Chapter 14. Laboratory Skills and Safety

Safety essentials [10]

Wear goggles, lab coat and appropriate gloves; tie back long hair.

Know the locations of eyewash stations, showers, fire extinguishers and exits.

Read the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for every chemical before use.

Never taste or sniff chemicals directly; work in a fume hood with volatile substances.

Add acid to water, never the reverse.

Dispose of waste in labeled, correct containers.

Good practice: record observations in a bound notebook in real time; calibrate balances and pH meters; read a meniscus at eye level; repeat measurements and report mean and standard deviation [9].

Report structure: title, objective, procedure, data, calculations, error analysis, conclusion.