Safety In Science
Nothing is more important than safety.
Learn and memorise the contents of this pamphlet.
1. Getting started.
(a)
Listen to, or read, the instructions carefully.
(b)
Ask questions about anything you
find unclear in the instructions.
(c)
Prepare some system for recording your results
…. a plastic cover is a good idea for protecting it from splashing etc.
(d)
Clear away what isn't needed.
Put your unneeded materials into your bag and then place the bag safely under
your bench …cluttered benches and isles are a hazard to you and others.
2. Getting yourself ready.
(a)
Tie back long hair and loose clothing.
It could catch fire very easily otherwise
(b)
Put on safety glasses
in cases where you or anyone else nearby in the laboratory is heating, working
with chemicals or anything else that might involve danger to your eyes.
3. Getting what is needed.
(a)
Decide what is needed and where to get it…quickly build up an knowledge
of where things are kept.
(b)
Divide up the tasks (for quickness and efficiency) when you are working
in groups
(c)
Never rush around the laboratory for things .Try to avoid congestion in
particular places of the room by organising yourself accordingly.
(d)
Be particularly careful when carrying chemicals , hot
liquids and glassware …careful in respect to both your safety and those around
you.
4. Various Laboratory Procedures. Having observed the
safe way to carry out the following procedures, describe what should be done
with the help of diagrams.
(a)
Pouring Liquids (from reagent
bottles and test tubes etc.)
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(b)
Heating Substances :-
(i)
Liquids in a test tube (using
a test tube holder).
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(ii)
Substances held in tongs.
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(iii)
Substances in an evaporating basin.
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(c)
Handling glassware (such as thermometers, pipettes and burettes).
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. . . . .
. . . . . . . .
some more spaces have been provided for other special instructions that
might be added later.
(d)
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(e)
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(f)
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5. Reporting Accidents.
Always
report accidents right away to your
teacher so that corrective steps can be taken quickly… this refers to all
accidents that involve harm to you and others or damage of apparatus or
equipment.
6.
Clear Away.
(a)
Always leave yourself sufficient
time to clear away.
(b)
Clean all the apparatus you have
used and return it to its proper place.
(c)
Don't return dirty or damaged apparatus
to its place …bring it to the teacher and explain. Very dirty apparatus can be
cleaned specially later. Broken or cracked glassware needs to be disposed of by
your teacher.
7.
General Points.
(a)
Never taste chemicals or any materials left out
in the lab. Unless you are asked to do so. Even if the chemical
is safe itself it may have been contaminated by something else in the lab.
(b)
Wash off immediately any chemicals
that get onto your skin or clothing. Report it to your teacher just to be sure.
(c)
In general you should work at
'arms-length' from things. When mixing chemicals you should hold your arms
out at a safe distance from your body and face.
(d)
In general you should not sit
during experiments. When standing your reflexes are much faster .. jumping
back from a spillage of hot water for example.
(e)
Take the amounts of materials you are asked.
Taking more than asked can sometimes have disastrous consequences. Where 3g of a
particular chemical might be totally safe 4 or 5g might be very dangerous in the
situation. Besides, too much can lead to the wrong result.
(f)
The removal of any material, no matter how small, from a lab., is an extremely serious matter.
Offenders will be dealt with very severely indeed.
(g)
Don't work with electrical equipment near to
water.
(h)
In general regard to safety always use
your common sense, exercise caution and don't rush … that way the risks
are minimised if not removed entirely
An Overview Of Safety
The
Accident Triangle…What does it mean???
1 Serious damage to person .
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Damage to apparatus
The accident triangle carries
a message about accidents in general. Simply stated, this is what it tells us:-
-Most
accidents cause damage of apparatus and not people.
-Most
accidents to people are minor.
-1
in 500 accidents are very serious … causing permanent injuries such as
disfigurement, loss of sight or death.
We might leave our
interpretation of the figures at this point, but if we did, then we would be
missing the most important point.
Some people are inclined to
ignore small accidents of the type where apparatus is dropped or chemicals are
spilled. Having got away with it they quickly forget about it and make no effort
to avoid such things happening again.
But that’s silly. The more
of these accidents you have the greater are your chances of having one of the
other types of accident….where you cause injuries to yourself or others.
In other words if you want to avoid accidents then find out why you are
having simple accidents, and mend your ways.
Other
Instructions regarding safety will be given to you as you go along.
Additional relevant clipart.
September 1999, KS3 Science, Loreto College Coleraine.
