How to Stay Safe in a Science Lab at School

Science labs can contain many dangerous chemicals and equipment, so it is very important to follow all of the safety precautions when using them. To keep yourself, those around you, and the environment safe, you must know and abide by the rules of the lab. Wearing the proper protective equipment, and knowing how to correctly use all of the tools and instruments will ensure a safe and healthy lab experience.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Wearing Proper Protective Equipment

1
Arrive in lab with long pants and closed-toe shoes. One of the most important aspects of lab safety is preventing your body from being exposed to contaminants. The first step in wearing proper protective equipment (PPE) is coming to lab prepared with long pants and closed-toe, flat-bottomed shoes. Shoes with a hard top are preferred in case you drop something on your feet.
- Once you get to lab, you will put on the rest of the PPE that will cover any other exposed parts of your body.
- Tuck in loose, baggy clothing and roll up long sleeves.
2
Don a lab coat during experiments. The lab coat is essential for protecting you and your clothes from spills and other chemicals. It can quickly be removed in case of a spill. The lab coat needs to fit you well in order to be effective. Wear your lab coat whenever you are doing anything in the lab. Make sure it is buttoned all the way up.
- If the sleeves are too long they can get in the way and be cumbersome while working.
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3
Protect your eyes with goggles. Goggles do not have to be worn at all times, but they must be worn when handling chemicals or working with anything with a splash or explosion hazard.
- Goggles must wrap around the sides of your face to protect the eyes from all sides.
- Regular glasses usually don't offer enough protection against splashes or spills. Wear safety goggles over your regular glasses.
4
Wear safety gloves. There are a number of different types of gloves that you may need to wear depending on what you are working with. For basic safety and protection from harmful chemicals, disposable latex or nitrile gloves will be worn. This is most likely what you will be using in your lab at school.
- If you are working with extremely hot or extremely cold substances, you will need to wear special gloves that are temperature appropriate.
- When working with anything that conducts electricity and could be a shock hazard, you need to wear rubber gloves.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Complying with Basic Lab Safety

1
Listen to your teacher and follow instructions carefully. Before a lab begins, your teacher will discuss all of the necessary safety precautions for that specific experiment. They will have also detailed all safety procedures at the beginning of the year.^{[1]XResearch source}^{[2]XExpert SourceChris Hasegawa, PhD
Retired Science Professor & DeanExpert Interview. 29 July 2021.}
- If you are unsure of the correct way to handle something, always ask the teacher so you do everything safely.
- At all times, follow any safety guidelines posted in the lab.
2
Never eat or drink in the lab. Eating or drinking in the lab or during an experiment can be extremely hazardous and lead to injury. If you have a hazardous chemical on your hands and then you touch your food with those hands, you could ingest that chemical. The same goes for drinking beverages.
- If you need to eat or drink anything, remove your gloves and lab coat, wash your hands, leave the laboratory and then consume the food or drink.
- Chewing gum is also not allowed in the lab.
3
Tie your hair back and remove all jewelry. Hair and dangling jewelry can present a hazard if they catch on anything. You can also accidentally catch your hair on fire if it falls into a flame without you realizing it. Chemicals that are corrosive or irritating can get underneath a ring or a bracelet and cause irritation.
- Try to come to class without any jewelry so you don’t have to store it and potentially lose it.
4
Store coats, chairs, and bags out of the way. When you first get to the lab, put all of your things in a place where they will be out of the way and not create a trip hazard. Under the lab bench or in cubby holes at the front of the class are the two best places to store them.
- When leaving class, remember to grab all of your things from under the bench or wherever they were left.
5
Report all spills, breakages, or accidents to your teacher immediately. No matter how trivial it may seem, everything must be reported to the teacher. They will know how to handle everything safely and make sure no one gets hurt.
- If glass breaks or something spills, do not try to clean it up until you have told your teacher about it. There might be a special way the clean-up needs to be handled.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Equipment Safely

