• "I didn't mean to" and "It wasn't my fault" are two statements that have no place in the lab. If someone is hurt or equipment is broken, these statements cannot undo the harm.

• Horse-play will not be tolerated. If it occurs, those involved will be disqualified from the lab and given a zero for the assignment.

• Never eat or drink anything in the science lab.
  

• Lack of pre-lab preparation is the main threat to safety in our lab. If you and your group are unprepared, you will be unsure of yourself, waste time, and have a good chance of making a mistake that leads to a problem.

• At the beginning of each lab period, you will be given a chance to ask questions. If you are unsure of some procedure, now is the time to ask. Always pay close attention to any verbal instructions given at this time. Also, carefully follow all written instructions.
  

• Safety glasses with side shields should be used when in a lab situation.
• If a spill happens in your eyes they should be flushed with water for at least 15 minutes.
• Other protective clothing, such as gloves and aprons are at your option,
  unless otherwise noted.
• Shoes shall be worn at all times in the lab. Sandals, open-toed shoes, and shoes with woven uppers, shall not be worn when there is a danger of spillage of corrosive or irritating chemicals.
• Tie your hair back and don't wear dangling jewelry.

• See Chemical Spills below for further information.
  

Report all accidents immediately, no matter how small.

Broken Glass:

The most common accident in the lab, even with the best of care.

• If you are using the equipment properly, you will not get into trouble for breaking a piece of glassware.
• If you are not using the equipment properly, or if horse-play is involved, you will be required to pay for the broken glassware.
• If glassware is broken, stop where you are. Report the breakage to the teacher.
• Do not move until the teacher says it is safe to do so. There will most likely be many small slivers of glass that you do not immediately notice.
• If anyone is cut, report it immediately.
• The teacher will collect the broken glass, not you. More minor cuts occur after this type of accident than during it.
• Chemical spills are often involved with glass breakage. When that occurs, report immediately to your teacher so the proper safety precautions may be taken.
  

Cuts and Blood:

Do not come into contact with another person's blood.

• Report the situation to your teacher and let her help the injured person.
• There is always a possibility of infection, even with the most minor injury. For this reason you should report any cut or scrape, even if there is no visible blood.
• If there is blood at any lab station, everyone is to stop what they are doing move to your seats until told it is safe to return to the lab.

Chemical Spills:

You are to treat all chemical spills as DANGEROUS.

Stop where you are and let the teacher tell you what to do.

• Did any of the spill get on your skin or clothing? Sometimes adding water is the worst thing you can do.
• Depending on the chemical spilled, we might just have a mess to clean up or we might have a very dangerous situation.
• The most potentially dangerous chemicals used in our lab are corrosive acids and bases. Even though you will normally be using chemicals that have been diluted, you should always treat acids and bases with care.
• Glass breakage often occurs along with chemical spills. If that happens, follow those safety precautions too.

However, before deciding to fight the fire, keep these rules in mind:

• All students move out of the lab immediately!  Close the door to the lab and tell the teacher if he or she does not already know.  The fire procedure will be activated. Be ready to evacuate the building! Do NOT run!
  

• Know what is burning. For example, if it is an oil or grease fire, the worst thing you can do ist to pour water on it. If you don't know what is burning, you don't know what type of extinguisher to use!
• Our lab uses ABC extinguishers which will put out almost any type of fire. They will slow down a grease fire and will not make it worse so USE IT!  

Do Not Fight the Fire If:

• You don't know what you are doing! Get out, close the door and tell someone or activate the fire alarm!
• You don't have adequate or appropriate equipment.

• You might inhale toxic smoke.

• Your instincts tell you not to.