Lab Safety 2_Approaching_02

People are the cause of most car accidents. In the same way, people are the cause of most science-related accidents. Doing Science may never be completely safe. However, scientists should do their best to maintain a safe environment.

Where do you think most lab accidents occur? Do they occur where very dangerous experiments are conducted? In other words, do they occur mostly in professional labs? Unfortunately, most accidents occur in schools. The number of lab accidents in schools is 100 times greater than in professional Science labs. It is for this reason we spend so much time learning about lab safety.

Some common safety rules are:

• Follow the teacher’s directions.
• Always check with the teacher before conducting activities.
• Always wear proper clothing.
• Do not eat or drink in the laboratory area.
•  Keep the work area clean.

Most laboratory rules are common sense. It seems obvious you would not want to spill chemicals. However, knowing how to not spill chemicals may seem less obvious. One way to do this is to keep the lab area clean and free of clutter. Keeping the work area free of clutter reduces the risk of breaking and spilling items.