Name: Aleah A.

Balaoro Course: BSED SCIENCE Date of Submission: 29/09/2022

Laboratory Exercises 1:

Basic Safety Rules and Policies in the Microbiology Laboratory

Rationale:

The importance of lab safety cannot be emphasized enough. Scientific laboratories

expose students, professors and researchers to a potentially dangerous environment that
contains numerous hazards: chemical, biological, physical, and even radioactive. According
to Ménard and Trant (2019), “the risky practices and a careless attitude toward safety are so
normalized within academia that the low standards in the field are not troubling or even
apparent to those on the inside.” With an aim to effect a change in this attitude, the basic rules
and best practices should be followed to ensure a safe working environment within the
laboratory.

Objectives:

At the end of the laboratory exercises, it is expected that students should

1. Be knowledgeable of the basic measures of maintaining safety of the students and

professor as well as the apparatuses at the Microbiology Lab facility of the campus.
2. Practice strictly the rules as prescribed in the manual while performing laboratory
activities at the Microbiology Lab facility of the campus.

Materials:

Manual of the Basic Laboratory Safety Rules and Policies

Procedure:

1. Referring to the ‘Basic Laboratory Safety Rules and Policies’ posted at the BUTC
Microbiology Laboratory, students must provide themselves the detailed list of the
safety manual and be familiarize with the protocol.
2. Be guided by the rules and policies by following strictly the said protocol, unless
otherwise deviated by the professor.

Activity / Self-assessment Questions:

1. Using this worksheet (see page below), write in details the basic laboratory safety
rules and policies of the Microbio Lab of the campus.
2. Does the protocol easy or difficult to follow? Why?
3. Which among the rules do you think is/are mostly violated? If any, what will you do
to avoid such violation(s)?
4. If you observe other lab users not following this protocol, how will you show to them
that these measures must essentially be practiced for their safety?

Conclusion: (implication of the over-all knowledge obtained from the activity)

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References:

Manual of the Basic Laboratory Safety Rules and Policies in Microbiology Lab, PCAARRD Bldg., BU Tabaco
Campus, Tayhi, Tabaco City, Albay, Philippines.
Menard, A.D., Trant, J.F. 2020. A Review and Critique of Academic Lab Safety Research. Nat Chem 12, 17-
25. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-019-0375-x
Worksheet (Laboratory Exercise No. 1)

Basic Safety Rules and Policies in the Microbiology Laboratory

1. No one can eat, drink or smoke inside the laboratory

2. Use safety glasses. This would prevent spilled chemicals or flying broken equipment
from causing permanent damage to the eyes

3. Wear appropriate clothing and protective shoes. This would protect one against spilled
chemicals or flaming liquids

4. Always wear laboratory gown. This would protect the clothes and skin from contact with
corrosive chemicals

5. Do not attempt to conduct any experiment on your own without the instructor’s
knowledge or supervision.

6. Know the location of safety equipment’s, such as safety shower, fire extinguisher, sand,
and laboratory first aid kit.

7. Keep the workspace orderly. Place all items toward the back, so they won’t be
overturned when reaching over them.

8. Read the label carefully before taking anything from the bottle. Use of a wrong reagent
can spoil an experiment or cause serious incident.

9. Assemble apparatus safely

10. Do not contaminate reagent. Neither insert your own spatulas or pipettes, nor return
excess materials into reagent bottles.

11. Leave reagent bottles on the designated table or shelves. Do not carry them at your
desk. Obtain only the required quantities of chemicals

12. Be careful with flames

13. Do not smell chemicals directly. Never taste chemicals unless specified

14. Do not pipette by mouth. Always use rubber tubing connected to an aspirator to fill the
pipette

15. Do not pour water into acids

16. Used the hood. Any experiment involving the use of or production of poisonous or
obnoxious gases must be performed in the hood

17. Clean up spilled chemicals immediately, using liberal quantities of water. Neutralize
spilled acid or base

18. Insoluble liquids and solid go into waste can, not in sinks

19. Report any incident to the laboratory instructor

20. Turn off gas and water outlets after use

21. Return all equipment’s to its proper place

Answers to Self-assessment Questions:

2. The procedures are simple since they are basic information that we must always remember
and perform inside the laboratory room. I think some students are having difficulty adhering to
the protocols because they are unaware of the potential consequences of not following these
safety precautions.

3.The most frequently violated rule, in my opinion, is returning the equipment to its proper
place. I've seen that when doing laboratory activities, students frequently fail to clean, organize,
and return the laboratory equipment after usage, either because they are eager to leave the
laboratory area or because they just forget these protocols. They simply leave the equipment
without cleaning it.

To avoid these violations, always remind students to clean and return any equipment
when the experiment or activity is completed. We can also put up signs and penalize students
who consistently violate this rule.

4. If I observe other lab users not adhering to these guidelines, I need to show the
consequences of not following these regulations. I'll remind them that failing to follow these
rules can put the lab at risk of an accident, which might damage equipment as well as endanger
themselves or others.

Conclusion: (implication of the over-all knowledge obtained from the activity)

Laboratory work is one of the leading causes of accidents and, due to the human factor,
one of the most difficult to manage. The goal is to help lab students understand appropriate
laboratory safety, raise their awareness of the potential dangers or hazards associated with
laboratory work, and recognize that the laboratory is normally a safe place to work if safety
recommendations are followed. As a result, laboratory students must understand laboratory
regulations and procedures, common danger signals and their meanings, laboratory
emergencies and first aid, personal protective equipment, and safe chemical storage. All these
categories can teach you how to use laboratory equipment as well as other skills.