A standard list of basic laboratory safety rules are given below and must be followed in every laboratory that uses hazardous materials or processes. These basic rules provide hygiene and behavior safety information to avoid accidents in the laboratory.

Know locations of laboratory safety showers, eyewash stations, and fire extinguishers. The safety equipment may be located in the hallway near the laboratory entrance. Know emergency exit routes. Avoid skin and eye contact with chemicals Minimize all chemical exposures. No horseplay will be tolerated. Assume that all chemicals of unknown toxicity are highly toxic. Post warning signs when unusual hazards, hazardous materials, hazardous equipment, or other special conditions are present. Avoid distracting or startling persons working in the laboratory. Use equipment only for its designated purpose Combine reagents in their appropriate order, such as adding acid to water. Avoid adding solids to hot liquids. All laboratory personnel should place emphasis on safety and chemical hygiene at all times. Never leave containers of chemicals open. All containers must have appropriate labels. Unlabeled chemicals should never be used. Do not taste or intentionally sniff chemicals. Never consume and/or store food or beverages or apply cosmetics in areas where hazardous chemicals are used or stored. Do not use mouth suction for pipetting or starting a siphon. Wash exposed areas of the skin prior to leaving the laboratory. Long hair and lose clothing must be pulled back and secured from entanglement or potential capture. No contact lenses should be worn around hazardous chemicals even when wearing safety glasses. Laboratory safety glasses or goggles should be worn in any area where chemicals are used or stored. They should also be worn any time there is a chance of splashes or particulates to enter the eye. Closed-toe shoes must be worn at all times in the laboratory. Perforated shoes or sandals are not appropriate. Determine the potential hazards and appropriate safety precautions before beginning any work. Procedures should be developed that minimize the formation and dispersion of aerosols. If an unknown chemical is produced in the laboratory, the material should be considered hazardous. Do not pour chemicals down drains, and do not utilize the sewer for chemical waste disposal. Keep all sink traps (including cup sink traps and floor drains) filled with water by running water down the drain at least monthly. Do not utilize fume hoods for evaporations and disposal of volatile solvents. Perform work with hazardous chemicals in a properly working fume hood to reduce potential exposures. Avoid working along in a building. Do not work alone in a laboratory if the procedures being conducted are hazardous. The permissable exposure limit (PEL) and the threshold limit values (TLV) must be observed in all areas. If exposure above a PEL or TLV is suspected for an ongoing process, please contact EHS immediately. Laboratory employees should have access to a chemical inventory list, applicable safety data sheets (SDS), departmental laboratory safety manual, and relevant standard operating procedures. Access to laboratories and support areas such as stockrooms or specialized laboratories should be limited to approved personnel only. All equipment should be regularly inspected for wear or deterioration. Equipment should be maintained according to the manufacturer’s requirements and records of certification, maintenance, or repairs should be maintained for the life of the equipment. Designated and well-marked waste storage locations are necessary. No cell phone or ear bud usage is allowed in the active portion of the laboratories or during experimental operations. Clothing made of synthetic fibers should not be worn while working with flammable liquids or when a hazard is present as these materials tend to melt and stick to exposed skin. Laboratory coats should not be stored in offices or break rooms as this spreads contaminates to other areas. Computers and instrumentation should be labeled to indicate whether gloves should be worn or not. Inconsistent glove use around keyboards is a source of potential contamination. Avoid wearing jewelry in the lab as this can post multiple safety hazards.

Laboratory Specific Safety Rules Safety rules for laboratory specific operations will be provided in appropriate laboratory SOPs.

What is the most important rule to follow during an experiment?

Don’t Taste or Sniff Chemicals – BraunS / Getty Images Not only should you not bring in food or drinks, but you shouldn’t taste or smell chemicals or biological cultures already in the lab. Tasting or smelling some chemicals can be dangerous or even deadly. The best way to know what’s in a container is to label it, so get in the habit of making a label for glassware before adding the chemical.

Why are safety rules important when doing experiments?

Chemical safety rules – Since almost every lab uses chemicals of some sort, chemical safety rules are a must. Following these policies helps employees avoid spills and other accidents, as well as damage to the environment outside of the lab. These rules also set a clear procedure for employees to follow in the event that a spill does occur, in order to ensure it is cleaned up properly and injuries are avoided.

