liquids.
3. Pour chemicals from a large container to a smaller container.
4. Do not pour chemicals back into the stock container.
5. Never tap vacuum flask.
6. Be very mindful when handling chemicals. Do not mix, measure, or heat chemicals in
front of your face.
7. Avoid pouring water into concentrated acid. The best way is to pour the acid slowly
into the water while constantly stirring the water.

Electrical Safety Measures

Electrical equipment can be found in a laboratory setting. It prevents errors in using

electronic instruments, electric shocks, and other related injuries. The following has to be
observed when dealing with electrical equipment in the lab:

1. Ask permission from your laboratory supervisor before using high-voltage equipment.
2. Make sure you do not modify or change the setting of high-voltage equipment.
3. When attaching a high-voltage power supply, make sure you turn it off.
4. Use one hand when adjusting high-voltage equipment. Your other hand should be
placed behind your back or in your pocket.
5. As much as possible, do not use extension cords.
6. Never use an electrical cord that is frayed, cracked, or has corroded prong.
7. Select explosion proof-type electrical equipment if a flammable material (gas, liquid,
dust) is present.
8. Before performing any repairing work on the electrical apparatus, turn the power off.
Apply a lock-out tag-out procedure to avoid an unintended operation. Unplug the
equipment from the electrical outlet. And turn off the circuit breaker.
9. Use appropriate protective equipment while working with electric power.
10. Only trained workers can work with electrical equipment.
11. It is very dangerous to contact any electrical cable or equipment with a wet material
or wet hands.
12. Never store or use highly flammable liquid or gases near electrical equipment or
power source.
13. Avoid making any electrical sparks.
Safety Rules when using Laser

Many labs use lasers and lab personnel must strictly follow safety precautions when working
with a laser to prevent injuries.

1. Never look into the laser beam even if it is tagged as low power or safe for your eyes.
2. Whenever lasers are present, you have to protect your eyes by wearing the right
goggles. There are different types of laser-related injuries but the most common ones
are caused by scattered laser light that reflects off the shiny surface of the side of the
mirror, optical tables, and mountings. If you are wearing goggles, your eyes will be
protected from laser’s scattered light.
3. Make sure your head is not at the same level as the laser beam. The laser beam should
be below or at chest level.
4. Avoid laser beams from spreading into the lab by using beam stops.
5. Avoid walking through the laser beams.

Chemicals

1. Make sure that all chemicals in the laboratory have proper labels.

2. Never use chemicals, gases, or reagents without labels.
3. Never mix chemicals or reagents with no information at hand about their reactivity.
This is one of the most important safety precautions in experiments.
4. Always wear proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for handling chemicals in
the laboratory.
5. Do not wear damaged PPE or PPE that has expired.
6. Understand the nature of each chemical used in the laboratory from its MSDS. Ensure
you hold only updated MSDS.
7. Make sure chemical spill kits always available.
8. Make sure chemical emergency equipment such as an eye washer and a safety shower
are available and can be accessed easily.
9. Do not dispose of used chemicals or reagents in the same container without knowing
their reactivity.
10. Always follow the chemical storing guide from its MSDS.
11. Provide a storage cabinet for each chemical.
12. Return to its storage cabinet after every use.
13. Utilize secondary containment to prevent spill or leak, as well as protect the cabinet.
14. Avoid storing chemicals over your requirement in the laboratory.
15. Avoid chemicals from heat source or direct sunshine.
16. Chemical in use should be in the fume hood and benchtops.

Glassware

1. Make sure that you have checked glassware compatibility with the chemicals.

2. Inspect glassware you use from a crack or flaw before every use.
3. Never use crack glassware.
4. Discard broken, crack and waste glassware in a special container. Put a clear label on
it.
5. Contaminated glassware has to be washed before re-use.
6. Use cut-resistant hand glove when handling broken glassware to avoid hand injury.
7. Never catch drop glassware by hand since it may be broken on your hand.
 8. Avoid fast cooling or heating against glassware except for borosilicate glassware.
9. If you are heating borosilicate glassware, open a small vent to prevent over-pressure
and explosion.
10. Use an insulated hand glove when handling hot or cold glassware.
11. Always use two hands when carrying any glassware, where one hand at the bottom to
support the glassware and another hand to hold the glassware.
12. Do not carry a breaker by its side and a flask by its neck.
13. Prevent glassware from over physical stress. It may break the glassware.
14. Do not put contaminated and uncontaminated broken glassware in one container for
easy handling.

Gases

1. The compressed gas cylinder has to be placed on the outside of the laboratory.
2. Beware of the compressed gas cylinder. Handling them safely. Get the tips from my
previous post Safe Handling of Compressed Gas Cylinder.
3. Use proper tubing material and pressure rating for supplying gas from the cylinder to
laboratory equipment.
4. Close the supply valve from the gas cylinder when you have finished using it.
5. Provide a gas detector for alerting gas leaks such as toxic carbon monoxide.
6. Schedule a regular check for gas leaking from tubing, connections, etc.

Electrical Equipment