Notes
Safety and Record Keeping
Learning to work safely in a
laboratory setting while also
keeping accurate and
appropriate records are key
skills that we are developing
during this course. Safely
working in a laboratory means
that we minimize risks for
ourselves, other people in the
laboratory and building, and for
the environment.
In first learning about safety in
the laboratory we often
encounter lists of guidelines for
what we should and should not
do in the laboratory. These guidelines are to help us build a baseline for
understanding and mitigating risk in teaching laboratories with well-established
experiments. One of the safety rules is to not “Pipet by Mouth.” What do you
think the purpose of this safety rule is?
Safety Rules
Here are some examples of standard safety rules for teaching laboratories. To aid
in understanding these rules, you will be discussing with others in the laboratory
what you think their purposes are.
•Never leave chemical containers open.
•Label all containers with what is inside of them.
•Long hair and loose clothing must be secured.
•Closed toed shoes must be worn in the laboratory.
•Do not wear laboratory gloves into the hallway.
•Laboratory goggles must always be worn.
•Know the location of fire extinguishers and emergency exit routes.
•Do not work alone in the laboratory.
8
Figure 1.1: "Dr. Adah Elizabeth Verder mouth pipetting"
by National Institutes of Health (NIH) is marked with Public