Every chemical should be treated as though it were dangerous.

Do not allow any solvent to come into contact with your skin.

All chemicals should always be clearly labeled with the name of the substance, its concentration, the date it was received, and the name of the person responsible for it.

Before removing any of the contents from a chemical bottle, read the label twice.

Never take more chemicals from a bottle than you need for your work.

Do not put unused chemicals back into their original container.

Chemicals or other materials should never be taken out of the laboratory.

Chemicals should never be mixed in sink drains.

Flammable and volatile chemicals should only be used in a fume hood.

If a chemical spill occurs, clean it up right away.

Ensure that all chemical waste is disposed of properly.

What is safety concerns in a experiment?

Common Laboratory Safety Issues Several safety issues and activities have been identified through inspections. The list below is intended to bring common issues to the attention of lab supervisors.

Storage of combustible materials near the ceiling Storage of corrosive, flammable, or toxic chemicals above face height Incomplete/improper labeling of liquid waste containers Poor labeling of stock solutions or secondary containers Faded labels or label falling off Degraded plastic chemical containers Improper Protective Apparel

Incidents at Other Institutions

Fire in Chemistry Lab at Texas Tech UCLA Pyrophoric Materials Fire

Storage of combustible materials near the ceiling

The BC Fire Code indicates that the distance between top of storage and sprinkler height can be no less than 450mm (18 inches). Recommendation-remove items from the top of cabinets, lower shelves to increase space between stored materials and ceiling height.

Storage of corrosive, flammable, or toxic chemicals above face height

If hazardous materials are stored or handled about face height, users must wear additional PPE, such as a face shield, in case the container is dropped of breaks. Recommendation-storage hazardous materials in dedicated cabinets, store non-hazardous materials (sodium chloride) the location instead.

Incomplete/improper labeling of liquid waste containers

Waste containers are labeled as described in the Chemical Safety & Methodology Manual. The concentration and volume of liquid must be added to container label before the waste is added to the container. The label must be checked to ensure that the new waste is compatible with the wastes already inside the container. This information will be used for clean up, decontamination, or first aid treatment in case the container breaks or someone is exposed to the waste. The lab’s Principal Investigator is responsible for ensuring that laboratory users complete waste tags.accurately. Recommendation-ensure all laboratory users are aware of UNBC waste handling procedures, provide continued supervision.

Poor labeling of stock solutions or secondary containers

All chemicals located in a laboratory must be labeled with an identifier if they will not be used immediately or will be out of the immediate control of the user. Recommendation-define specific requirements for labeling of solutions and containers, enforce labeling requirements.

Faded labels or label falling off

Containers are regularly found that are either missing a label or with labels that are damaged (ie., faded, corroded, torn). Labeling of chemical containers is part of right to know legislation and required by law. An annual checking of chemicals and prompt replacement of damaged labels when identified helps to address this issue. Although lab tape is commonly used for labeling, it is not intended as a long-term labeling solution because the glue hardens and the tape falls off if left for more than three years. The lab’s Principal Investigator is responsible for ensuring that labels are complete and updated. Chemical containers that are found without labels during lab inspections or the annual chemical inventory are brought to the attention of the PI to be addressed. Recommendation-replace damaged labels, inspect containers every six months.

Degraded plastic chemical containers

Over time supplied chemical containers degrade from combination of internal stresses, UV, temperature fluctuation, and chemical activity. Plastic containers and lids gradually become less flexible and can break unexpectedly, often in the users hand, causing chemical exposure and loss of the chemical. Annual checking of containers by gently squeezing plastic containers by gently flexing the plastic helps to identify degraded containers and provides an opportunity to transfer the chemical to a new container. Degraded chemical container that identified during lab inspections or the annual chemical inventory are brought to the attention of the PI to be addressed. Recommendation-inspect containers every 12 months for deterioration, check manufacturers guidelines for chemical and physical resistance.

Improper Protective Apparel

Students or supervisor do not wear protective equipment to match the activities occurring in the lab (e.g., wearing prescription glasses instead of safety glasses, not wearing gloves, wearing shorts or sandals).

What are the 5 safety equipment in lab?

Protective Equipment (PPE) includes safety glasses, goggles, face shields, gloves, lab coats, aprons, ear plugs, and respirators. Personal protective equipment is carefully selected to ensure that it is compatible with the chemicals and the process used.

