Laboratory safety rules are an important part of protecting the lab environment as well as human beings by avoiding any harmful issues. Working in a chemistry lab is a part and parcel of the present time for acquiring knowledge and developing new materials for the future. It is essential to monitor and control the chemicals in a proper way to protect the environment and public health issues.
The chemistry laboratory can be turned into a hazardous place if there are no proper rules are followed. Students, teachers, Scientists, and other professionals handle the various chemicals in the laboratory which are carcinogenic, poisonous, flammable, and explosive in nature. So, it is essential to follow the standard rule to handle these chemicals.
There are various accidents in chemistry laboratories because of neglect of the safety rules. In order to reduce the risk at the chemistry laboratory, the lab safety rules and regulations must be obeyed at all times. It must be remembered that the following lab safety rules must be obeyed to minimize the chance of an accident.
Chemistry Laboratory Safety Rules and Regulations
There are various laboratory safety rules for conducting the experiment in a chemistry laboratory. They are discussed below:
It should know the exact location of eyewash stations, safety showers, and fire extinguishers. The laboratory safety equipment is always located near the laboratory entrance.
It may be remembered that all chemicals in laboratory have the toxicity.
The post warning signs must be used at the time of handling unusual hazards, hazardous materials, and hazardous equipment.
It should avoid distracting or startling persons at the chemistry lab at the time of working.
It must be known the pathway of emergency exit routes for laboratory safety.
It should avoid the eye and skin contact with any type of chemicals.
It should try to minimize all types of chemical exposures.
It must be avoided any type of horseplay for laboratory safety.
The equipment should be used at the respective place to maintain the laboratory safety issue.
It should mix or combine the various types of chemicals in a proper way.
It should avoid adding solid materials into hot liquids.
All laboratory instructors should know the safety and chemical hygiene at all times.
It should avoid always opening the chemical containers.
It should always tie the back hair and avoid the shorts or skirts in the chemistry laboratory for laboratory safety.
It should avoid acrylic nails at the time of conducting experiments with Bunsen burners, lighted splints, matches, etc.
It should always wear face shields or safety glasses at the time of doing experiments with equipment, hazardous materials, glassware, and heating chemicals.
It must wash the hands with soap and water after completing the lab experiment.
All the containers should have appropriate labels to detect these properly.
It must be avoided the unlabeled chemicals to use for laboratory safety.
It should not take a taste or intentionally sniff chemicals.
It should not store foods or beverages or apply cosmetics in a chemistry laboratory.
It must avoid the mouth suction for pipetting.
It should wash the skin prior to leaving the chemistry laboratory.
It should not wear contact lenses because the presence of hazardous chemicals can attack this material.
It should not wear loose clothing to protect anyone properly.
It should keep the laboratory safety glasses or goggles on the eye during work.
It must be worn closed-toe shoes to avoid any chemical hazardous issues.
It must avoid keeping the perforated shoes or sandals on foot for laboratory safety.
It should read and remember the proper safety issues and potential hazards before starting the laboratory work.
It should develop the procedure to avoid the formation and dispersion of aerosols.
The unknown chemicals in the laboratory should be considered as hazardous chemicals.
It should avoid pouring the chemicals into drains, and avoid the sewer for chemical waste disposal.
It should avoid using the fume hoods for the purposes of evaporations and disposal of volatile solvents.
It must use the fume hood to reduce the potential exposure to hazardous chemicals.
It should work with other persons in the chemistry lab during the experiment.
It should always check the permissible exposure limit (PEL) and the threshold limit values (TLV) in the chemistry laboratory to conduct the experiment.
Lab instructors should provide the safety data sheets (SDS), and departmental laboratory safety manual to the students.
It should permit limited persons in stockrooms or specialized laboratory areas.
All the chemicals and equipment should be inspected regularly to avoid deterioration.
All the equipment in the chemistry laboratory should be maintained by following the manufacturer’s requirements and records of certification, maintenance, and repair methods to increase the life of the equipment.
It should locate the waste storage for properly discharging all of the chemicals from the chemistry laboratory.
It should avoid cell phone or earbud usage at the time of the experiment.
Laboratory coats should be worn during experiments and avoid storing them in laboratory areas.
It should not be worn the jewelry in the lab to avoid any harmful issues.
It should label the computers and other instrumentations to indicate properly.
It must be worn the rubber gloves to conduct the experiment and avoid the potential source contamination on the hands.
Laboratory Procedures
The following procedures should be followed for all lab experiments.
Wear the lab dress
It must be worn the laboratory apron that covers as much skin as possible. All loose clothes and long hair must be avoided to perform the experimental issues.
Study the experimental procedure
It should read the experimental procedure before doing any experiment. The teacher and instructor teach all about the experimental matter before conducting the experiment.
Be punctual
It should arrive at the laboratory at the proper time. If a student arrives at the lab late time, then a lot of introductory discussion and safety precautions will not be able to be understood. As a result, any student will face various problems for failing to understand the starting session.
Keep drawers closed
The drawers and cabinets must be closed to avoid any exposure to stored chemicals and other issues.
Take only planned breaks
You may take the planned break for various emergency issues at the time of less critical periods. It should turned off the hot plate during break and inform a neighbor or the instructor.
Avoid taking any drugs
It should avoid any drugs before entering into the lab. The effects of drugs may create various bad conditions and break the safe environment
Clean up after finishing the lab work
It is necessary to clean the hands with soap after completing the experiment in the laboratory.
Laboratory Safety Guidelines
It should always follow the safety procedure to keep the areas safe.
It should always wear chemical splash goggles for eye safety matter.
It must be worn a face shield during handling large quantities of hazardous chemicals to protect the body.
It should keep the proper gloves on hand for hand safety issues based on compatibility with the chemicals you may contact.
It must be worn with the appropriate cloth to protect the dress.
It should use the chemicals where the proper ventilation system is available.
It should avoid the use of mouth suction to fill a pipette or siphon to reduce the risk of health hazards.
It should handle the needles, syringes, and other sharps carefully.
The used chemicals should be drained properly to protect our environment.
It must inspect the laboratory weekly.
It is necessary to know about the emergency Procedures to keep safe anyone.
Follow and practice the GHK (Good Housekeeping) to avoid any hazardous conditions.
It must avoid direct contact with hazardous chemicals at the time of experiments.
It should label the containers and process equipment.
It should keep the laboratory light on.
It must report all accidents, dangerous activities, or situations at the time of conducting an experiment.
It should avoid unauthorized work, preparations, or experiments in the laboratory to follow the lab safety issues.
It should not dispose of the chemicals in the sink. It can be disposed of in the designated disposal bins or containers for disposal properly. It must avoid pouring back unused reagents into the bottle.