1
Know where the safety equipment is located. Get instructions from a qualified person on use of the safety equipment needed for the planned procedure before you do any lab work. If you are not told about safety equipment for your procedure, ask. It is best to know about what might go wrong before it actually does. That way you will be able to respond quickly and correctly. Typical safety equipment includes:
- eye wash stations
- overhead showers
- fire blankets (to suffocate fires)
- fire extinguishers for different types of fires
- vent hoods
- solvent cabinets and containers
- lockouts for moving apparatus
- aprons, goggles, neoprene gloves, asbestos gloves
2
Point test tubes away from yourself and others when you are heating them. Heat the test tube slowly to avoid rapid boiling and liquid splashing out of the tube. Never heat a plugged or stopped tube because pressure can build up inside and cause the tube to shatter.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Pointing the test tube away from yourself and others will avoid injury in case the tube does boil or splash over.
3
Pour acid into water, not water into acid. The reaction between water and acid is exothermic, meaning it releases heat. Acid must always be added directly to the water because if you add water to the acid it can explode.^{[4]XResearch source}
- The acid can splash and get in your eyes and on your person, causing serious injury.
4
Keep your workspace clean and tidy. Making sure everything is tidy will help you avoid spills. A clean workspace also ensures no contamination between experiments.
- Clean and disinfect your workspace at the end of every lab session.
5
Avoid replacing excess reagents in the original container. Once a chemical has been removed from its container, it cannot go back in. This is to avoid contaminating the chemical with other chemicals, dirt, or dust.
- If you do have excess chemical, properly dispose of them using procedures detailed by your teacher.
6
Take precautions with all flames. A Bunsen burner is an open flame and must be treated with extreme caution. Make sure there is nothing flammable near the burner and you don’t bend over the flame. Turn the flame off immediately when you are finished using it.
- If your clothes catch fire, remember to STOP what you are doing, DROP to the ground, and ROLL until the flame has been smothered.
7
Use a vent hood when handling volatile chemicals. Many chemicals emit noxious fumes that are toxic if inhaled. Working in a fume hood allows you to open the chemicals and not be exposed to the fumes.
- If you are unsure if you need to use a fume hood, err on the safe side and use the fume hood just in case.
8
Wash your hands after practical work. At the end of every experiment, it is essential that you wash your hands before leaving the lab. This ensures that you have washed any chemicals or contaminants from your hands.
- Wash hands after removing all of your PPE.
- Wash them with warm water and scrub with soap for at least 30 seconds.
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Expert Q&A

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Question
How do you teach safety precautions in the laboratory?
Chris Hasegawa, PhD
Retired Science Professor & Dean
Dr. Chris Hasegawa was a Science Professor and the Dean at California State University Monterey Bay. Dr. Hasegawa specializes in teaching complex scientific concepts to students. He holds a BS in Biochemistry, a Master’s in Education, and his teaching credential from The University of California, Davis. He earned his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Oregon. Before becoming a professor, Dr. Hasegawa conducted biochemical research in Neuropharmacology at the National Institute of Health. He also taught physical and life sciences and served as a teacher and administrator at public schools in California, Oregon, and Arizona.
Chris Hasegawa, PhD
Retired Science Professor & Dean
Expert Answer
Require your students to pass a safety quiz before they're allowed in the lab. If they don't pass the quiz, force them to stand behind a sheet of plexiglass and watch the experiments from there.
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What is a solid, liquid and gas?
Jesse Villa
Community Answer
They are different phases of matter. A solid is an object that has tightly-packed molecules. A liquid has more free molecules which are still together, and a gas is free-moving molecules spread out.
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What happens if you get burnt in the eye?
Red Tree
Community Answer
Immediately to go the eye washer (most science labs have it) and turn cold water on. Remove glasses and contacts. Run cold water for at least 5 minutes and have a classmate report to an instructor or teacher. It also depends what got into your eye: there should be instructions in class. Get to the school nurse for more help.
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Warnings

Don't enter a lab on your own and/or without permission.
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Don't touch any equipment unless you have received proper instruction and permission to do so.
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