What are the 4 principles of a good experiment?

Section 2: Experimental Studies – Unlike a descriptive study, an experiment is a study in which a treatment, procedure, or program is intentionally introduced and a result or outcome is observed. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines an experiment as “A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth, to examine the validity of a hypothesis, or to determine the efficacy of something previously untried.” True experiments have four elements: manipulation, control, random assignment, and random selection, The most important of these elements are manipulation and control. Manipulation means that something is purposefully changed by the researcher in the environment. Another key element of a true experiment is random assignment. Random assignment means that if there are groups or treatments in the experiment, participants are assigned to these groups or treatments, or randomly (like the flip of a coin). This means that no matter who the participant is, he/she has an equal chance of getting into all of the groups or treatments in an experiment.

What is the 5 second rule in science experiments?

This article is one of a series of Experiments meant to teach students about how science is done, from generating a hypothesis to designing an experiment to analyzing the results with statistics. You can repeat the steps here and compare your results — or use this as inspiration to design your own experiment.

Everyone has dropped food on the floor by accident. And if the floor is fairly clean and you’re hungry, you might pick up that food and eat it. You may even say “five-second rule!” as you bend down to grab it. The idea is that the food hasn’t been sitting on the floor long enough for bacteria to hop on board.

But does time matter to a microbe? Our latest DIY Science video examines the bugs on your bologna with an experiment. We’re not the first to tackle falling foods with science. The five-second rule has been tested in several scientific papers. And Mythbusters probed the issue on TV.

But you don’t need a lot of money or a laboratory to test this yourself. In this series of blog posts, you’ll discover everything you need — from building an incubator to analyzing the data. The five-second rule implies that if food is picked up quickly after it’s dropped, germs won’t have time to get on board.

To find out if that’s true, we start with a hypothesis — a statement that can be tested. Because the five-second rule involves a specific length of time, we’ll need to compare food left on the floor for different periods of time.

What are the 4 rules of experimental design?

Section 2: Experimental Studies – Unlike a descriptive study, an experiment is a study in which a treatment, procedure, or program is intentionally introduced and a result or outcome is observed. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines an experiment as “A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth, to examine the validity of a hypothesis, or to determine the efficacy of something previously untried.” True experiments have four elements: manipulation, control, random assignment, and random selection, The most important of these elements are manipulation and control. Manipulation means that something is purposefully changed by the researcher in the environment. Another key element of a true experiment is random assignment. Random assignment means that if there are groups or treatments in the experiment, participants are assigned to these groups or treatments, or randomly (like the flip of a coin). This means that no matter who the participant is, he/she has an equal chance of getting into all of the groups or treatments in an experiment.

What are 3 things an experiment must have?

An experiment usually has three kinds of variables: independent, dependent, and controlled. The independent variable is the one that is changed by the scientist.

What are the 5 things that make a valid experiment?

Constant variables –

While experimenting, there might be some external variables that influence the dependent variable to change other than the independent variable. In our example, it can be gender, age, grasping ability, etc. Holding these variables constant across the research will minimize the effects they have on the dependent variables.

The components of experimental design are control, independent variable and dependent variable, constant variables, random assignment and manipulation, These are the components that also help you define if the experiment is valid. The 5 steps of designing an experiment are literature history, observation, hypothesis, experiment methodology and conclusion,

The researcher follows these steps to get the conclusions regarding the research study. The experiments are meant to be defect and bias-free when their results come out. Hence the components that ensure these things are control, independent variables, dependent variables and constant variables.

• The experimental questions are supposed to be short, clear, concise, and focused on the purpose of the research study,
• These questions will be the footing for the entire research process and are treated as guidelines for the same.
• A good and well-conducted experiment design always has these components that define them: Observation, questions, hypothesis formulation, methodology, results,

The researcher has to look for any interventions or biases in any of those phases to ensure a defect-free result. The four basic principles of experimental design are:

• Control – Control over the independent variable to examine its effects on the dependent variable.
• Randomize – random assignment of the participants to ensure they all have an equal chance of getting into the experimental groups.
• Replicate – repeating the experiment by applying the treatment to various experimental groups.

Block – block the external variables that might affect the results of the experiment like age, gender, genetics, etc. See how Amazon,Uber and Apple enhance customer experience at scale. Explore Voxco Survey Software

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